Rubyhorse

Rubyhorse were an Irish rock band from Cork, formed by a group of friends who had known each other since childhood. They became bandmates in their early teens, assigning instruments largely by temperament rather than technical background. The band took its name from a song by The Wonder Stuff and quickly established themselves on the Irish live circuit, touring extensively in support of their independent debut release, A Lifetime In One Day.

By 1997, having reached the limits of what the Irish scene could offer at the time, Rubyhorse relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. There, they built momentum through constant live work, most notably a consistently sold-out 60-week residency at The Burren, an Irish pub in the Davis Square area of Somerville, alongside a successful Saturday night residency at the legendary Bill’s Bar on Lansdowne Street. Within their first year in the U.S., the band won three Boston Music Awards.

National touring followed, as did interest from major record labels. Rubyhorse gained early attention online by reaching number one on the emerging MP3 charts—an unusual achievement for an unsigned band at the time. They signed to Interscope Records, moved to Los Angeles, and recorded an album with producer Paul Fox. Despite a substantial budget, the album was never released, and the deal ultimately stalled.

The band subsequently returned to a more independent approach, working with producer Jay Joyce in Nashville. Recording on a 16-track machine in Joyce’s basement studio, they released How Far Have You Come independently. The album led to renewed touring across the United States and attracted the attention of Island Records, who signed the band soon after.

In the summer of 2001, Rubyhorse returned to Nashville with Joyce to record new material, including Sparkle. The sessions were mixed by Tom Lord-Alge at South Beach Studios in Miami and released as Rise, the band’s only major-label album. The record also includes Punchdrunk, featuring slide guitar by George Harrison.

Following the release of Rise, Rubyhorse toured internationally with artists including R.E.M., INXS, Culture Club, and Def Leppard, and appeared on U.S. network television shows such as The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Sparkle reached number 21 on the Billboard charts in 2002, won an Irish Meteor Award, and was used in films including Ed Burns’ Sidewalks of New York as well as television series such as Smallville. The song Fell on Bad Days appeared in the closing scene of the first-season finale of Rescue Me.

In August 2003, founding member and songwriter Owen Fegan left the band. The remaining members returned to Nashville to record Goodbye To All That with Jay Joyce, which was released on the Atlanta-based Brash Label, followed by an American tour. The band never officially disbanded, instead reappearing periodically for live performances and occasional releases.

In 2020, the original five members reunited remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic to record Punchdrunk featuring George Harrison, working from Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United States.