Born Ruffians

“Mutation: it is the key to our evolution…this process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward.”

-Professor Charles Xavier

Enter us! Toronto’s Born Ruffians - Luke Lalonde, Mitch DeRosier and Steve Hamelin. We are the next link in the evolutionary chain of contemporary pop music, mixing drums, bass, and electric guitar, an almost unheard of combination, with bits of harmonium, piano and plenty of “hootin and hollarin” to create a sound we call “the best we could come up with!”

Being a genetically advanced “homo-superior” three-piece, originally from Midland, Ontario, we’ve blazed through the United States of America and Canada twice, in our white, five-seater mini-van, leaving in our wake two clogged toilets and a clogged shower, one crashed into pregnant woman (the child is fine), and hopefully hundreds of satisfied fans. We’re about to embark on that rambunctious journey once again.

Travelling in something reminiscent of a (short) bus with our friends and new tour buddies Caribou, this tour is in support of our new single Hummingbird (out October 2007) and is a pre-emptive strike in anticipation of our newly recorded full-length album Red, Yellow and Blue, which is scheduled for release worldwide on WARP records in February 2008.

“Highly anticipated” and “much hyped” are phrases tossed around so frequently they have lost all meaning, so instead let’s just say we think this album should be “highly hyped” and “not anticipated” because the anticipation will kill you to death. It’s the follow-up to our “critically observed” EP and was produced by the over-caffeinated, nicotine disaster, known as Rusty Santos, the boy genius from New York responsible for the mixing of Animal Collective’s Sung Tongs and Panda Bear’s Person Pitch.

Hummingbird brings fans up to speed with our evolving sound as Born Ruffians. It’s perfect for dancing circles with your purses in the club or staring wistfully at the ceiling before bedtime. It’s followed by “Kurt Vonnegut”, a staple in our live show and wraps up with our take on “Knife,” a Grizzly Bear track we truly adore.

Having travelled overseas to the United Kingdom twice and toured with the likes of Hot Chip, Akron/Family and the Hidden Cameras, we Ruffians have been witness to the perks of indie-rock success – clean towels! Cold cuts selection! Not the cheapest beer! Now its our time, we made a timid splash with our EP, but we expect our new songs to make the musical equivalent of a cannonball that soaks your mom’s new perm while she’s barbecuing you hot dogs.

Ruffians Out.

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