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A SWEET SURPRISE.
We’ve been in a constant state of flux for more than half a year now. The world changed so much in such a short period of time, no one was prepared. It’s those moments that make us so thankful for music to get us through the ever evolving surroundings—it’s the thing that keeps us grounded. Ross Newhouse is an emerging artist whom reached out to me and I was pleasantly surprised to hear his music, and he was pleasantly surprised to find out I had a music blog.
His music will remind you of Kevin Garrett, John Mayer, and James Vincent McMorrow. It’s serene, patient, and refreshing and the opposite of the TikTok dance music we’ve all become accustomed to lately. He only has two singles up on Spotify, but both are wonderful expressions of his sound. His light, airy vocals, acoustic-folk foundation, and soft electronic additions take you through the 3-4 minute songs with ease, and let you drift off into a lullaby that is void of the chaos outside. It’s honestly the kind of music that you’d use to let you breakdown and cry it all out and then put back all of the pieces as you wipe away the tears from your face and breathe a sigh of relief. His sound is the familiar childhood friend that always makes you a little nostalgic to see or catch up with or the random person you walked by and then wondered what life they’re living that carries no correlation to yours.
Ross recently released his single “Bluebird”, which you can listen to above. It’s a track that carries you through the narrative of a person trying to mend themselves after heartache. The light guitar plucking serenades you as the song picks up and takes the acoustic melody into a light-pop harmony. “Bluebird” is a beautiful transition of music, a forgiving and understanding sound, and a comforting tune.
The artist also hosts his own TV show called “Stage Banter”, which is a songwriting show for artists to discuss their processes. The series airs every Tuesday at 9 PM EST on Instagram @ross_newhouse.
We’re excited to have had the chance to chat with the creative this week about the inspiration of the song, his show, and his influences.
Here is our interview:
[NM]: What inspired the track “Bluebird”?
[RN]: “The inspiration came from a recollection about a previous relationship. I was in really bad shape and this person put all of herself into making sure that I was feeling better, even when I was ignoring what she also needed out of being together. So I tried to tie that into a metaphor about an immediate distraction, and came up with the feeling of domestication or healing that comes with helping animals. I ran with the idea of a bluebird shattering this persons reflection, as to say, I'm now what you are focused on and not yourself. The second verse paints me as a stray dog that is always going from place to place until this person takes me in.
The song is designed to be positive for me and negative for the other person, depending on whose viewpoint you listen from. Lines like ‘just imagine if you weren't standing there’ are supposed to mean ‘just imagine where I'd be without you’ or ‘imagine what you could have focused on without me.’ I like to give songs a double meaning.”
[NM]: Who are some of your influences/inspirations? (Music or not music related) [RN]: “My inspirations have to do with people I meet and conversations I have. I'll often hear a really interesting point of view or a story, and put that into a narrative form. Focusing on writing "relationship-based" songs means I can filter a lot of these stories through the eyes of love interest. My musical inspirations are artists like Adam Melchor, Field Medic, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, I find they're the best storytellers I've heard.”
[NM]: Why did you choose music as your channel or medium for self-expression? [RN]: “I first played trumpet, and then was encouraged to take up guitar after my parents could no longer take it. That was in the 5th grade, so I've really known no other way of expression besides music. I also thank my babysitter at the time for playing Modest Mouse and showing me that beautiful things can come from bleak surroundings. I also host a songwriting show now.”
[NM]: What is your detour? Something you do outside of music like a passion project, hobby, or fun fact?
[RN]: “I've really enjoyed this point and shoot camera. There's a slowness about film photography that makes you really think about the composition and it's helped me slow down other parts of my life that seem so instantaneous. I think patience is a good thing and shooting film teaches you that. I also find I can take images based on my music and make it an extension of that art form without having to be directly related.”
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