Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariko Ruhle.
Hi Mariko, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up on the coast in Santa Barbara, CA the beautiful landscape has been a cornerstone of my creativity. My earliest memories of singing are harmonizing with the oldies radio station in the car and singing in the school holiday concert in first grade. I was a shy kid for sure and singing was something I got a fair amount of encouragement around. I have always LOVED music and singing! I was gifted a yard sale guitar in middle school and pulled it out from under my bed and made noises a bit here in there. I started getting into punk and hardcore bands in high school and was wildly impressed at how good kids my age were on stage at this cool club called The Livingroom, they booked major acts and lots of little local bands too. Then I think in Junior year of high school I heard some girls play a Patty Griffin song in the laundry room at a theater cast party and it completely changed my goals. I wasn’t so worried about being a rock band front woman anymore and I wanted to learn how to play and sing at the same time, which did not come easy. I wanted to write songs. My friend taught me House of the Rising Sun, and that was the first time I felt like I could actually play and sing at same time. While attending Cornish College of the Arts my roommate and I bought a drum kit in a pawn shop and messed around on it with friends. I also dated/lived with some really skilled musicians and that finally brought me to the next level of wanting to get out and perform. Jack Wilson lived next door in our Seattle apartment – The Madkin. He would come over and play stuff he had just written. He was playing with great acts like The Moondoggies, The Maldives, Widower, Head & The Heart; when I started building a band around 2013 I was hoping to pop right into this Americana scene but, scenes are always rising and decaying and I had to find my own. The name Temple Canyon has become synonymous with all my music over the years. “like other transplants who moved here from South and East, she’s burrowed into the Emerald City to woodshed and lovingly craft haunted, dazzling odes to liminal zones and nocturnal aches.”(-Chris Estey // XO Publicity //KEXP) Like the “ladies of the canyon” in Laurel Canyon in the 70’s she was sharing songs in small bars and houses, on the streets and in the park, finding musical collaborators organically and building a following while simply making friends. Temple Canyon is not bound by genre or era, self-proclaimed as “Nostalgic Rock” for a time while leaning into the many references to classic bands listeners were naming along the way. Mariko’s recordings and live performances have been compared to polarizing artists like Adrianne Lenker, Eddie Vedder, Noah Kahan, Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Neil Young, Grace Potter and Stevie Nicks, to name a few. Despite reminiscent qualities of these varied artists; she is a unique songbird all her own. Temple Canyon is especially honored to have shared stages with Next Of Kin, Raina Rose, Motopony, Lydia Loveless, Federale, Anthony da Costa, Lilly Hiatt, Danny Malone, The Tiarras, BYLAND, Giants In The Trees, and The Deer. After making several records, all funded by performing and selling “merch” along the way. The 2019 album Fortress became a pinnacle of creativity and accomplishment; this album was recorded and produced entirely by the band released on CD & vinyl. The album cover of Fortress is an homage to the 1982 Fleetwood Mac album cover of Mirage. Temple Canyon has been featured in Big Takeover Magazine, The Daily Vault, 90.3 KEXP, 107.7 The End, Radio Boise, and participated in several festivals like NW Folklife, Treefort, and Upstream. Temple Canyon can rock out with the best of them but is not shy in intimate settings like those curated by SoFar Sounds. It was those SoFar shows and open mics that helped Mariko realize the magic of her songs, featuring “blood harmony and high lonesome” at it’s best. These are the musical qualities that people use to describe what they hear from Temple Canyon’s folkier acoustic side. Whether she is rocking out with her band mates or strumming solo, Temple Canyon throws her songs out to the crowd like an anchor bringing her listeners to the shore. Growing up on the coast of California, “she has water in her soul” and her songs can be the vacation you need sometimes from the daily grind. At the core you find very truthful songs written with a heavy heart and a voice untamed, out looking for a home. Since moving to Austin she has steadily built a new community of canyon fans and collaborators. Performing with the lovely Sidney Kenley has been a highlight. Temple Canyon has also released a single featuring Andrew Savage, Sidney Kenley and Ryan Casey of Tunesmiths. Mariko has been playing all over including Meanwhile, Radio/East and Hole In The Wall.
“SOMEWHERE BETWEEN CAUTIOUS FOLK ROCK AND SPACEY AMERICANA SOUNDS THAT GLIDE WITH BEAUTIFUL TURBULENCE.”
