Christina Rubino can attest to the fact that all it takes is one brief and even minuscule flash of influence to set you on a path that you feel destined to follow. After getting what some would consider to be a late start in setting out on a musician’s path, Rubino is proving that timing doesn’t matter nearly as much as the drive and desire to create what’s in your heart, and after putting her own personal life experiences into song, she’s ready to release her debut album, (A​)​Live from the Scrapheap, on March 15.

Rubino recently took the time to speak with us about what initially inspired her to get involved with music and what we can expect from her first effort and future plans. So read through the break to get acquainted with this up-and-comer by familiarizing yourself with her honesty and cogency.

Unlike a lot of musicians that claim that they always knew they wanted to get involved with music or that music was always in their blood, your initial involvement is quite different. You showed very little interest in becoming a musician until one incredibly brief clip of a song changed that view altogether in your teen years, correct?

Yes, that is correct. I wish I had that cool story which all musicians seem to have – the one that starts off something like, “So while I was ditching school in my Megadeath cutoff vest, blasting Master of Puppets in my headphones…” But the truth is, back then, I wasn’t even “nerd cool.” Inspiration that powerful is an incredible thing and it obviously did the trick. Indeed – true Story.

So after that moment of hearing Janis sing her heart out for a few seconds and enveloping you in influence, how did you make your way into becoming a musician? What were the next few years like as you transitioned from anything but a musician to an aspiring, developing one?

Immediately after that moment, I literally got up off the couch, retrieved my birthday money and rode the bus directly to Sam Ash. No kidding, just like that, and I never turned back. I had to be around 15 years old. I got a low budget nylon string guitar. Then when I got home I was like, “how the hell am I going to play this thing?!” I knew it was possible because my older sister, Toni, played guitar and sang. So I asked her to show me a few things, and she did. “Free Bird”! Yes – first song learned was “Free Bird” – true story. More importantly, I knew it could be done because I saw her do it…

I became obsessed quickly, and convinced my friend Dawn to learn drums. We started attending local shows, met our first bass player, Mark – and we SUCKED! SO BAD! It was marvelous! I love when I hear kids rehearsing and sucking! Because I know that if they keep at it, one day they will listen to their old recordings and hear the change. The journey from “Suck” to “Suck No Longer” is a precious one. I met the people who would become my greatest musical teachers, ironically, most of them in hardcore and metal bands. But Brooklyn at that point was hardcore and metal, there were no beards, save for the occasional goatee. I think every guitarist that ever existed in Candiria taught me guitar for a period of time. Mark and I went through several drummers in several incarnations – we kind of had that Spinal Tap thing going on – but we were committed. It was hysterical, because we were this pseudo punk, 3-piece, hyper emotional band blasting the occasional old Mazzy Star cover- in the middle of a straight up hardcore night. But we were a wonderful scene of people who supported each other loyally – some of them are my very best friends to this day. Eventually, Mark and I didn’t suck anymore. And eventually we went off to do our own thing in other bands, but that was my curve from non-musician to musician. Anyone can do it, providing they catch that fever.

And besides that Janis clip in the infomercial that ultimately became the impetus for your musical desire, what other artists would you say were major influences on how you found yourself developing as a musician and songwriter?

I just want you to know, that I had to look up impetus in the dictionary. Thank you for teaching me something new.

All of the music my sister Toni played for me since I was a baby (she is about 15 years my senior) definitely influenced me. She would play Cat Stevens, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie, Simon & Garfunkle – all that jazz. Well, not really jazz… She had a huge influence on me. As I came into my own, I started really emotionally connecting with artists like Sam Cooke, the Ramones, Sinead, Social D, Etta James, Ani DiFranco, Deftones, the Cure, Dylan, Cash, Rancid – too many to mention really- I mean it’s like genre soup. All these artists, however, have one thing in common – they are all innovative with their honesty, and present themselves and their art with a unique quality of truth that can only come from one place. That’s the place I try and write from. Sometimes I don’t, and those songs go in the garbage. There are many.

Here we are now years later and you’re all set to release your debut album. Congrats, by the way. I can only imagine your excitement. So what can you tell us about (A)Live from the Scrapheap? It’s clearly very personal and the lyrics relate very well to the album’s title. What themes would you say are prominent in the lyrics?

Thank you! This album was not planned on. I know it sounds incredibly cliché, but these songs did write themselves. Some songs on this album were quite literally written during complete blackouts. I would find something scribbled on a piece of paper and notice a new recording session on my computer and be like, “who wrote this?” Today I can see that I was originally driven to express through music for very visceral reasons. Those same deep visceral impulses drove me into some not-so-productive life situations. Ultimately the album represents the whole journey. The songs are extremely intimate and emotionally exposed, so I did not want to share them with strangers. They represented a person whom I still had shame for – but they also represented the person who was brought, well – from the scrapheap – to a better level of life than I had ever known. It cracks me up when people interpret the songs to be about break-ups, lost love – I mean it’s awesome that the songs can take on their own life for different people…but these songs are about suicide, addiction, death and hope. That’s the truth of it, and the ongoing theme is being in THAT, and recovering FROM that. I went through with recording this album for the sole reason that these songs may indeed help somebody who is just like me – so they don’t feel so alone, and so they know there is hope.

