The Rutabega

The musical outlet of indie singer/songwriter Josh Hensley, the Rutabega combine elements of folk, emo, punk, and raw, confessional storytelling into their passionate lo-fi songs. Launched as a solo project with 2002's Cobus Green, the Rutabega began operating as a duo a decade later with 2012's Bull Carp EP, which added drummer Garth Mason to the mix. An irregular series of full-length, short-form, and archival releases appeared thereafter, including 2022's more fleshed-out Leading Up To album. Based in South Bend, Indiana, the Rutabega emerged in the early 2000s as the solo project of Josh Hensley, with the debut album Cobus Green appearing in 2002 on Chicago punk label Johann's Face. Although Hensley's part-acoustic songs and strong, sometimes Elliott Smith-like personalized storytelling were a change for the label, his heart-on-sleeve tales of romantic breakups and finding oneself, in addition to his music's raw, volatile, often anguished character, generally fell under the umbrella of folk-punk. From the beginning, Hensley involved collaborators on tracks with full-band arrangements. The Rutabega's January 2004 sophomore album, These Knotty Lines, was followed later the same year by a split EP with Owen (Mike Kinsella). Hensley's final two solo outings, the companion EPs Cursed and Blessed, were both written in 2005 and released in 2011. They also both featured vocals by frequent contributor Emily Trimboli-Hensley. Sporting a cover illustration of two men, April 2012's Bull Carp credited Garth Mason on drums and keys. Now officially a duo, the Rutabega returned with the full-length Brother the Lights Don't Work in mid-2013. Written by Hensley and performed by Hensley, Mason, and a handful of guests including string players, it was recorded and mixed by Mason. Triple Eye Industries released the limited 7" "Shiny Destination" b/w "Ladder" in early 2015, and the former song reappeared on the album Unreliable Narrator in June 2016, with proceeds going to a soup kitchen. A year later, Hensley released the "lost solo EP" Mid Aughts Mess (circa 2004), with proceeds going to TREES, In c. (Transgender Resource, Education, and Enrichment Services of Indiana). The Rutabega next released Unreliable Sketches, a set of song sketches for 2016's Unreliable Narrator that appeared on New Jersey label Comedy Minus One in 2020. Self-described as the third in a trilogy (with Brother the Lights Don't Work and Unreliable Narrator), the brawnier Leading Up To was issued on the same label in October of 2022. By the time of its release, the band could claim a touring résumé that included shows with acts as diverse as Owen, Awkwafina, Dick Dale, Deerhoof, Ben Folds, and Low.
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