Community / Blogs

The opinions expressed in these blogs are solely those of the people who wrote them, and do not represent the views of WPSU or Penn State University.

Live Local Music

Ruby & the Hummingbirds: Best Corn Dog I Ever Had

Posted by Ryan Chase on 07/14 at 11:20 AM

Ruby & the Hummingbirds? Ruby & the Hummingbird rather. Even so—hummingbird or hummingbirds—this act lost more viewers than the Gulf of Mexico lost wildlife after the oil spill. It was horrid. Billed as “vintage jazz,” Ruby & the Hummingbirds infused as much jazz into their performance (it was a performance) as Lady Gaga infuses subtly into hers.

Between the cello and ukulele, it sounded distinctly Hawaiian, with a sparkle of the Wiggles chiming in whenever Ruby sang. She had a lovely voice. Perhaps if she used it for singing rather than random noises or mimicking bird calls, her audience would extend beyond children and their parents, who—by the onus of conception—were forced to tag along by the end of the show.

Or, they could drop the misleading “vintage jazz” tag and label themselves properly as a children’s music group. Then next time, assuming there is a next time, so many unsuspecting people will not come expecting a jazz band but getting two people with a cello and a penchant for making obscure noises with their nose. They cannot all be Bruce Springsteen & the E Street band, of course. But they could at least be Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band.

Oh well.

Time is precious.

For fifty minutes, I spent mine listening to Ruby & the Hummingbirds; the other ten minutes, I spent eating a corn dog, as I happily walked away.