The Emerald Ruby EP Launch and Folk Music Workshop

Concert:
2-2.45 pm

The Emerald Ruby weaves a delicate musical tapestry from an on-stage forest of flutes and ukuleles. Voice like a siren, intricate melodies sprout from her classical training, gently manicured by her love of Folk music and Jazz. Learn these melodies and writing techniques in her Folk Music Workshop.

Workshop:
Time: 3-4pm
Age Minimum: 10
Skill Requirement: One year on instrument, can play D major and G major Scales, basic music reading.

The artist:
Soulful vocals caress gentle ukulele, stitched together with lilting flute, creating the sonic pallet of multidisciplinary artist The Emerald Ruby. The brainchild of Newcastle based creative Jen Hankin, The Emerald Ruby is the home of her many artistic pursuits. Her practice of photography, fashion, visual art and video making inform her eclectic approach to music. To her, a song is a sculpture, and it’s her job to give it life.

On stage, she surrounds herself with a forest of flutes and ukuleles. With the assistance of a loop peddle, she uses these instruments to weave a delicate musical tapestry. Intricate melodies sprout from her training as a classical flautist and are gently manicured by her love of Irish folk music and early Jazz. Voice like a siren, her lyrics are raw, sharing whimsy, lived experiences of mental health struggles, love and longing.

A rich musical history accompanies The Emerald Ruby through every performance. Her first musical home was the Orchestra, where Shostakovich and Stravinsky informed her understanding of structure and texture. In her teens, she fell for alt metal band System of Down, which combined with her study at University of Newcastle, saw her make the transition from pure classical musician to multi-genre powerhouse. She has toured and recorded extensively with The Button collective and experimental folk/jazz band Vanishing Shapes. She regularly performs with jazz-rock band Othrship, and Psyc rock band Lachlan X Morris.

The Emerald Ruby has graced the stages of the Melbourne Ukulele Festival, Bulga Beats festival, The Rhythm Hut and Lazybones Lounge.

Testimonials:

Bulga Beats Festival “Quirky, smooth, multi-layered goodness. A talent fitting any venue, time or location, a show for your soul.”

Paddock Sessions "Not Jazz, not Folk, not pop and yet all those things. Multi-instrumentalist “The Emerald Ruby” live experience is amazing, quirky and fun, don't miss it.”

Josh Shipton and the Blue Eyed Ravens “I mean when I say she’s great, I mean it. And when I say she’s better than the chicken eating the lizard, which is one of the landmark moments of my life, I mean it.”

Crimes Against Fashion “Music flows through Jen when she plays and it makes you feel like you are part of it. Many people can play music to you and you hear it. Jen makes you feel it and you become part of it.”

Kerri Ellis, Former Creative Director at Bucket Lounge - “A starry, starry night was travelled listening to Jen Hankin as The Emerald Ruby at the Bucket Lounge a couple of years back. But the soft velvety sounds were never forgotten.”

Another Made.In.Newcastle event delivered under your Special Business Rate Program thanks to Curious Legends, Newcastle Art Space and Newcastle City Council.