Minnikin a singer with heart of soul

BY LISA COCHRAN

When Ruth Minnikin was 12 years old and growing up in Rockingham, she rebelled. A classically trained pianist and singer, she discovered her father’s collection of vinyl and it changed her life. Well, it changed her musical direction anyway.

Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding led Ruth to discover her (big S) Soul. She attended Summer Rock - “well, Junior Rock!” - a camp for modern music-minded youths in Halifax and sang in a full band called “Arutha Dominnikin Republic.” And so it began.

Sitting with Ruth in her cheerful, plant-filled kitchen on a rainy Dartmouth afternoon, one wouldn’t assume she’s an impassioned soul singer at heart. There’s an old-fashioned sewing machine on the kitchen table. Ruth is patching a favourite pair of jeans and she hands me a copy of her 2006 album, Folk Art. The case is not the usual hard plastic, but oatmeal-coloured fabric with blue-stenciled lettering. She made them herself. “Why not do something a little bit different?” she smiles.

There’s also a Fender-Rhodes keyboard next to the table, evidence of her R&B leanings. She tells me she’s working on songs for a new EP. Yes, an R&B EP. Ruth is getting back to her roots.

Old-style country, carnival sound

However, for her show at the Mermaid Theatre Loft, Ruth will play solo songs from Folk Art. The music is hard to define: at times old-style country with a twist; at times the French horn’s om-pah-pah lends a carnival sound.

Listening to the words, one hears misunderstanding, regret, hope, and a little bit of silliness. She looks forward to playing at the Loft, says it’s “an ideal situation for solo artists.”

I ask Ruth about her career highlights. Her list of collaborations is impressive: Blue Rodeo, Kris Kristofferson, Calexico, Beth Orton, David Byrne, and local rock hero Joel Plaskett.

She says that singing with Joel and back-up band Symphony Nova Scotia at the Rebecca Cohn last fall was a standout for her, “ a real hoot”. She has “an appreciation for that type of music” and says her mum told her after the show she was beaming the entire time.

She also enjoys playing with other Halifax bands, including The Heavy Blinkers and her boyfriend’s band The Reels, with whom she plays bass. Ruth smiles and tells me she has always liked the challenge of playing with larger groups of musicians because “you feel like everybody is in it together.”

Minnikin performs at the Mermaid Theatre Loft, 112 Gerrish St., Windsor, with opening band The Cracker Cats, Friday, Aug. 10 at 9 p.m. Doors open at 8:30.

For reservations and information, call 798-5841, ext. 7.