Ruby Friedman

Friedman was born and raised in Los Angeles and studied history at UCLA.

Friedman formed the Ruby Friedman Orchestra in Los Angeles in 2009. “The concept was, ‘What would it sound like if a band from 200 years in the future wanted to do music from the 20th century? What would that sound like?’” says Friedman. “So that’s what it sounds like: It’s an orchestra from the future, doing the past.”

Ruby Friedman Orchestra gained a reputation for exuberant live shows in Los Angeles, playing such venues as Hotel Cafe, the Federal, the House of Blues,[35] The Troubadour,[36] The Viper Room,[37], Los Globos,[38] Echoplex,[39] and Pershing Square.

In 2011, The RFO headlined L.A.’s House of Blues and made appearances in the U.K., including a private show at Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson’s birthday cruise on the Thames and a sold-out show at London’s Troubadour.

In late 2018, RFO played a quartet of concert appearances opening for Brian Wilson in Southern and Northern California.

Friedman has opened shows for Oscar-winning actor-musician Jeff Bridges and made guest appearances with Grammy winners Scott Healy’s and Vince Giordano’s big bands and actor-pianist Jeff Goldblum’s jazz ensemble. She has twice appeared at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Friedman has also provided live backup vocals for many musicians, including Donovan and Heart. She has made numerous invited guest appearances, including performances with Bernard Fowler, with Grammy Award nominee Scott Healy [40],  with the Jeff Goldblum's [41] jazz ensemble, and at many events at the Sayers Club.[42] She performed an acoustic invitation-only show at the Turn Gallery in Soho,[43] accompanied by Imani Coppola,[44] Matthew Steer, Maiya Sykes, Ben Crippin Taylor, and Conor Brendan.[45] She has also headlined shows at Mississippi Studios in Portland and been a featured guest vocalist at shows by the Portland-based Low Bar Chorale, an audience-choir project headed by Ben Landsverk, RFO musical director. 

On November 11, 2016, Ruby Friedman Orchestra released their debut album Gem on Pulchrum.  The first single, "I'm Not Your Friend,” was released in June 2016. Other tracks included “Fugue in L.A. Minor,” “Shooting Stars,” “Ten Minutes,” “Fairfax Fable,” “The Ballad of Lee Morse,” “Please,” “Cheated,” “I Don’t Want,” and “Lonely Road Symphony Rag.” 

“I wanted the songs to be primitive, ethereal, and nostalgic, so I used all of my influences from the ‘teens, 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s,” Friedman said. “If the album is doing its job, you’ll feel like you’re back even before the 1900s.” Gem was completed over the course of two years by the peripatetic Friedman. “The album is basically about three locations, three experiences — New York, Los Angeles, and New Orleans.”

Friedman garnered rave reviews from the Los Angeles Times (“POWERHOUSE”), Hits (“full-throttle talent”), and Kevin Bronson’s Buzzbands.la website (“a thunder-and-lightning barrage of soul and nerves”). Gem was praised in Magnet by veteran critic j. poet for its “quiet songs of devastation.”

On June 13, 2025, Ruby Friedman Orchestra will release Chimes After Midnight on Label 51 Recordings. The album’s 10 tracks include:

“Honeystomach (The Flight of Connie Converse)”

“Music Row”

“From the Storm”

“Flower Whore”

“When the Hangman …”

“Milky Way (Ode to Frank Black)”

“Four Day Muse”

“Book Woman’s Daughter”

“Friday Night Depression”

“The Mayor of North Hollywood Park”

Friedman wrote or co-wrote all songs on Chimes After Midnight, three of them with multi-instrumentalist Ben Landsverk, who contributed on keyboards, viola, guitar, fiddle, organ, viola, violin, bowed bass, ghost piano, banjo, bass, percussion and synth. Co-writers also include Nashville-based musicians Adrienne Smith and Philip White (“Music Row”), California-based DJ/producer Kr3ature (“From the Storm”), and Nicholas Allan Johns, who is a member of Friedman’s Los Angeles band (“Four Day Muse”). The album was recorded over the course of a year in Portland, Los Angeles, New York, Rome, Athens, and Nashville. It was mixed and mastered by Steve Baughman in L.A.

