INTERVIEW: Christian Rutledge Celebrates Every Inch of an NYC Mile
Punk drummer Christian Rutledge is trading his skins for strings, and he explains how New York's diversity inspired his debut folk album.
Longtime NYC rock drummer Christian Rutledge has traded his skins for strings. After years keeping heavy time in hard ring outfits like Vagina Panther, Space Merchants and Freaky Wilderness, Rutledge is stepping to the mic for his solo debut, An Inch of This New York Mile (out May 16.) The spare, lyric-driven tunes here draw on Americana influences like Woody Guthrie and Gillian Welch, with
strains of songwriter-led indie acts like The Replacements and Billy Bragg.
Rutledge speaks with us about how New York City's dazzling diversity inspired this intimate country album.
Who are some of your musical influences?
I’ve spent most of my time in bands as a rock drummer. I came up in a DIY indie/punk scene and still play drums in a psych rock band called Freaky Wilderness. I say that because my influences are all over the map; Americana, alt- rock, hardcore, folk, hip hop... the list goes on.
I came to country music through acts like Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, and Old 97s; then I headed back to classics like the Carter Family, Hank Sr., all the Outlaws, Dolly, Prine; and then worked my way forward via Steve Earle, Lucinda, Gillian Welch, etc. It’s always been about the lyrics for me, so other all-timers include Billy Bragg, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Chuck D, Joe
Strummer, Jason Isbell, John Moreland, Killer Mike & El P, Aesop Rock, John K. Samson, Craig Finn... I know I’m forgetting a bunch, but this list could go on for days.
Name a perfect song and tell us why you feel that way.
I think “O-o-h Child” by The Five Stairsteps is as close to perfect as it gets for me. The lyric is simple but powerful and calling for change, the vocals are beautifully sung and a little rough at the edges, and musically it’s got such a deep groove which sounds simple but is a lot harder to pull off than it seems. All of the effortless modulations happening that keep lifting the song to a new level over and over again gently rearrange the molecules in my chest. The song just keeps giving more and more all the way to the end, too. Absolutely amazing.
Explain the title of your album.
The album is called An Inch of This New York Mile, which is a line from one of the songs on it. That’s a lyric that just showed up, and over time ended up saying a lot more than I realized at first. Much of the record is about living in NYC, and that line speaks to my experience being a tiny part of this huge city. It’s about the folks I ride the subway with, or walk past on the sidewalk, or sit next to on a bench in the park. It’s this beautiful, crazy, diverse tapestry that’s made up of all of us. That line feels proud and inclusive and kind of celebratory to me too.
Does your album have an overarching theme?
Overall, the album is about living in New York City. I moved here in early 2001, and it’s the place I’ve found my chosen family. It’s also where I’ve felt the most at home in my life. The lyrics were mostly written while walking around Brooklyn. I did a lot of strolling in Prospect Park during lockdown, which birthed a writing practice that really worked for me and which continues to this day. The album closes with a suite of three songs about my mom’s recent passing, and while that didn’t happen in New York, most of my grieving was done here. So, for me, the city is there throughout the album.
How do you feel your coming out journey plays into your music?
I’ve been out as queer to friends and family for years, but I think I probably code as straight to a lot of folks. My partner is non-binary and uses they/she pronouns, but people who don’t know us likely see them as a woman. Our lives may look straight from the outside, but neither of us ever really has been. That said, I write a lot of songs with queer themes that may not get picked up by every listener. So, I guess my journey plays out in my music in that my queerness doesn’t necessarily appear front and center at all times, but it’s always there, and it’s an important part of me and my process.
Catch Christian's album release show on May 16th with Rtuledge, Hayley Rose Harrington, and Wolf Van Elfmand!
Where: Baker Falls, 192 Allen Street, NY, NY (the old Rockwood 2 stage)
When: Friday, May 16th, doors at 7:30p, show at 8:00p sharp