Does it feel like a relief to finally get it out there and see the response or do you have any regrets about following through with it?

I can’t say so much that it is a relief, because I wasn’t dying to make public many of these songs to begin with. I can definitely say, however, that I do not regret putting myself out there in such a revealing manner. Sure, my cheeks may flush a bit singing certain lyrics, or watching someone listen to certain parts – but what is more important is that there is the chance that someone who is in a sordid spot in their own life may benefit from hearing some of my honest experience. I feel that I have a task as a responsible artist to express, and express truthfully.

Are there any particular tracks that hold more personal weight for you than others?

Oh sure. “Tidal” is one of them – that was the last song I wrote before sobering up. That song is a snapshot of a time I should never forget, so I am blessed to have it. “Billy’s Song” is also very, very special to me because I wrote it for a good friend whom I promised to never forget. I am keeping my promise. Matt tracked the bass with Billy’s own instrument. Billy Kelly was an incredible musician, and an incredible person with a smile that lit up every room. Matt, Jerry and I were all very good friends with him – so recording that was extra special for all of us.

You also have a lot of great instrumentation on the album. Who helped out with that and what roles did everyone take on for (A)Live?

Oh, my gosh, I have such wonderful, talented musicians and friends in my life. Jerry Farley (NOVA Entertainment Group) produced the album and played some crazy instruments on it! African finger piano was one of them. He also played drums and some strings- but his biggest contribution, in my opinion, were the late night hours he spent alone in the studio crafting subtle melodies and arrangements that were just beautiful. Matt Brown (A Pale Horse Named Death) came in with his sexy, sleazy, dirty Gibson and danced all over those tracks. Francine Bianco is an amazing singer, and a great friend. She is that other voice you hear with mine, and she is the person who ultimately convinced me to record these songs. Marc Urselli, who has worked with some of my idols, mixed and mastered several songs – Jerry did the rest.

Do you have any touring plans in support of the album or are you focusing promotional efforts elsewhere for the time being?

Any touring will be local, short stints within the Northeast, and I have not booked anything yet. Releasing independently, and without a band to share tasks with is indeed, a bit of work – so I am trying to put the horse before the cart and get the word out as best I can before running off with a full tank of gas and a guitar.

So now that the album is all set to come out next month, what’s going to be your next big goal for this project? Do you already have any material written for your next effort?

Well, the next realistic goal will be a small tour. I am shooting for the little goals, like getting the word out properly – which can be more daunting than it seems. I have written several new songs, two of which I would consider to record on a future project. So if enough decent songs care to visit their audience through me, which I suspect they will, then I will be laying them down and releasing them.

As you could still be considered a budding artist in this form, are there any ways in particular that you hope to see yourself grow and progress as a musician and songwriter?

Absolutely. This is a constant process of growth and evolution. Art is a constant exploration – revelation. If I grow as a person, I will naturally grow as an artist. In particular, and to answer your question – I would like to hone my craft better. Since recording I have logged so many hours of grueling and plain old-fashioned practice, and I hear such a drastic difference in my voice today than when I even recorded this. I want to push that to the limit, I wan’t to know what these chords are capable of. Honestly, I want to reach my full potential. I think if anyone reaches that goal- because we all have something very special inside of us- they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Now that you have all of this material off your chest and into this album, do you see your next release being a very different venture?

Yes I do. I feel free now to explore the more creative places now that the deep sorrow has been cleaned up. I have changed SO much since writing these songs, and the insights I receive today are beautiful, and subtle – and just entirely different. But there is still an empathy imprinted on everything I create because of the experiences I had and because of this album.

So all in all, what goals do you hope to achieve for the remainder of 2014 and what can listeners expect in way of more material, videos, or even other projects?

Most definitely the material I am writing will build my next musical release, and will be performed live in my set. I am also a painter, and participating in several art shows this upcoming spring and summer. I will most definitely be releasing a video, because I love to edit video! I am also newly exploring storytelling and fiction writing. I find that exploration process fascinating – exploring worlds that you create. Written word is an amazing medium. Audio, visual and written creativity…I love the human mind – there’s no limit, no glass ceiling.

Written and conducted by: Brian Lion – Follow him on Twitter

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Brian Leak

Editor-In-Chief. King of forgetting drinks in the freezer. Pop culture pack rat. X-Phile. LOST apologist.

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