For Jesse Ruben, music runs in the family. A third generation musician, Ruben began writing songs at the age of 16, shortly after his father bought him his first guitar.
He freely confides that he’s done a bit of “obsessing” over his second album, The Ones That Matter. Not that such anxiety is evident on the highly accomplished disc, the follow-up to Ruben’s self-released 2008 debut, Aiming for Honesty. He often receives emotional messages from fans declaring that his songs have crystallized their feelings, commemorated milestones in their lives and even helped repair broken bonds. “One woman wrote to me and said she and her daughter didn’t get along, but when she drives the girl to school every day they listen to my music – and it’s the only time they don’t fight,” he marvels.
The artist cites singer-songwriters like Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor as his greatest influences, but also admits a fondness for the standards penned by Cole Porter and the Gershwins. “If I had my choice, I’d be touring all the time,” he volunteers. “I love the lifestyle – sleeping late and getting up and driving and playing and meeting a bunch of people and doing the same thing the next day. I love not having to worry about cleaning my room or doing dishes; I’m cool with living out of a suitcase; I’m just working toward the day when I can trade the Greyhound for a bus of my own.”
Eutaw Place for great music is an intimate live acoustic music venue showcasing national singer/songwriters and indie musicians and high caliber local talent. Located in the lower level of the historic Beth Am Synagogue in Baltimore’s Reservoir Hill neighborhood, Eutaw Place brings musicians to Baltimore at an affordable ticket price in a comfortable atmosphere.