Chicago's Rue Royale set to make Europe home
Chicago-based husband and wife duo Rue Royale are preparing to head out on their next great European journey. But this time, it's more than just a few gigs across the ocean. At the end of the trek, the band won't return to Chicago to rest their heads. This time, Europe becomes home.
The decision to redefine the band's homeland is one that arrived as a realization to feedback gained during the band's previous experience playing abroad. In short: fans ate it up.
"To move is a mixed-bag decision, really," stated Brookln Dekker, the guitar-strumming half of the indie/folk rockers. "We didn't really realize, until a few months ago, that we should move."
A sold-out record release show at Subterranean in February served as a send-off for the band's first European tour, but also became the catalyst that reaffirmed the band's five-year plan. Married and settled in the states for five years, the idea was to return to the UK at that point - where Ruth Dekker calls home. A responsive European fan base reignited the band's plan to make the trip permanent.
Rue Royale says farewell to Chicago with a show Friday at Schubas. Soon after, the band will relocate and embark on a European tour that stretches through the fall. Anxiously packing and finishing some last-minute writing, the band took time to reflect on what Chicago has meant these past years and what defines "home" for a transatlantic couple.
"I feel more at home to be in Europe," admitted Ruth. "I love Chicago, I love the city - I'm gonna miss that, to have to leave what America can offer. But being a married couple from two different countries, there's always going to be that tension. It was a big shift for me to figure out how to be an English person in America."
"I haven't lived in Europe, yet," said Brookln. "For me, I'm not going home. The feelings she has about the move are different. We're both happy for making the decision. There are all these different emotions and feelings."
An overwhelming positive: the move has sparked the band's creative process. Repurposing the stress of the move, Brookln and Ruth have used the tension to assess one another's feelings through new material for Rue Royale.
"We have a mountain to move as we prepare for this move but we're trying to be very purposeful to find time to figure this out and write it down," Brookln said. "It's been good for us as a couple, in our songwriting process; we continue to learn about each other a little more as we come up with lyrics and ideas."
"It's just weird how our world is so big now - I don't feel like we're moving, we're just going to base ourselves there, Chicago is still our home," said Ruth.
Recognizing a tinge of "bizarre nostalgia" for the Midwest as moving day draws nearer, the band's remaining time in the city will consist of the farewell gig, time with family and friends, and, of course, a final stroll through the city itself. The itinerary may include one more Chicago-style pizza at Lou Malnati's for Ruth and a pile of ribs from Twin Anchor for Brookln.
"I love the city, I just love it," Ruth beamed. "Architecturally, it's incredible as you walk through Bucktown and the Loop. - I love that and Millennium Park. I'm really gonna miss that feeling. You don't get that feeling in any other city. New York feels like a mix of Chicago and London. Chicago is just one of the best-probably the best city I've ever been in."
"We've spent our whole married life here. We'll miss people and playing in Chicago because we have so much fun in our hometown," Brookln added.
One thing remains certain about the band's farewell - it will be the band's attempt to repay Chicago for the love the city has provided over the years.
"Chicago birthed Rue Royale and this is home," said Brookln. "It's been home to me for 10 years. Maybe those are not my formative years, physically, but they are where I've learned who I was personally and where I was when I found Ruth. You never forget that."
Rue Royale farewell show
When: Friday: 10 p.m.
Where: Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, Chicago
Tickets: schubas.com
Cost: $8
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.myspace.com/rueroyale">Rue Royale's MySpace page </a></li> <li><a href="http://virb.com/rueroyale">Rue Royale's Virb page </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>