Ruth is a four-piece

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

indie band from Battle Ground, Washington. Ruth's debut album, '' Secondhand Dreaming'', was released on June 26, 2007.

History

Formation

Dustin Ruth moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to find band members to join him in forming a band. After searching for some time, he finally found a group of people in his hometown of

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

who also wanted to form a band. The band's name "Ruth" is a reference to the lead singer's last name, and is also an acronym for "Return Us to Him". In early 2006, they released a self-titled EP and promoted their music by playing concerts on the

west coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...

. They were signed by

Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle where it is today. History Brandon Ebel and Michael Knott conceived the label as a joint venture, before Knott backe ...

in fall 2006, and began recording their full-length debut album.

''Secondhand Dreaming''

In November 2006, they finished recording their debut album, '' Secondhand Dreaming'', with producer Aaron Sprinkle. It was released on June 26, 2007, and Ruth supported the album while on tour with label mates Emery and Surrogate. In late 2007, Ruth embarked on the "Appetite for Construction Tour" with

Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...

and

Relient K Relient K () is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Matt Hoopes, and Brian Pittman during their third year in high school and time at Malone University in Canton. The band is named after guitarist ...

, a tour which supported the charity

Habitat For Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a U.S. non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing. The international ...

''Anorak''

After the release of '' Secondhand Dreaming'', the band began recording their second album ''

Anorak A parka, like the related anorak, is a type of coat with a hood, that may be lined with fur or fake fur. Parkas and anoraks are staples of Inuit clothing, traditionally made from caribou or seal skin, for hunting and kayaking in the frigid A ...

'' in early 2008. They worked with Chris Keene of Surrogate as the album's producer, as well as Aaron Sprinkle again. The recording was completed in May 2008, and the album was released on October 28, 2008, in the United States.

''The Covers EP''

In April 2009, Ruth toured with Falling Up on their Fangs! tour. On August 25, 2009, Ruth digitally released a five-song EP covering artists such as

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, widely known for her hit singles " Fast Car" (1988) and " Give Me One Reason" (1995). She was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she rel ...

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

; Mr. Big, a rock band; and

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

. The first song to be released was the cover of Coldplay's "Fix You". As of January 13, 2010, Ruth was no longer signed to Tooth & Nail. The band is still active, but is currently independent.

''Payola''

In November 2011, they released a video of a new song, "Life is Just a Dream". The song was included in Ruth's album ''Payola'', released on March 6, 2012, in partnership with

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

Philanthropic

All proceeds from the song "Rosa Dear" during the month of February 2016 were donated to Vet Ranch, a foundation which uses user-donated funds to help treat and care for animals (usually those on the brink of being euthanized).

Members

Current members

* Dustin Ruth — lead singer, guitar, harmonica * Nicholas Wiinikka – lead guitar * Jesse Counts – bass * Ryan Peterson – drums

Former members

* Matt Roberts – drums * Daniel Passera – drums * Justin Schiermeister – bass * Brett Van Liew – bass * Reid VanAtta – drums * Cody Ray Thompson – drums

Discography

Albums

* ''Voilà'' – (2014) * ''Payola'' – In Partnership with

(2012) * ''The Covers EP'' – Tooth & Nail Records (2009) * ''

'' – Tooth & Nail Records (2008) * '' Secondhand Dreaming'' –

(2007) * ''Ruth EP'' –

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

(2006)

Singles

*2007: "Cross the Line" *2007: "You Are", No. 16 on the R&R magazine November 17, 2007 chart *2008: "One Foot In, One Foot Out" *2008: "Back to the Five"

TV and multimedia placements

Vet Ranch (YouTube) * Rosa Dear Happy Endings (ABC) * You've Changed Fox Family Countdown (FOX) * Back to the Five Teen Mom 2 (MTV) * My One and Only Punk'd (MTV) * You've Changed 10 on Top (MTV) * Life Is Just A Dream * Alone Friendzone (MTV) * My One And Only * Summer Fire * Darling Why? * Alone * You've Changed Made (MTV) * My One and Only The Real World: St. Thomas (MTV) * My One and Only * Life Is Just A Dream Underemployed (MTV) * Love & Craigslist I'm Married To A... (VH1) * Life Is Just A Dream My Big Redneck Vacation (CMT) * Love & Craigslist Sell This House Extreme (A&E) * Darling Why? KTLA (KTLA) * Summer Fire

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruth Christian rock groups from Washington (state) Tooth & Nail Records artists Musical groups established in 2005 2005 establishments in Washington (state)