Other contributing musicians include: Mark Pender (trumpet and trombone) on “Flower ”Whore and “Mayor of North Hollywood Park”; Scott Healy (accordion) on “Flower Whore”; Cactus Moser (drums and bass) on “Music Row”; Steve Williams (drums) on “Flower Whore”, “Milky Way”, “Mayor of North Hollywood Park”, and “From The Storm”; and Craig Macintyre of Goo Goo Dolls (drums) on “When The Hangman…”

Portland’s Willamette Week called Chimes After Midnight "an enchanting, thrilling, dark, rousing mini-movie. It’s a knockout.”

== Movies and Television ==

Friedman’s original song “Drowned” was featured on FX’s hit show Sons of Anarchy, and a season-closing reading of Darrell Scott’s “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” was heard on FX’s Justified. Graham Yost, creator and Executive Producer of the series, discussed the use of the Ruby Friedman version in the show.[10]

Her original music was used in Fox Sports’ series about the World Cup soccer competition, Phenoms. Her voice has been heard on trailers for the feature film Marshall and the Netflix series Godless, Peaky Blinders, and Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer..

RFO’s “Shooting Stars” was used in campaigns by Fox Sports and for the international Got Talent franchise, including NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Her 2020 single “Ain’t Got Your Money” was featured on the Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks.

Friedman has also released the stormy Los Angeles radio hit “Un4Given”; and the Mitchell Froom produced “Teardrop Trailer.” The song, originally written for use by Wynonna Judd, is about a fan who came to Friedman’s music via FX’s Justified. “I didn’t get to know [him] until he posted on Facebook that he had a month to live,” the songwriter says. “He was a minister who had given up his home that he made by hand in Amarillo after his animals died — to travel and commingle across the country and back in a teardrop trailer.”

In early 2014, Friedman’s powerful version of Tarka Cordell’s “Life” was issued by Room 609 Records in England as the first single and title track from the charity album saluting the late musician, alongside contributions by Lily Allen, Evan Dando and Citizen Cope.

Friedman created a commissioned original song, “The Book Woman's Daughter,” for the video trailer of NYT bestselling author Kim Michele Richardson’s novel The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, published by Sourcebooks Landmark in 2019.

Friedman wrote and performed the credit theme “Remember Me” for director Joseph Ferro’s 2025 human rights documentary short Compound Machines.

Friedman was featured on Stubborn Heart, the debut album by writer and underground hero Larry “Ratso” Sloman; critic Michael Simmons noted on the Dangerous Minds website that Sloman’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” culminates “with Ruby Friedman emitting the lungpower of a ferocious and fiery tigress.”

In 2023, Friedman collaborated with California-based DJ/producer Kr3ature to create a dance mix of “From The Storm”.

Career

The Ruby Friedman Orchestra has been in studio in New Orleans, in New York City with Josh Valleau at The Glass Wall, with Peter Malick{{Cite web |url=http://www.petermalick.com/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2022-07-15 |archive-date=2021-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218054635/http://www.petermalick.com/ |url-status=dead }} at OCL Studios{{Cite web|url=https://www.oclstudios.com/|title=Recording Studio | OCL Studios | Canada|website=Oclstudios.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} in Calgary, and at his studio in Los Angeles. Final recording, production and mixing were done by Alex Elena{{Cite web|url=http://alexelenatv.com/home.html|title=Alex Elena|website=Alexelenatv.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} and Topher Mohr{{Cite web |url=http://www.tophermohr.com/ |title=Topher Mohr Home |access-date=2016-03-28 |archive-date=2016-05-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504214833/http://www.tophermohr.com/ |url-status=dead }} at Beethoven Studios in Culver City. The band released their debut album, Gem on November 11, 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/a-and-e/music/ruby-friedman-ventures-into-new-territory-with-her-first-lp/article/464417|title=Ruby Friedman ventures into new territory with her first LP (Includes interview)|date=3 May 2016|website=Digitaljournal.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} The first single from the album, "I'm Not Your Friend", was released in June 2016{{Cite web |url=http://www.popmatters.com/post/ruby-friedmann-orchestra-im-not-your-friend-audio-premiere/ |title=Ruby Friedman Orchestra – "I'm Not Your Friend" (Audio) (Premiere) | PopMatters |access-date=2016-06-20 |archive-date=2016-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621164829/http://www.popmatters.com/post/ruby-friedmann-orchestra-im-not-your-friend-audio-premiere/ |url-status=dead }}

In late 2019, Ruby Friedman recorded with Mitchell Froom for her upcoming release entitled Late Afternoon Highs. The single entitled "Teardrop Trailer" has been released and first premiered on KCSN by DJ Nic Harcourt on radio and buzzbands.la in online media.

