Rullian: Press

Published article on Rullian
Published in the Redlands Daily Facts
August, 2002

Raoul Rañoa just put out an album with a significantly more humane touch.

His debut 17-track album, Rullian: Is This My Guitar Or An Albatross?, released about a month ago, is intended for the love of music, mother, brother and in the end, animals.

All the profits that come back to him are being donated to the Redlands Humane Society, picked because he and his wife, LaDean Evans, like animals.

I originally wanted to do this for five different organizations, Rañoa says, from the Red Cross to the American Cancer Society. But I wasn't having lots of luck hearing back from them.

Which is just fine, according to Rañoa, 34, because the Redlands Humane Society hits closer to home. We both like animals, he says. LaDean volunteers for a program that uses horses as therapy for challenged kids in Riverside, and we have two dogs, three cats and a ton of fish. His neighbor, meanwhile, provides access to rabbits and ducks next door.

Rullian is named in honor of Rañoa's brother, whom he never met. Before Rañoa was born, his mother had unexpected twins two boys, Renato and Rullian both of whom died shortly after they were born. So Rullian is a tribute to a brother.

It's odd knowing I had a brother I never knew, says Rañoa, who was born in the Philippines.A lot of the music on his album is dedicated to his mother.

It's not an easy task for Rañoa to simply sum up what's on his album. My music was never meant to be sold, he explains. It was just meant for me to be a record for me, so that my music was recorded before I die. I think that had it been intended for a specific audience, I probably wouldn't have made it as weird. He also adds, It's not specifically intended for charity.

Rañoa's instrumentals run the gamut from jazz, Irish ballads and flamencos, to rock and punk. All the pieces were songs I had in my head for years, Rañoa says. I never really had the means to express them. They never really fit in with the bands I played in.

Rañoa says that his parents wouldn't support his education if he pursued music as a major while studying at California Polytechnic University, Pomona, so he majored in journalism instead, opting to take two music classes every semester, and he now works as a senior artist for editorial art at the Los Angeles Times.

The album was produced, mixed and recorded here in Redlands from his garage and bedroom, to LoFi, a recording studio on Citrus Avenue. Percussionist Joseph Quinones, another of Rañoa's neighbors (who doesn't have ducks and rabbits) plays several instruments on the album. We were pretty lucky to have a neighbor who doesn't mind loud music, Rañoa jokes, and one who plays punk and ska.

Since the album is a bit eclectic, Rañoa says that If you can just make it past the first four songs, there should be a little bit of something in there for everyone. Rañoa mentions that his album has been purchased by guitar fans from as far away as New York, Canada and Australia.

The musical content is not an issue to the folks at the Redlands Humane Society, who were elated to receive a box of his CDs to sell at their Market Night booth. They contacted me a few weeks ago and said they were going to do this, says Jan Orbaker, president of Redlands Humane Society. And they dropped off a whole box of CDs. We really appreciate it. Any contributions we can get helps keep our programs going. As of press time, Orbaker hadn't had an opportunity to check out the album herself. I think this is going to be a great experience for him, she says, and I hope it does well.

Dee Woodbury, a longtime volunteer for the Redlands Humane Society, was pleasantly surprised to hear about Rullian. This is a heavenly bonus, she said. Our goal has been to get enough funds for a new kennel. Any contributions we can get helps. We're absolutely elated.

Today in the music industry, it's all about making the dollar, racking up those benjamins. Heck, even musicians who say they aren't in it for the money end up signing giant record contracts later.

It's not often they donate earnings from a CD sales to charity, but local musician and former Sun newspaper graphics artist Raoul Rañoa (now working for a larger Los Angeles newspaper, but we won't mention names) is just the person to change that.

Ranoa recently released an instrumental CD, "Rullian, Is This My Guitar Or An Albatross?" and proceeds will go to the humane society.

Why is the money for the CD going to charity?
I didn't have any predetermined goal, purpose or even audience in mind when I started recording the instrumentals. It was a very personal endeavor. And, since my GF and I both love animals, it seemed that donating whatever money the CD gets to the Humane Society was the perfect thing to do. And really, I don't write music to make money-which is a good thing cuz I'd be suicidal by now!

Gimme some background on the CD
It's not a band in the sense that everyone rehearsed together in a studio. I wrote and recorded the songs on a four-track and sent Mp3s to Wayne (Woodall, drums). He would use my demo for reference and record the drums on his 8-track. We would transfer his drum tracks over to Pro Tools (a computer-based recording system) at LoFi Studios in Redlands. Once I had the basic drum track, I would build the song one layer at a time-playing the bass first and adding all the guitars, piano and keyboard one by one. For the parts that required real musical talent, I asked my more talented friends come by and help out. Sheesh, with all that went into making the CD, it sounds like recording with musicians in the studio would have been easier.

Who chose the album name and why?
I wanted to name the album "Bald Asian With a G-String" but my girlfriend said it wouldn't make for a good album cover. She can be so opinionated at times. Rullian is one of my parents' first born (He was one of twins). "Is This My Guitar Or An Albatross" is a reference to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." I get so frustrated with the guitar at times that it feels like a curse.

How would you categorize your music?
I'd file it under "Music That Will Get Rid of Unwanted Guests By." When people are bugging me, all I have to ask is "wanna hear my CD?" and they bail. It works like a charm. I hope the songs have enough different flavors to please people across the board. I've been told that some of the heavier songs are a little, err, "strange' But, there's a lot of mellower, easier-to-listen-to grooves e;sewhere on the CD.

