Skyline Records has announced the signing of young Boston-based band, The Ruta Beggars.
The band originally came together while they were all students at the Berklee College of Music in 2018. Winning the band competition the following year at the Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival helped put them on the map, and they have been performing all over the US and Canada ever since.
Their style is hard to pin down. Definitely bluegrass, but with touches of the other types of music that comes with an education in the discipline. But what most sets them apart is their clever original material, and the sense of fun that surrounds everything they do.
Micah Nicol plays guitar and sings lead, along with Trevin Nelson on banjo, Jean-Baptiste Cardineau on mandolin, Noah Harrington on bass, and Sam Stage on fiddle.
Here’s a look at The Ruta Beggars with a delightful song, Papa’s Got Ahold of the Wine, with original fiddler Sofía Chiarandini.
Will McSeveney, principal with Skyline Records, described what attracted him to this bunch.
“I discovered this band at SPBGMA in 2022 when they performed in the band contest. I was blown away. They were simply unique, fresh, and different. They were extremely polished and wonderful entertainers. But most importantly, they were incredible instrumentalists and singers.
About six months ago, I was chatting with Jim VanCleve. He told me he was producing The Ruta Beggars, and asked if I had ever heard of them. I responded exuberantly and said I was a huge fan. Jim and I shared the same opinions and vision for The Ruta Beggars, and we knew we just had to make something work.
The Ruta Beggars are coming in hot.”
The group has released three short form recorded projects since 2022, and this new one for Skyline will be their first with a label. Will tells us that they are in the studio this week and he hopes to have new music from The Ruta Beggars in the next month or so.
In closing, here’s another look at their music, this time live at Cambridge’s iconic Club Passim, which until a recent change of ownership, hosted a weekly bluegrass jam that drew participants from all over the greater Boston area for decades.
Congratulations and best of luck to The Ruta Beggars and Skyline Records!
