Emma Ruth Rundle (born October 10, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and visual artist based in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

. Formerly of the Nocturnes and

Marriages Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

, she has released five solo albums and is a member of Red Sparowes.

Early life and career

Rundle was born in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and moved “back and forth between the Westside and Eastside” when she was growing up before attending Eagle Rock High School. She was raised in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

with her younger sister in a household where a lot of folk music was played. As a teenager, Rundle lived with her grandmother until the end of her life. After a massive earthquake in her hometown, her mother took her into the legendary folk music store McCabe's and told her she could pick one instrument to rent for lessons. She initially chose the Celtic harp before switching to guitar, and later went on to work at McCabe's for 13 years. With her first band, the Nocturnes, she released the ''Wellington'' EP (2008) and two albums, ''A Year of Spring'' (2009) and ''Aokigahara'' (2011). Rundle also joined Red Sparowes and played on their third album, '' The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer'', released by Sargent House on April 6, 2010. She self-released an ambient guitar album, ''Electric Guitar: One'', in 2011. It was later reissued in 2014 by Errant Child Recordings. In 2012, she formed the trio Marriages, who have released the ''

Kitsune In Japanese folklore, , are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. According to '' yōkai'' folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. While some folktales speak of employing ...

'' EP (2012) and ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, a ...

'' full-length (2015). On January 7, 2013, she self-released the album ''Somnambulant'', attributed to The Headless Prince of Zolpidem, which she described as "my somewhat anonymous downtempo, somewhat creepy electronic dark wave project". Rundle's second solo work, '' Some Heavy Ocean'', was released on May 20, 2014 by Sargent House. It was co-produced by Chris Common and recorded at the Sargent House studio. Rundle lived at the studio complex as an artist-in-residence for the period. The release was accompanied by a US tour with

King Buzzo Roger "Buzz" Osborne (born March 25, 1964), also known as King Buzzo, is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He is a founding member of the rock band Melvins, as well as Fantômas and Venomous Concept. Biography Born in Morton, ...

. Rundle suffers from

adenomyosis Adenomyosis is a medical condition characterized by the growth of cells that proliferate on the inside of the uterus ( endometrium) atypically located among the cells of the uterine wall ( myometrium), as a result, thickening of the uterus occurs. ...

, which in part inspired the material on her third album, ''Marked for Death'', produced by Sonny DiPerri. It was released in October 2016 on Sargent House. In January 2017, a split EP with Jaye Jayle, titled ''The Time Between Us'', was announced, and the song "The Distance" was made available on streaming platforms. The EP was released by Sargent House on February 24. Rundle's fourth studio album, ''On Dark Horses'', was released on September 14, 2018. It featured contributions by Jaye Jayle members Evan Patterson and Todd Cook as well as Dylan Nadon. Also in 2018, Rundle provided backing vocals for "Just Breathe", a song on American rock band

Thrice Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school. Early in their career, the band was known ...

's 2018 album '' Palms''. In August 2019,

Roadburn Festival Roadburn Festival is an international music festival held in Tilburg, Netherlands every April since 1999. It was set up as a spin-off from the Roadburn music blog founded by Jurgen van den Brand and Walter Hoeijmakers. Originally focused on sto ...

announced that Rundle was one of two curators for the 2020 edition. In October 2020, she released a collaboration album with

Thou The word ''thou'' is a second-person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in most contexts by the word '' you'', although it remains in use in parts of Northern England and in Scots (). ''Thou'' is the ...

, ''

May Our Chambers Be Full ''May Our Chambers Be Full'' is a collaborative studio album by American singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle and doom metal band Thou. It was released on October 30, 2020, through Sacred Bones Records as a part of the label's 'Alliance Series'. Rec ...

''. After a week-long stay in a mental health hospital helped her get sober from drugs and alcohol, she released her fifth studio solo album, ''Engine of Hell'', in November 2021, to positive critical reception.

Personal life

Rundle struggled with drug addiction from the age of 12. She was married to Jaye Jayle co-founder Evan Patterson. They lived in

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Their divorce was finalized in August 2021.

Discography

Solo

*''Electric Guitar: One'' (2011, Self-Released) *'' Some Heavy Ocean'' (2014, Sargent House) *''Marked For Death'' (2016, Sargent House) *''The Time Between Us'' EP Split With Jaye Jayle (2017, Sargent House) *'' On Dark Horses'' (2018, Sargent House) *'' May Our Chambers Be Full / The Helm Of Sorrow'' Collaborative Album With

(2020, Sacred Bones) *'' Engine of Hell'' (2021, Sargent House) *''EG2: Dowsing Voice'' (2022, Sargent House)

With The Nocturnes

*''Wellington'' EP (2008, Self-Released) *''A Year of Spring'' (2009, Self-Released) *''Aokigahara'' (2011, The Errant Child)

With Red Sparowes

*'' The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer'' (2010, Sargent House)

With
Marriages Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

*''

'' EP (2012, Sargent House) *''

'' (2015, Sargent House)

As The Headless Prince Of Zolpidem

*''Somnambulant'' (2013, Self-Released)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rundle, Emma Ruth Living people American women singer-songwriters 1983 births 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American women singers Guitarists from Los Angeles Singers from Los Angeles 21st-century American women guitarists Singer-songwriters from California