The version of "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive",{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiE_Bk8FOY0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/wiE_Bk8FOY0 |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive Video|date=9 June 2011 |publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2 February 2021}}{{cbignore}} was featured in the Season Five finale of Justified. Graham Yost, creator and executive producer of the series, discussed the use of the Ruby Friedman version in the show.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2014/04/09/justified-season-5-finale-postmortem|title=Graham Yost EW Justified Season 5 Post-Mortem|website=Ew.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}}

Her version of the song was also selected for use in the Emmy-winning Reveal{{Cite web|url=https://revealnews.org/|title=Reveal | from The Center for Investigative Reporting|website=Revealnews.org|accessdate=2 February 2021}} documentary, The Dead Unknown,{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0vNQXsvrRU |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312233611/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0vNQXsvrRU |archive-date=2016-03-12 |url-status=dead|title=Dead Unknown Part 1 Mountain Jane Doe|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2 February 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN4ZsjgUO-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313222841/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN4ZsjgUO-4 |archive-date=2016-03-13 |url-status=dead|title=The Dead Unknown Part 2 The Exhumation|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2 February 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05KRjEqEcl8|title=The Dead Unknown Part 3 What Secrets Lie Beneath|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2 February 2021}} an investigative report on a 1969 cold case regarding the disappearance and murder of a young woman, in Harlan, Kentucky, in June 1969.

In late 2015, The Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award winning Amazon Studios TV show Transparent selected the arrangement featuring her vocals on the Gina Villalobos/Eric Colvin{{Cite web|url=http://feverpitchsfx.com/|title=Feverpitch Sound Effects.|website=Feverpitchsfx.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} produced version{{Cite web|url=https://ginavillalobos.bandcamp.com/track/family-affair-derivative-work|title="Family Affair" (derivative work), by Gina Villalobos & Erik Colvin feat. Ruby Friedman|website=Ginavillalobos.bandcamp.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} of the Sly and the Family Stone hit Family Affair for use in the trailer{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CluxHR9pkdQ|title=Official Amazon Studio Transparent Season 2 Trailer|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2 February 2021}} promoting the launch of Season 2.

In 2015, Ruby Friedman performed the vocals on the song, "Hunt You Down"{{Cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hunt-you-down-feat.-ruby-friedman/id978697820|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120646/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hunt-you-down-feat.-ruby-friedman/id978697820|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 2, 2015|title=Connecting to Apple Music.|website=iTunes|date=19 March 2015|access-date=2 February 2021}} for the CLIO award-winning{{Cite web |url=http://www.keyartaward.com/winners/2015/gm_avt/entry.cfm?entryid=501511342&ispartofcampaign=0&index=2 |title=CLIO Key Art Awards 2015 |access-date=2015-11-22 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304232630/http://www.keyartaward.com/winners/2015/gm_avt/entry.cfm?entryid=501511342&ispartofcampaign=0&index=2 |url-status=dead }} advertising campaign for the launch of the Sony PS4 game, Bloodborne.{{Cite web|url=https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/bloodborne/|title=Bloodborne – Games | PlayStation®|website=PlayStation.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nKW9kTjsps/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/1nKW9kTjsps |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=Bloodborne YouTube PS4 30 Second The Hunt Begins TV Commercial|date=2 March 2015 |publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2 February 2021}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/thehithousemusic/the-hit-house-hunt-you-down-bloodborne-official-tv-commercial-the-hunt-begins-sony-ps4|title=The Hit House – "Hunt You Down" (Bloodborne – Official TV Commercial: The Hunt Begins | Sony PS4)|accessdate=2 February 2021|website=Soundcloud.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Crk_GpxGQE&list=PLtQuBez_qBaQkxZLwmFWvvbWMMSLPFR60/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/2Crk_GpxGQE |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=Bloodborne YouTube PS4 90 second Cut You Down (The Hunt Begins) trailer|date=19 March 2015 |publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2 February 2021}}{{cbignore}} The song is a collaboration with The Hit House Music,{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehithouse.com/|title=The Hit House|website=Thehithouse.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} and was written by Scott Miller and William Hunt. It was recorded by Wyn Davis{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTotal.Access.Recording|title=Log into Facebook|website=Facebook.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} in Los Angeles, and by Ruby Friedman at Word of Mouth Recording Studios in New Orleans. The Petrol Advertising campaign using the song won the Golden Trailer Award for best Video Game TV Spot.{{Cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/2015-golden-trailer-awards-winners/|title=2015 Golden Trailer Awards Winners Revealed|date=7 May 2015|website=Slashfilm.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} The song was released as a single in conjunction with availability of the game.