THE DAILY VAULT
“TEMPLE CANYON IS THE BEST BAND IN SEATTLE RIGHT NOW, SO IT’S ESPECIALLY JOYFUL TO WATCH THEIR RISING IMMINENCE. MARIKO RUHLE’S VOICE STINGS THE AIR WHEN SHE SINGS, AND HER BAND COMPLIMENTS IT WITH SHOEGAZE BUILDS AND PSYCH ROCK CRESCENDOS. THEIR 2016 ALBUM AND 2017 EP SULK AS MUCH AS THEY SOAR. THE BAND SWINGS MOODS WILDLY FROM GLITTER AND GLISTEN TO RUST AND RATTLE IN A BEAT. “
– SEAN JEWELL // AMERICAN STANDARD TIME // NADAMUCHO.COM
“MARIKO’S RICH AND VIBRANT VOCALS CONJURE UP FAVORABLE COMPARISONS TO THE WILSON SISTERS AND STEVIE NICKS. SHE WINDS THROUGH THE SONG, AT TIMES MORE DELICATE AND REFLECTIVE, BUT MOSTLY EMOTIVE AND POWERFUL …”
–THE BIG TAKEOVER MAGAZINE
“HEAVY, BUT UTTERLY TRANSCENDENT ANTHEMS OF ADVENTURE AND DISCOVERY.”
CHRIS ESTEY – BIG FREAK MEDIA // KEXP 90.3 FM // XO PUBLICITY
“Mariko’s voice makes you feel things” – Cumulus
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle is not being consumed by the inevitable need for external gratification or being too sensitive to other peoples opinions. I strive to pursue art with a pure focus of self expression, healing, discovery and connection…
I’d also say becoming a mother, specifically during the Corona Virus Pandemic and no longer having independent financial stability from a secondary steady job has been an incredible challenge. I am so grateful for the support of my Husband Atticus Wiman, he has been a great teammate along the way of this musical journey. When we moved to Austin to be close to his family and so he could start learning his father’s business – Uncommon Objects – it allowed me to continue my focus on what is most important to me right now, being a great caregiver to our daughter. It simultaneously provided enough flexibility with scheduling for me to still perform as an artist.
In addition, I have experienced a lot of turnover within my band and every time a new member was needed, I had to keep transforming my sound and learn more ways to communicate as a leader. I am really grateful for all those experiences despite the moments that were hard.
Moving to Austin about 4 years ago, I thought I had a pretty great chance of maintaining a some continuity with performing because I knew some great local artists and had performed here prior to moving. Though, I have found it much harder to break into new scenes and venues than I expected. That said I am super grateful for the community I have found which is a great web of really hard working talent. It was at the “Radio Talent Show” that I met a lot of the great people in my now very cozy Austin music community.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
People have always been drawn to my voice and over the years my guitar playing began to get a little attention as well. At some point my bandmates and I decided that we would remain a three-piece instead of beginning a search for yet again a new lead guitarist. During our time as a three-piece, I began to explore playing little solos and improvising more which resulted in some pretty crazy experimental jams on stage. This change came as a pretty big surprise to our community who had become very familiar with my softer folk side and powerful ballads always supported by some dude who could shred. I was now weaving it all together with less frills to cover my mistakes and it forced me to take ownership of the stage on a whole new level. It was also during that time that my guitar tone got more refined and I started using a few more effects pedals. I don’t love the term “gear head” but I think I am a borderline gear head?
I think one of the things fans always appreciated from our shows were our seamless transitions. We would rehearse heavily(4-6 hours a week at least in this crusty basement room at Crybaby Studios, this lasted for around 10 years) to move between songs without stopping partly to create a magical vibe and also to not squander time saying random shit and end up getting to play less music. So often we would have a 30-45 min slot and we always wanted to play as many songs as we could. The transitions created some cool mystery.
A lot of my songs are about my family and growing up. I like to write about real people and real experiences. Sometimes if I’m struggling to find someone to confide in, my guitar is the only one there for me. My deepest fears and darkest thoughts become embedded in songs. I think this has been one of the things that has made solo performances(which are more my focus now) really captivating for listeners, without a band the personal, intimate sharing becomes even more rich and undeniable. I also have always had an interest in the poetic world and imagery of the macabre; I weave that and the effortless imagery of nature into writing a lot as well. For instance, my middle name is Rose and I heard somewhere that it may be too obvious a subject and should such things should be avoided. For me the image and metaphor hold so much personal resonance, I can’t help but choose to explore it anyway.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Well, it is hard to say… I think the current state of change is so intense that I’m just barely absorbing it and adapting. I think the ease of sharing music now is incredible. The impression I get a lot from people especially younger musicians is an appreciation for raw minimally produced music. I have always been a fan of the raw unedited sharing options like throwing my iphone demos on soundcloud directly after writing something or sharing songs in progress on instagram and youtube. As well as, one of my favorite ways to test out a new song, playing an open mic. So this shift lends well to me and my natural inclinations however, mentally it is a little strange because I have often felt like an odd-ball/outsider for doing that stuff. I get the overall impression that people, especially a lot of 20 somethings hate social media and would rather call someone on phone to figure out show details than send an email. I think maybe it’s too optimistic but I think grassroots organizing and DIY are at the forefront of evolving music scenes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.marikoruhle.com/temple-canyon
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/templecanyon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/templecanyonband/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@templecanyon1970
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/temple-canyon
- Other: https://templecanyon.bandcamp.com/track/firesign
Image Credits
Doug Indrick, Walter Zamojski, Zachary Salas, Atticus Wiman, Ballard Vox, Melissa Wax
