Daily Local News Philadelphia Interview
Feb 2, 2013
Daily Local News Philadelphia Interview
By Denny Dyroff
Aimee Bobruk, a singer/guitarist who has been writing and performing for over 10 years, is neither a pop princess cranking out radio-friendly hit singles nor your average singer-songwriter strumming on a guitar and singing about lost love.
Bobruk, who will be performing February 20 at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia, is different. The first clue arrives before the music in the form of the title of her new album -- “/ba.’brook/”, which is a phonetic rendition of her last name.
Her music is different and her approach is different. Sound structures deviate from the norm. Guitars come sliding in from odd angles. Lyrics come from unusual points of view. If a song needs a word and none seem to fit, she’ll make up a new word.
Bobruk has said that when she hears music, she see pictures and vice versa -- that when she writes songs, it starts with her trying to set an image to words and sound. She claims that she is more inspired by Chagall and Chaplin than by the great composers.
“I was always writing,” said Bobruk, during a recent phone interview from her home in Austin, Texas. “. My passion is with writing. I’ve always tried to follow that passion every time I’ve had the feeling.
“I started with violin at age three, studied that for 10 years and then moved to piano. After that, I started with singing. I didn’t get my first guitar until I was 19. My first gig was in 2002 at B.D. Riley’s Irish Pub on Sixth Street in Austin. I had a 15-minute audition which was perfect because I only had three songs. I got the gig.”
Bobruk’s songs are genuine and original. She doesn’t pattern herself after any other singer-songwriter but instead chooses to make her own trail.
“I don’t want to write another happy la-de-da love song or a Taylor Swift ‘don’t be mean’ song,” said Bobruk. “I feel I’m at my best when I’m writing -- when I can tap into a different perspective. For example, if I’m writing about rain, I might write from an umbrella’s perspective.
“Also, my music is about the sound of the words. It has to sound right. Language is a melodic and a percussive instrument. Some of the things I’m doing now might go in the direction of performance art.
“About two years ago, I took a year off to make this new record. I didn’t do any gigs when I was recording the album. I’m very happy with the result -- happy with the way the record sounds. People are going to get it -- or they’re not.”