Ruth Buzzy

Chicago Sun-Times
October 4, 2002
More local notes from the underground
Jim Derogatis

Ruth Buzzy, "Mission Statement" (No Record Company) **

And speaking of exquisitely crafted power-pop, this group (fleshed out from a duo to a trio by former Busker Soundcheck leader Paul Kamp) offers up a dozen cuts highlighted by gorgeous vocal harmonies. The group can devolve into Barenaked Ladies shtick ("Some Girls"), but when it plays it straight and hard ("Every Kid Knows"), it's hard to resist.

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Posted by Fuzzy at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Altar Native
Sue Summers

Ruth Buzzy
Mission Statement

Chicago trio Ruth Buzzy makes themselves loud and clear on Mission Statement. It offers the message that good pop-rock will never go out of style. Three-part harmonies and ringing guitars complement the songwriting on this release. The third song, “Some Girls,” echoes the pop songs of Elvis Costello. “Hellicopter” recalls the excellent songwriting of bassist Paul Kamp’s previous band, Busker Soundcheck. Another track, “Lung Tonic,” tries a different approach that sounds lost on the record, but that’s what the skip button is for. Stick with what you do best. Track No. 7, “If You Really Loved Me” gets back on the right track. If you are looking for good pop rock n’ roll look no further then Ruth Buzzy, the band that is, not the 70’s comedian.

original review

Posted by Fuzzy at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Illinois Entertainer
Trevor Fisher

Beat Kitchen, Chicago
Saturday, January 24, 2004

Thank you, Ruth Buzzy, for not being another sucky indie-pop band. Mission Statement, the second release from this Chicago trio and first on Veronica Records, proves you don't need to be whiny, melancholy, or overbearing to crank out a solid indie release. Its 12 tracks are catchy without being annoying and funny without being novelty. If you don't find yourself singing along to the power pop of "Every Kid Knows" or bopping your head to the bouncy Nintendo-ish beats of "Not The Only One," something is wrong with you. Seriously.

Any time a band names itself after a member of "Laugh In," it should give you an idea of the realm of the band's seriousness. Buzzy doesn't disappoint either. "1-900" is an ode to the wonderful women of phone sex in which singer/guitarist Phil Schuldt asks, "How long have you done this/does this job pay pretty well?," before stating, "Well, I should be going/my mom's Mastercard is almost full." "Porchlight," a rollicking rockabilly tune, tells the tale of a significant other who fails to come home after a night out with friends: "You'd better have a half a dozen roses in your hand/a box of candy or perhaps a card/in case you're looking for your favorite personal effects/I'm sure you'll find them out there in the yard."

But don't mistake the band's tongue-in-cheek fodder for a joke band. Led by Schuldt and rounded out by drummer Matt Molenaar and former Busker Soundcheck leader Paul Kamp on bass, Buzzy has an undeniable knack for hooks that just don't let go, not to mention vocal harmonies sweet enough to bring you to your knees. Songs like "Girl's Too Much" chug like the Ramones but the melodies soar like The Beach Boys. Underneath the sugar coating though, Buzzy is able to throw down some raunchy riffs as well, as is evident by the punk rock fury of "Lung Tonic."

If all of this isn't enough to convince you to check out Ruth Buzzy's CD release party Saturday at the Beat Kitchen, keep this in mind: Word on the street is the band does an unruly cover of Metallica's thrash classic, "Master Of The Puppets."

Also playing Saturday's show are Pie Eyed Pete, Wiplot, and The Artist Formerly Known As Vince.

-- Trevor Fisher

Posted by Fuzzy at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicago Reader, January 23, 2004
Monica Kendrick, Spot Check

Ruth Buzzy, 1/24/04, Beat Kitchen

This trio got its start as a duo in Bloomington in the mid-90s, then took on Busker Soundcheck's Paul Kamp as bassist when it moved to Chicago in '97. Mission Statement (Veronica) is only the band's second album, but it sounds like they put their downtime to good use. Mostly they play an intelligent, slightly blustery brand of pop rock, like XTC with the fuzz turned up, but it's in the uncharacteristic stuff--the goofball country number "Porchlight," the quiet, pleading melody of "You Still Believe in Me"--that their smarts and heart really show. This is a release party.

Posted by Fuzzy at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ruth Buzzy: Mission Statement
Veronica Records

There’s something fitting about Ruth Buzzy having a cover of The Beach Boys’ “You Still Believe In Me” on their most recent offering, Mission Statement. The song originated from The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds record, widely considered not a pop masterpiece, but the pop masterpiece. Ruth Buzzy are undeniably a pop-rock group, but their inclusion of “Believe” shows the group taking cues from the masters, rather than creating uninventive mass-appeal pop-rock that can be played alongside Nelly just as easily as Deftones.

Mission Statement also demonstrates that Ruth Buzzy are comfortable alternating between styles, and can do so and still sound like themselves. The group moves effortlessly from the upbeat country vibe that moves “All I Ask,” to “Every Kid Knows,” a fast paced testament to the band’s pop songwriting skills, to the introspective, narrative mid-tempo rock of “Helicopter.” Frontman Phil Schuldt‘s vocals can flirt with annoying at times, but then can switch right to leading some impressive harmonizing. It’s contradictions and shifts in approach like this that both make up Mission Statement, and also keep it refreshing. It’s not that Ruth Buzzy don’t know who they are; it’s that they’re comfortable enough with themselves to delve into multiple pop styles and put something weird next to something pretty. And there’s something to be said for that kind of confidence.

RIYL: Elvis Costello, Cavier, Old-School Weezer

Original review

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