The Ruddy Ruckus

The Ruddy Ruckus is Hamilton, Ontario native Rob Brown’s alter ego, a state of mind filled with overdriven Telecasters, pounding drums and the occasional sweet and slow acoustic campfire ballad. Graduating from the DeGroote School of Business in 2017, Brown can boast a few accolades that compliment his sweet and salty style of lyric writing and punky-folky particularities.

The name, The Ruddy Ruckus, was thought up of one day on a walk through the pristinely beautiful Dundas valley. The name reflects two sides of a coin; one being the boisterous noise often made by youths on Friday nights as they roam from adventure to adventure and the other as a social commentary on the amount of noise made by social media, the news and advertising. The Ruddy Ruckus lives up to its name during live shows, often featuring members of the audience as onstage performers and lots of head bopping in the crowd, moving to the rhythm of jumping, guitar wind milling and the general shenanigans coming from the stage.

The Ruddy Ruckus released a full-length LP in 2013 (“Life and Death, Love and Loss”) featuring tracks steeped in the bittersweet ironies of everyday life. From fan favourite “Roy” – a story relating to the tragic demise of his grandfather to Alzheimer’s Disease – to the East coast flavoured “It’s A S***hole That We Call Home”, Brown started to find his footing wielding an Epiphone acoustic guitar and a vocal edge that cut through the traditional notions of singer-songwriter notoriety.

While contributing to many open mic nights, charity events and professional musical performances over many years Brown began to feel that something was missing. As the frontman for Burlington punk-poppers Koetta Black playing in front of pumping kick drums and driving basslines was somewhat of an aspiration to what The Ruddy Ruckus could really be. Enlisting Hamilton Music Award winning drummer Patrick Brown on the drums, good friend Evan Easton on the bass guitar, The Ruddy Ruckus grew into a three piece in 2017. In 2018, friend and lead guitar virtuoso Jackson Dorie enthusiastically joined them to round out their new sound.

The Ruddy Ruckus plans to work on releasing digital singles and growing online audiences through social media. Coupled with this, the act also aspires to gain a substantial foothold in their hometown by playing live more frequently in the coming months.