My Ruin
My Ruin is an American alternative metal band from Los Angeles, California, composed of the husband and wife duo Tairrie B and Mick Murphy. The band has been through various lineup changes since its formation in 1999. The band's sound consists of passionate vocals and heavy rock beats, with most of the fanbase in the UK. Vocalist Tairrie B has cultivated a reputation both on and off the stage for her aggressive performances and acerbic vocal style. The band's sound has evolved and become heavier with each album, and Murphy's guitar playing becoming a prominent feature along with his solos and riffs.
My Ruin are a "DIY" band who have control over every aspect of their output. In the past they have released several of their records via their own imprint, Rovena Recordings. These records include; The Brutal Language, Throat Full of Heart, and the live album Alive On the Other Side. They have also been signed to numerous record labels, including Snapper, Spitfire, Century Media, Undergroove Records, Rovena Recordings, and Tiefdruck-Musik.
History
Formation of My Ruin solo project and debut release; ''Speak and Destroy'' (1999–2000)
My Ruin was founded by frontwoman Tairrie B in February 1999, shortly after her previous outfit, Tura Satana, disbanded in late 1998 after the release of their second studio album Relief Through Release.Tairrie immediately started making plans for her next musical incarnation, which would be a solo project. Of the project in early 1999, Tairrie stated: "The band won't just be called Tairrie B, but it will be a solo thing – just like Nine Inch Nails is really just Trent Reznor… It's all down to me now. If it fails, then I won't have anyone else to blame."
The recording for Speak and Destroy started in February 1999.
Speak and Destroy, released on August 23, 1999 in the UK and Europe, would see Tairrie explore previously uncharted musical territory. The album would be an experimental amalgamation of styles, part spoken word, part metal, part industrial with electronic stylings; there are also some rap metal-style verses. The album received highly favorable reviews from the mainstream rock press, with the likes of Kerrang! rating the album 4k's out of 5.
Also, many journalists noted that the album was the perfect showcase for the "multi-faceted character" of Tairrie B and her perceived volatile persona, Kerrang! magazine stated: "With My Ruin the volatile vocalist has finally found a worthy platform for her talents."
The album and subsequent singles also charted high in the UK charts.
The collage of different styles on the record may have been due in part to the fact that the recording took place in four different locations around the world, with different musicians and bands contributing to the recording, writing and production. At the time in an interview, Tairrie said: "Bushaq recorded some of the songs here in England, Mel and I did some with Joe Bishara, Ares from downset. did some and Joe Bishara did some with Tura Satana. So there were four completely different scenarios."
Amidst the chaos, Tairrie found her main song-writing partner and guitarist in Melanie Makaiwi. Of the partnership and friendship that formed between the pair Tairrie said: "I probably enjoyed doing the stuff with Mel most of all. It was generally me going, 'okay, this is the scenario. What do I need to do?'. Melanie was writer, producer, artist, therapist, mentor, best friend, drink technician and drug partner on this album. She was everything a girl could be." Further to this, Tairrie cited Makaiwi as the one who led Tairrie to explore a more restrained vocal style than what she was used to: "Working with Melanie was a very cool influence because when we started working together it started as a very casual, experimental vibe. She'd say, 'You don't need to scream on everything, you need to try something different'."
''Sick with It'' and ''8mm'' film soundtrack
The track Sick with It went on to feature on the soundtrack for the Nicolas Cage film 8mm. The track was written with Tairrie's previous musical cohorts Tura Satana for inclusion on Speak and Destroy. In an early interview promoting Speak and Destroy, Tairrie revealed that she and her Tura Satana bandmates were still on good terms: "It's not like when we fired Scott. Me and the guys still hang out together."In another interview regarding the song, Tairrie revealed that there are two versions of the song, the one on Speak and Destroy and the one on 8mm soundtrack: "The three Tura Satana guys are involved, and I've got Grady Avenell and Michael Martin from Will Haven on a track called
Singles "Terror" and "Tainted Love"
Speak and Destroy spawned two singles: "Tainted Love" backed with "Blasphemous Girl", released in July 1999 and Terror backed with June 10, released in October 1999.The singles were released on both CD and limited edition numbered vinyl. 1,000 copies of the Tainted Love single was released on red vinyl and 1,000 copies of the Terror single were released on standard vinyl.