Where can fans purchase the cd?
This makes the assumptions that I have fans. CDs can be bought online at www.cdbaby.com or guitar9.com. Otherwise, there are copies of the CD at Sounds Like Music and Mad Platter in Riverside, Rhino Records at Claremont, Groovetime in San Bernardino and at the Redlands Guitar Shop. They're also available at all Nuerotic Compound (Rañoa's main band) shows.

What's the response to the CD been?
Reaction has been great. CDs have been ordered from New York, Canada, Nebraska and Australia. The main goal now is to just get the CDs out and raise some money for the Humane Society. I'm also trying to contact independent filmmakers who need music for soundtracks. Otherwise, my main band, Nuerotic Compound, keeps me very busy. We're working on our second album and playing a lot of shows locally and in LA.

CITY/CITIES OF ORIGIN:We're based in Redlands, practice in Highland, have cats in Pomona and eat Indian food in Rancho Cucamonga.

MEMBERS & INSTRUMENTS:Will Bagby (Ultraman), drums; Rod Baker (Lokee) bass; Ann Hackman
(Violatronica): five-string viola/violin; Luke Kelly (The Director),keyboards/ harmonica, french horn; Raoul Rañoa (El Manchurian), just guitars

What is your philosophy/goal/vision/grand scheme? And how has it changed since its start, if it has?
When I recorded the first two Rullian CDs, my only intent was to have a creative outlet. I was never meant to make money nor was it meant to be popular. Clearly, there are other types of music that would sell or gain
more popularity than instrumental fusion rock. I don't think that philosophy has changed much. Although, we would like shows at largervenues, we play because we want a musical outlet not defined by any
specific genre. If anything has changed, it's that we are a band now and not just one person's sole-creative project-which is awesome. We're all very lucky to have each other.

What advantages and/or disadvantages does being from the Inland Empire have for you?
We don't really see a disadvantage-other than our long commute to our day jobs makes it hard to schedule rehearsal. There's a small but active local music scene in Redlands featuring some great bands of varying styles (The Maxies, Chris Leroy, The Deluge-just fantastic artists). Lo-Fi Studios - who we've worked with for years - is 20 minutes away.

What's story behind the band name?
Rullian would have been of my oldest brothers. He was one of twins born premature. Neither lived for very long. I'm the youngest of the family and, by my parent's own description, an "accident" - meaning that my
parents had all the kids they wanted before I came along. My mom once told me that since Rullian didn't live very long, she figured that they were meant to have another kid. I guess some accidents just can't be avoided.

What are the band's immediate future plans? We'll soon record a third CD showcasing everyone's songwriting. We'd alsolove to play bigger shows-like the Newport Jazz Festival or Coachella-that would be a dream come true for all of us.

How much touring has the band done, if any?
Ann (viola) toured with Yanni. You can actually see her in the Yanni DVD. Rod has warmed up for Yngwie Malmstien and Molly Hatchet. Will played the Libertarian Presidential Convention in Atlanta, GA and I did a small tour through Utah years ago with a previous band. That experience was very "Spinal Tap-ish" complete with a bunch of guys stuck in small rental van and a promoter running off with all the cash before the gig was over. I
did get to meet and watch Robbie Krieger, Leslie West and Noel Redding perform. Noel was the greatest, most humble guy ever. He told us about his experience with Jimi and was very down to earth. And watching two
legendary guitarists like Leslie West and Robbie Krieger from backstage was a very humbling experience.

Tell me about your most insane or memorable live show.
For me, the most memorable Rullian show was the first one at the AlleyKat. We played four sets so we played all of our originals plus a bunch of covers. We approach covers a bit differently since we're an allinstrumental band. Ann plays most of the vocal parts on the viola. The people specifically paid to watch and listen to a jazz/fusion band and, at that point, I wasn't sure how they would react to a part rock/part fusion/part jazz band that played instrumental versions of "Freebird" and "Hotel California." The AlleyKat invited us back so I guess we did OK.

What are some of the general topics of the songs that you write?
Although the songs are instrumental, they each have a specific story or set of circumstances that shaped their writing. "Ballet Of Bones" was inspired after watching a ballet on Halloween night in downtown Riverside.
After performing, the dancers who were dressed up as skeletons, stayed in character and walked among the audience and stared you down-effectively blurring the lines between the stage and the audience. "The Afternoon You Left" is specifically about that feeling of bliss when a source of negative energy finally leaves your life. You know that scene in CharlieBrown where all the kids are out of school for the summer and they're all
running down the steps of the school screaming? That's how I felt that afternoon. "Waiting for LaDean" was written while I was waiting for my wife LaDean to come home. I had a severe case of the munchies and she had
my wallet in her purse. No fish tacos for me.

What kind of appeal does your band have to audiences? And who is in your audience?
My hope is that Rullian can be enjoyed by a wide group of people and not just fans of progressive music. Our audience are those who appreciate arrangements that unfold like a soundtrack. Our songs travel melodically with little repetition and the styles vary dramatically from one song to the next so it helps to appreciate contrasting musical styles. If you like equal amounts of world music, piano, viola, heavy drums as well as noisy guitar, you'll probably like us.

Who are some of your musical influences?
We all listen to a wide variety. But here are some favs: Luke enjoys John Williams and Beethoven is his favorite composer. Will loves Trilok Gurtu and Dave Weckl. Ann listens to Mantovani and Bach. Rod likes fast heavy prog like Dream Theater and I love Rush, Eisley, Kinky, Guster, Chromakey, Muse, Radiohead and, of course, Leo Kotke.