In March 2015, the EP, Song of the Demimonde was released, containing seven tracks of her most-requested cover material. "House of the Rising Sun", the last song on the EP,> was recorded at Word of Mouth Recording Studios in New Orleans with New Orleans piano player Tom McDermott,{{Cite web|url=http://mcdermottmusic.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020923024307/http://mcdermottmusic.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 23, 2002|title=Tom McDermott Music|website=Mcdermottmusic.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} and Smashing Pumpkins violinist, Ysanne Spevack.{{Cite web|url=http://ilovestrings.com/|title=☆ I Love Strings|website=Ilovestrings.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}}

She has also performed with McDermott, and Ysanne Spevack, in New Orleans,{{Cite web|url=https://www.hbo.com/treme|title=Treme|website=Hbo.comojas|accessdate=2 February 2021}} Emmy Award and Grammy Award-nominated TV series Treme),{{Cite web|url=https://news.stlpublicradio.org/beacon|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101000645/https://www.stlbeacon.org/|url-status=dead|title=St. Louis Beacon|archivedate=1 November 2013|website=St. Louis Public Radio|accessdate=2 February 2021}} In both April 2015 and 2016, she performed at Buffa's and at the Lagnaippe Stage for Jazzfest{{Cite web|url=https://www.nojazzfest.com/|title=Splash|website=Nojazzfest.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} with McDermott and others.{{Cite web|url=http://www.auroranealand.com/|title=Aurora Nealand|website=AuroraNealand.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}}

She has been retained by the estate of 20th Century Academy Award film song composer Harry Warren{{Cite web |url=http://www.harrywarrenmusic.com/frameset.html |title=Framesetharry |access-date=2011-06-21 |archive-date=2010-12-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211094923/http://www.harrywarrenmusic.com/frameset.html |url-status=dead }} to re-imagine and record some of the extensive Harry Warren catalog. The catalog consists of hundreds of songs, from Academy Award winners to unfinished works in process. Several of these recordings, "Rose Tattoo", "Ungrateful Heart", and "Welcome to the Party" are included on the Song of the Demimonde EP.

In 2014, Ruby Friedman was commissioned to perform two songs, including the title track, on a tribute album, Life, honoring the life and music of Tarka Cordell,{{Cite web|url=http://www.tarkamusic.com/index.html|title=Tarka Music | LIFE featuring Lily Allen, Citizen Cope, Evan Dando|website=Tarkamusic.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} (produced by Alex Elena). Other contributing vocalists on the album include Lily Allen, Imani Coppola, and Evan Dando.

Her original songs have been selected for promotional use on NBC and have been licensed internationally for continued use in the Got Talent franchise. Her songs or vocals have also been licensed for use by Fox Sports and numerous movie and video game trailers, recently in 2017 trailers for the film Marshall and Netflix miniseries Godless. The original song, Drowned, was also featured in Season Three of the television show Sons of Anarchy. She composed extensive original score for the 2018 World Cup special Phenoms on Fox Sports. She was commissioned to compose and perform the official theme song for author Kim Michele Richardson's New York Times bestseller The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek to be used in various advertising platforms and future media. She has recently been co-writing compositions for the upcoming Wynonna Judd album. Her original music is regularly supported by KCRW as well many other independent radio stations.

