Kurland to perform at last farmers market
By DAVID S. OWEN
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Local singer/songwriter Ruvane Kurland will perform at the final Reynoldsburg Farmer Market of the year on Sept. 30 at Huber Park.
A native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and a Reynoldsburg resident since 2007, Kurland, 32, will perform acoustic folk rock originals from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. His appearance is sponsored by Telhio Credit Union.
Kurland said he started learning to play several instruments – piano, violin, trumpet and baritone horn – at an early age, but by the time he was 13, he found out girls like guys who play guitar, so he decided it was time to add that to his repertoire.
One thing led to another and from the age of 17, he found out he could write his own songs and perform them in front of a live audience. After a while, he began recording his own material and putting out his own CDs.
In the past few years, Kurland’s primary job has been touring and playing throughout the Midwest. He has been routinely touring a 2,500 mile loop from southern Illinois to Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota and back.
“It’s great to get paid doing something that I love to do. I’ve been writing songs since I was in high school; it’s an absolute joy,” Kurland said. “If someone is willing to pay me to do it, that’s the best scenario you can possibly have.”
His sound draws comparisons to such popular acts as Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band and Peter Himmelman.
Reynoldsburg residents might recognize him from his performances at a variety of nearby restaurants and bars, such as BW3, Epicures and Smokey Bones.
During one of his gigs at BW3, Kurland met Reynoldsburg Mayor Brad McCloud, who asked him to play at the farmers market.
Always looking for new ways to create a rich, layered sound, Kurland said he recently began incorporating a special looping technology he calls “acoustiloop” into his live shows. The technology enables him play an electric guitar and ukulele over acoustic guitar loops, making it sound like there are more than one person on stage.
“There are a lot of guys that are using drum machines and synthesizers and stuff, and that is not what I think of as impromptu looping, so anything I put through my looping machine has to be created organically,” Kurland said. “It has to be created either with my acoustic guitar, my voice or hand percussion. I refuse to run actual electric guitars through it. It has to be me on the spot.”
Along with having made several radio and television appearances around the country Kurland’s song “I Don’t Know” was featured on the Chicagoland Musicians Compilation CD.
His recording studio, dubbed the Atmosphere Room, is based in his Reynoldsburg home where he recorded his 2009 release, “Life in 360.”
He just released a new CD simply called “Live.”
When playing live, Kurland performs mostly originals, but sometimes incorporates a cover song or two, usually by someone who has influenced him in some way.
Kurland performed in 2007 at a rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for Hillary Clinton while she was on the 2008 presidential campaign trail.
“She was cool about it, and when I got there, the Secret Service asked me what kind of music I played, and my influences. I mentioned I covered U2 songs, and they said, ‘Hillary loves U2. Why don’t you play some of that?’ So I did,” he said.
For more information, call market manager Nadine Morse at (614) 322-6832 or 614-322-6800.