We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ruth Nichols. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Ruth, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I am really proud of the communities around Los Angeles. Working people around LA have shown up to help those affected by the fires and also to show solidarity and support for communities being terrorized by ICE. The protests around the city were full of music, dance, solidarity, respect for cultures and a general sense of agreement that most people want and demand humane policies and actions from their government. The Day Laborer network, Chirla, countless fundraisers for fire victims and many small groups of people fundraising for legal fees, providing free water, masks, snacks and support. This is the part of being in Los Angeles that I love, this is the real LA — not the red carpets, movie stars or tourist attractions.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
You might know me as @ruthtrumpets, you may have heard me singing Bossa Novas at a restaurant or seen me sitting in at a club or jam. My artist name Mahealane is my middle name and means “light of the full moon”. I’ve released an EP of my original songs and from there a bunch of collabs with my main musical and life partner PRNDL. We started a Jazz fusion band together called Low Poly Cactus and we are playing around the west coast. I value ethical business practice, behavior and I am driven by a love for playing music along with stubbornness to “stay in the game” that keeps me forging ahead.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
People are connected by experiences, love, shared beliefs, etc… These bonds break due to miscommunication, internal changes (for good and bad) and it can take so much longer to repair. Repairing relationships takes constant work, clear communication and sometimes intentional breaks to spend time on yourself. Other times things cannot be fixed and both parties move on.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Although I am more of a private person about my traumas, I have used the pain to write many songs and channel musical healing through performance. I am comfortable talking in small groups about my traumas, but not the type to put them on blast via social media. I sometimes wish I could do that and maybe one day will, but for now I do not want certain past traumas to define who I am. Being able to communicate about these things to friends has greatly enhanced my coping abilities and ultimately it is nice to feel community support. I want my music to help support community building, generally goofiness and thoughtful reflection.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
Fads come and go, foundational shifts are just that – tectonic plates creating movement, disruption and for a time chaos. There are various music release/marketing strategies, platforms and such that will constantly change as people find old and new ways to attract attention. On a broad scale one could say releasing music on a Friday instead of a Tuesday was a shift, but I posit that it is a fad that is probably on it’s way out like flares coming back every so often. The impact of AI in music is a transformative shift that is taking humans out of the equation, including making the music – yes someone is training the AI, but that is a temporary situation as they are self learning. I hope artists can unite in a way to make, perform and disseminate music in a fashion that uplifts humans and values the experience over capitalist instincts to “get as many streams as possible”. I think there is a place for AI/robot music (NOT commercial use) as the inevitability of their sentience is rapidly approaching, but if it’s use is for companies to cut out human artists and curators to help them make obscene profit then I do not see this as a benefit to future sentient robots — exploitation is exploitation, we currently only relate that to humans, but sooner or later…
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I love a balanced cup of black coffee, one of my favorite vinyls on the record player and sitting or laying down being full immersed in the moment, in the music and oh the places you can go!
Fav records include: Sketches of Spain, Chet Baker Sings, The eponymous record Astrud gilberto, Finest Hour/look to the rainbow, Ella live in Berlin, Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov), Keith in Koln, Buena Vista Social Club, the Silk Sonic album, Ojos Negros by Dino Saluzzi/Ana Lechner and Later than Evening, Fluid Rustle, Silent Feet by Eberhard Weber.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ruthtrumpets.com
- Instagram: @ruthtrumpets
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthtrumpets/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LowPolyCactus
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ruthtrumpets
Image Credits
Mckenna Alyssia, imustbedead, Morris Gonzalez
