On Waiting on a Breeze, Ruark’s second album, the singer and guitarist is joined by his home grown band: his wife, Alexa Joyce, on bass and backing vocals and Alexa’s brother, Joseph Bethany, on drums and backing vocals. The album was recorded in the band’s home studio, using basic equipment, but the music’s wide open sound is crisp and full. The arrangements combine elements of folk, rock, hard rock, country, Latin and classic pop. “We’re rock, in a weird acoustic way,” Ruark says, “but we call it folk rock, because of all the influences we bring into the music.”
Waiting on a Breeze flows smoothly, the arrangements carrying you along on a journey through life’s ups and downs. Ruark produced the album, with the band’s input, slowly layering up the sounds to achieve the effect of a live band. He played all the lead and rhythm parts on his Gibson LG1 acoustic, using various pedals and effects to push the sound into the territory of an electric guitar.
“By My Side” is a breakup song, based on a poem written by Alexa, with Ruark dipping into his lower range to deliver lyrics recalling happier times. The song alternates between gentle fingerpicking, on verses describing the memories that make parting so poignant, and choruses with the band rocking out as Ruark delivers a plea for reconciliation.
Alexa’s smooth bass line, Joseph’s syncopated drumming and Ruark’s guitar introduce “Full of Strife,” a look at the everyday annoyances of working class life. The mid-tempo rhythm implies the ongoing stress of a typical day’s labor, with Alexa and Joseph’s wordless harmonies bridging the tension between annoyance and self-control. A solid guitar hook and a loping country backbeat drive “Love is Destiny,” a song celebrating the joys of a long term relationship. Alexa and Joseph’s harmonies blend with Ruark’s crooning to make it a moving portrait of a happy relationship.
“Waiting On A Breeze,” a song that describes life’s unexpected pleasures, closes the album on a high note, with Ruark delivering the poetic lyrics backed by his chiming guitar and the bubbling rhythms of Alexa’s bass and Joseph’s swinging drums. “It’s a song about looking forward to spring and the good times at the beginning of a relationship,” Ruark said. “It was inspired by a quote by Ikkyū, a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and poet.”
“I've been into guitar since I was a toddler,” Ruark says. “My dad played guitar and liked country, rock and pop. My Mom was into country, R&B and southern rock, so I’ve had various interests from an early age.”
Ruark grew up shuttling between East Texas and South Arkansas. MTV was banned in the conservative East Texas town he lived in, so he had to discover music on his own. He fell in love with the Ramones, Nirvana and Green Day. “I got into skateboarding,” Ruark said. “The skaters would tell each other about all these crazy punk and alternative bands.” He played in a few skate/punk bands for a while, but once he realized the itch to go to college wasn’t going away, he worked toward a Bachelors in Music Composition at The University of Texas at Tyler. “I played a bit of piano in college, and bass in the wind ensemble, but guitar motivates me the most.”
After graduation, he moved back to Arkansas to take care of an elderly relative. He got a Master of Arts in Teaching from Southern Arkansas University and began teaching music in a small public school. “I was in a band called Casvadell for a while. We played loud, original rock tunes. Then my mother passed away. That was a wake-up call for me to do my own thing.”
Ruark began playing his original songs with the help of his wife, Alexa Joyce on bass and a since departed drummer. “The band started as a recording project. I was going to play the songs solo when I did them live, but we had so much fun making the album, we decided to form a band.” Ruark’s first album, When You Coming Home, was released on their Bandcamp page in 2019. It was favorably reviewed by dozens of publications including American Songwriter and Rawckus.
After honing their sound playing live, the band returned to their studio to make Waiting on a Breeze. Ruark said they’ll be playing shows to support the album, but they all have day jobs to attend to. “We would like to secure a booking agent to play bigger shows, and a label to distribute physical releases,” Ruark said. “If that leads to playing music year-round, rather than teaching, that would be cool, but it's more important that people enjoy our music.”