Ruby Friedman Orchestra has toured with Brian Wilson and Jeff Bridges She has also provided live backup vocals for many legends as well including Donovan and Heart. When in Los Angeles, she has headlined at the House of Blues,{{Cite web|url=https://www.houseofblues.com/|title=House of Blues | House of Blues|website=Houseofblues.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} The Troubadour,{{Cite web|url=https://troubadour.com/|title=Troubadour|website=Troubadour.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} The Viper Room,{{Cite web|url=https://www.viperroom.com/|title=The Viper Room|website=Viperroom.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} Hotel Café, Los Globos,{{Cite web|url=https://clublosglobos.com/|title=Club Los Globos – Late Night Dance Club|website=Clublosglobos.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} Echoplex,{{Cite web|url=http://www.theecho.com/|title=The Echo Official site|website=Theecho.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} and Pershing Square. She has made numerous invited guest appearances, including performances with Bernard Fowler, with Grammy Award nominee Scott Healy,{{Cite web|url=http://www.bluedogmusic.com/|title=Scott Healy|website=Bluedogmusic.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} with the Jeff Goldblum{{Cite web |url=http://rockwell-la.inticketing.com/events/482486/jeff-goldblum-and-the-mildred-snitzer-orchestra/ |title=Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra Tickets on March 25, 2015 at Rockwell: Table & Stage −2014 Guest Artist in Los Angeles, CA from Rockwell LA |access-date=2015-03-20 |archive-date=2015-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321112205/http://rockwell-la.inticketing.com/events/482486/jeff-goldblum-and-the-mildred-snitzer-orchestra |url-status=dead }} jazz ensemble, and at many events at the Sayers Club.{{Cite web |url=http://sbe.com/nightlife/brands/thesayersclub/ |title=The Sayers Club - Live Music Los Angeles - Hollywood Nightclub | SBE.com |access-date=2014-04-18 |archive-date=2014-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419015639/http://sbe.com/nightlife/brands/thesayersclub/ |url-status=dead }} She performed an acoustic invitation only show, at the Turn Gallery in Soho,{{Cite web|url=https://www.turngallerynyc.com/|title=TURN|website=Turngallerynyc.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}} accompanied by Imani Coppola,{{Cite web|url=http://imanicoppola.com/|title=Quạt công nghiệp » Vinazan.co.ltd|website=Vinazan.co.ltd|accessdate=2 February 2021}} Matthew Steer, Maiya Sykes, Ben Crippin Taylor, and Conor Brendan.{{Cite web|url=http://www.reverbnation.com/conorbrendan|title=Conor Brendan Reverbnation site|website=Reverbnation.com|accessdate=2 February 2021}}

In 2024, Ruby signed with Label 51 Recordings and is releasing her studio album, "Chimes After Midnight" on June 13, 2025, The album’s 10 tracks include:

“Honeystomach (The Flight of Connie Converse)”

“Music Row”

“From the Storm”

“Flower Whore”

“When the Hangman …”

“Milky Way (Ode to Frank Black)”

“Four Day Muse”

“Book Woman’s Daughter”

“Friday Night Depression”

“The Mayor of North Hollywood Park”

Friedman wrote or co-wrote all the songs. Three of them are with multi-instrumentalist Ben Landsverk, who contributed on keyboards, viola, guitar, fiddle, organ, viola, violin, bowed bass, ghost piano, banjo, bass, percussion and synth. Co-writers also include Nashville-based musicians Adrienne Smith and Philip White (“Music Row”), California-based DJ/producer Kr3ature (“From the Storm”), and Nicholas Allan Johns, who is a member of Friedman’s Los Angeles band (“Four Day Muse”). Other contributing musicians include: Mark Pender (trumpet and trombone) on “Flower ”Whore and “Mayor of North Hollywood Park” The album was recorded over the course of a year in Portland, Los Angeles, New York, Rome, Athens, and Nashville. It was mixed and mastered by Steve Baughman in L.A . Other contributing musicians include: Mark Pender (trumpet and trombone) on “Flower ”Whore and “Mayor of North Hollywood Park”.{{Cite web |last=Willschick |first=Aaron |date=2025-02-07 |title=Ruby Friedman Orchestra Dropping ‘Chimes After Midnight’ via Label 51 Recordings |url=https://v13.net/2025/02/ruby-friedman-orchestra-dropping-chimes-after-midnight-via-label-51-recordings/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=V13.net |language=en-CA}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.rubyfriedmanorchestra.com/ Ruby Friedman Official Site]
• [https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/trade-fiction-paperback/ Paperback Trade Fiction Books – Best Sellers – Books – The New York Times]

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