The Tainted Love CD single was a three track single featuring the Tainted Love cover "Blasphemous Girl" and spoken word track "Scars".
The Terror CD single was a three track single of remixed versions of "Terror", "June 10" and also a live studio recording of the Snot track, "Stoopid".
The track "Terror" somewhat bridged the gap between Tairrie's previous album, because it was a re-working of a hidden spoken word track at the end of Relief Through Release. The track also served as a statement of intent, kicking against the naysayers who said she was crazy for splitting up Tura Satana and that it would ultimately be her ruin. At the end of Terror, Tairrie states: "No one is going to ruin me; if I have to, I will ruin myself—and it will be My Ruin." This has served as a personal mantra for Tairrie through the years regarding the band.
''Tainted Love'' and ''Stoopid'' covers
Following the tradition of recording and performing the occasional cover song throughout Tairrie's career, going back as far as Tairrie's days in Manhole, where she covered the song Hard Times by punk/thrash band Cro-Mags, the band covered Tainted Love and Stoopid.Another cover which featured on Tairrie's Relief Through Release record was Negative Creep by Nirvana.
For Speak and Destroy, Tairrie would do her own interpretation of the much covered song Tainted Love. The song would go on to haunt the band many years later with fans requesting it live and Tairrie and Mick refusing and showing disdain for the song, which no longer fit with the ethos, vibe or feel of the band. This was made clear in many interviews.
In an interview in 1999, when asked why she did the cover of Tainted Love Tairrie simply stated: "I wanted to piss everybody off. We were listening to an old '80s tape on the way to the studio and I thought it suited what we were doing."
The track was originally made famous by Gloria Jones in 1965 and perhaps more memorably by Soft Cell in 1981. Marilyn Manson would later cover the song in 2001.
The cover of Stoopid was a tribute to Tairrie's very good friend Lynn Strait, Snot front-man, who had died in December 1998. In an interview with Kerrang! in 2000, Tairrie said of the cover: "When Lynn died on the same day as my Grandfather my band decided to cover 'Stoopid' when we went on tour. That was kind of my way of dealing with the grief that I was feeling."
''Terror'' video and possible existence of unseen ''June 10'' video
In a Kerrang! magazine feature from 1999, the magazine revealed that My Ruin had been busy recording two videos in London's Electrowerkz. The two videos and tracks in question were single Terror which was released to coincide with the release of the single and June 10, which to date has never surfaced. Both videos were said to be directed by photographer Paul Harries.The June 10 video was mentioned again on myruin.com, when Tairrie was answering fan questions sent to her via email and on the then myruin.com message board. She said in relation to a tour video/DVD documenting the My Beautiful Pain Tour: "I might be going back to England mid November to edit down the tour video. I will be doing it with the guys who did the "TERROR" video with me. This is not for sure because I kind of want to stay in LA and edit but it may not be an option. The video will include lots of live footage, fans, backstage, and the bands we were with on tour, also the unedited versions of "TERROR" as well as making of the video footage and possibly June Tenth footage."
Live lineup
When it came to the final lineup of the band, the first incarnation of My Ruin was:- Melanie Makaiwi
- Lance Webber
- Meghan Mattox
- Marcelo Palomino
- Todd Osenbaugh
Palomino would become a recurring member of My Ruin and he joined the live band once again for their Tell Your God Tour in 2008 whilst promoting the band's fifth studio album, Throat Full of Heart. He would also feature on the artwork and recordings of the 2nd live album, titled Alive on the Other Side, that followed in late 2008. In 2011, Palomino collaborated with the band again and co-directed the band's video for the track Tennessee Elegy from the seventh studio album A Southern Revelation.