Interview: Reuben & The Dark talks Stampede, GoT & community

If there are two things we like in Calgary, it’s the local music scene and the Stampede. So, we jumped at the opportunity to chat Reuben and the Dark’s lead singer, Reuben Bullock. Not only has Reuben and the Dark been a staple of Calgary’s scene for the past decade, but they’ve also been asked to open the musical acts for this year’s Stampede celebrations next Thursday, July 4th on the Coca Cola Stage.

We got to talk with him about starting out in the city, his music being featured on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Game of Thrones, and what it means to be a part of the Calgary community.

Growing up in Calgary, how did the people around you get you started down this path?

Well, I got into music really late, and a big part of that had to do with the community here. The difference between me writing a song and becoming a performer was fostered through the interactions and relationships that were forming around me here. I started playing music around 20 or 21, and then was involved with Market Collective during its inception. I would end up playing there for hours every weekend. As I continued to reach out to people to play, that slowly became a community. We were all trying to grow something at the time, whether for art or music. So, that gave me the confidence to really get started.

Speaking of community, you’re part of a different one that people don’t often associate with Calgary, which is skateboarding. Did that scene influence you as well?

Yeah, I got into music because of skateboarding. My soundtrack was whatever songs were being used in skateboard videos. So, the first records I had, all of it, came from skate videos. I look at skateboarding through a specific lens though, I see it as a form of expression. It’s this kind of freedom to be creative. It’s such a beautiful subculture, and it’s athletic, and now an Olympic sport… I think that skateboarding, instead of other sports, was a lot closer to the arts and music too. So moving into music, it didn’t exactly feel natural, but they weren’t too far away from each other.

We also really appreciate the investment Reuben and the Dark has in ‘creating a community’. What kind of community would you like to see grow in Calgary?

I think that Calgary does have a good community to begin with. It changes lots and has changed lots over the years. Someone asked me the other day if I had advice for a beginning artist. I had to take a really hard look at what happened with me, what made a difference. And my advice to them was to build a community around your band, and your songs, something that nobody can take away from you. It doesn’t depend on freak success from radio or TV or someone stumbling on you. Make your fanbase your community, because I feel like myself and a lot of other bands around the same time had that, where we just cared about what each other were doing. It was small scale enough that if you’re going to play a show, 20 to 50 people are going to come out because they’ve become friends. Friends, restaurants, arts initiatives, artists themselves, basically anyone doing anything creative that you can kind of feed off of and be inspired by. The way it succeeds is if people get involved, you know- book shows, get your friends to hang art on the walls. Do that for long enough and you’ve built a team, and one where everyone helps each other instead of competing. 

That makes sense to us…

So, now, that group actually has some influence and we get to help them continue to grow. We did a residency at the NMC (National Music Centre), and the guy who’s running it goes way back with me. Or we just did the 10-year anniversary for Market Collective, and I’ve known the people behind that forever. To come back 10 years after we started to do a lot of things, and for me to be in a position where they’re excited to ask me to come and play, and I’m excited to be asked because I respect what they’re up to, it’s a really incredible thing.

Now, you mentioned a few years back that you were surprised at how your songs inspired others in ways you never intended, and that your lyrics were open to interpretation. Do you still have that same mentality when it comes to songwriting?

I think so, I don’t think that’s something I can ever shake. It’s very much my process, not being vague intentionally but a lot of stuff is a stream of consciousness. It’s kind of like a therapy session, or like rapid fire spontaneous response. That’s what songwriting is to me- if I feel like it’s happening, I just get out of the way of the words. So I can often sit back afterwards and read the lyrics and be like wow, I wonder what that means. But, these days I’m more aware of how it could resonate with others, and that made me more intentional or thoughtful about what I’m saying. There is this spirit of togetherness at our concerts, and I want to make sure it’s a balance of fear and hope. It’s not all bleak, there’s optimism, and our shows have become these strange emotional connections with the audience. I’m just too aware of it now to throw something at the audience that doesn’t mean anything to me.

We like that, and we think that it’s what help Reuben and the Dark resonate with people above and beyond the music scene. When listening to your albums we get this vibe that is hard to put a finger on yet deeply moving. And, we’re not the only ones- a lot of movies and tv shows have used your music to convey these feelings…

Yeah, well we’re lucky to have some really sweet people in LA and New York that rep our music to film supervisors. So they were super excited to sign us, and instrumental in our early syncs and licenses in the industry. Since then it’s been a combination, sometimes someone finds a song of ours that really fits what they want to do, sometimes I write something intentionally dramatic, or cinematic even. I’ve been spending time in LA working with a producer and we’ve been trying to cultivate that catalogue, with some being commissioned and some being experimental.

Well, a musical score can turn something that’s operating at like a B grade to an A, and you get to be a part of that. Do you have a holy grail of a film or TV show to have your music be featured on?

Well, we just got the Handmaid’s Tale trailer, so that was surreal to have happen because I’m a big fan of that show. But aside from that not really, I’m always really surprised by how fitting something is or how random something is. I’m not really aiming at anything, although it would have been cool to have something in Game of Thrones. Well, we kind of did, we had HBO use the song for the trailers for it 2 seasons ago. That blew my mind, because I had become so obsessed with the show, and it played before every episode.

Now, you’ve got another holy grail ahead of you, which is opening up the musical acts for the Stampede. What does that mean to you?

It’s an honour, and it’s a nice affirmation. I think Calgary is a place where I’ve tried for so long to break into the scene and to be accepted as a musician. And each step of the way we’ve been welcomed in different areas- the Calgary Folk Fest was one of the first to vouch for us and put us on a stage bigger than we should have played at the time. So Calgary has always had our backs, and the Stampede is a big celebration of the city and a huge cultural event. For them to choose us to open the whole thing up is totally a privilege. We’re going to try and make it more of a party show, and bring some fun energy to it.

Make sure to check out Reuben and the Dark on the Coke Stage next Thursday, July 4th.  We also suggest giving their newest album, Arms of a Dream, a listen. Now available on all streaming platforms.

Thanks to Reuben for taking the time to chat with us! Looking forward to catching your show.