VENTS Magazine recently interviewed musical artist Reuben Brock to discuss his love of country music, his “Black Horse Through Hell” video, and more. Read the interview below!
What sparked your passion and interest for country music? When did you first start songwriting and creating hits in the genre?
Music in general, and country music in particular, were always in my family. I owe a lot to my grandmother, who was a diehard country music fan with a special love for Merle Haggard. As for myself, I started writing music about the same time that I learned to play guitar at age 14. I’d been studying and playing piano since I was 5, and the piano felt like home…but the guitar felt like amazing possibilities. It all progressed from there.
How did the past two years of uncertainty inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic affect your creative process? How has your unique sound evolved and enhanced with time?
The definitely pandemic had an effect on my next album, as it did on many artists’ work through the uncertainty of these last couple years. People were cut off from those who provided them joy, inspiration, and support, and cut off from supporting those very same, very important people back. That’s something many of us, artists included, myself included, have grappled with. For me, denied some other avenues, I felt just that much more driven to give what I could through my music. Listeners will find that isolation, faith, and facing oneself down to find the strength to carry on are central themes on DAMAGE. They’ll also find a bit of humor in the songs and in the videos, as I’m a strong believer that humor, too, connects us and is an amazing source of perspective and strength.
There’s nothing quite like being forced into a corner with your own thoughts, it’s a lot to face…but sometimes you also find an open door you weren’t seeing until you made the world stop for a minute (we do actually have that power) . The songs on DAMAGE came to me in a flow of music and words that seemed to fit together. I decided the album should be centered around a mix of traditional instruments like fiddle, banjo and slide guitar as the core, sounds that brought me comfort and connection to my own past, plus whatever else each particular song seemed to need.
What inspired your latest single, “Black Horse Through Hell”? What story is being told throughout the track?
The final stretch of a relationship hurting toward a breakup is brutal. You haven’t lost everything…yet…but all your energy is spent walking on eggshells and trying to figure out what the heck is coming next, and if there’s a chance that something might yet be saved. I witness friends going through breakups and divorces during the pandemic, and I’ve had my share of relationships that ended badly. One common denominator is that there does come a moment when you realize you’ve just got to get out.
What is the main message or takeaway you hope audiences take with them after listening to the song?
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, even when it feels like you’re going through a red hellscape. “Past the smoke… past the flames… past the wreckage that remains…”
What was your creative vision for the “Black Horse Through Hell” music video? What made you want to take the animated-visual route, and what details were incorporated into the video that you want viewers to know about?
Would you believe that, initially, it was intended to be just a performance video set against the red skies mentioned in the song? Not unlike so many aspects of life’s journey…it turned out to be a little more complicated. As we got into it, the sparks from the fiddle, the flames, the burning cactus, and other special effects just took over. It became way too much fun to stop. (Did you find the lizard?)
Is “Black Horse Through Hell” a part of a bigger project to be released? If so, how does this single preface what is to come next? When can fans and followers expect the next Reuben Brock hit and full-length album?
There is a full-length album release targeted for September of 2022, with a couple more singles to be released leading up to that. The title of the album is DAMAGE and it will have 12 original songs. “Black Horse through Hell” is the second single release from the album and the first full production video. “Nail and Hammer” was the first single. More to come – stay tuned…!
Follow Reuben Brock:
https://www.reubenbrock.com
https://www.facebook.com/ReubenBrockCountryMusic/
https://twitter.com/Reuben_Brock
https://www.instagram.com/reubenbrockmusic/