Rubikon is more than a band, it’s a true brotherhood. Five friends who, first and foremost, love each other, but also love making music together, and they have a hell of a time doing it. With their first new album in four years, The Record (2019) brings the band back to the basics, creating songs that are just good. At the same time elevating their sound into full-tilt overdrive with their high-energy, in your face, heavy rock melodies. The Record follows up the success of Delta (2015) , which spawned the Top 40 Active Rock single “Live that Lie,” and brought numerous song placements on shows such as Shameless. The songs on The Record expand on their signature sound. They are tighter and hit harder; there’s a wider dynamic range and a more experimental approach in bringing in a variety of instruments such as pedal-steel guitar, baritone saxophone, and even a banjo and mandolin.

Despite being in three different time zones, juggling multiple careers, and families, and lives, the bond they share has produced a true democracy where the songwriting and music making is a total collaborative effort. “There’s not one song on this record that doesn’t have each member’s stamp on it musically, vocally, melodically, or lyrically,” says singer Jae Sims. “It’s extraordinarily rare to have a group of guys that were meant to be friends and after 18 years together as a band, I still find it amazing that these incredible musicians even want to work with me. I know that the other guys feel the same way.”

For the recording process, the band assembled at Sienna Studios in Nashville (formerly Quad Studios where they recorded Delta), working with engineer-mixer Tim Brennan (Steven Tyler, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson). The Record features the usual Rubikon suspects – Jae Sims (vocals), Josh Gruss (guitars), Dave Raymond (guitars), Hugh Eaton (bass), and Doug Arsham (drums and vocals) – but also includes guest spots from Elisha Hoffman (mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar), Drew Belk (pedal steel), and Randy Leago (saxophone). The album was recorded live (the band admits to a handful of overdubs) and was mastered by Alex McCollough (Robert Plant, John Prine, Amanda Shires).

This time around, they did things a bit differently. On past releases, the band had most of the songs done and ready to record before heading into the studio. This time, they only had two songs completed going into the recording process. So while the band tracked instruments, “I sequestered myself in an upstairs room with Nashville hot chicken, a guitar, keyboard, and laptop and just demoed ideas for days,” says Sims. “I’d bounce them off Doug, my key harmony voice, and we’d work them out that way.  It was completely terrifying to go into a studio and write on the fly, but I’m amazed at how it ended up.”

The result brought Rubikon’s distinctive style to such hard rock bangers as “Blood on My Hands,” their first single, and a song about taking personal ownership of how we interact and treat people in todays’ world.  “What does the time ripple of an insult or an outburst of anger do to a person?” asks Sims. “’Blood on My Hands’ is a celebration of our differences, but at the same time a warning to one’s self about what our personal actions need to look like.” Listeners will also find a new classic rock leaning, almost Americana side of the band on songs such as the pedal-steel laced “Devil’s Footsteps” which showcases a mellower side of their songwriting. “It deals with the loss of innocence.   A time forgotten.  Something you look back on and long for,” says Sims.  “For me, it also touches on the vicious cycle of addiction and the internal battle not to follow in the devil’s footsteps.”  All of the songs on The Record weave stories that meld together to create an intense musical mixture of hard rock riffs, rootsy rhythms, and soaring melodic vocals.

After three full-length albums, a couple of EPs, and some serious time crammed into a van/RV touring the country and playing with such bands as Disturbed, Black Label Society, Damageplan, Sevendust, Shinedown, and Nonpoint to name a few, The Record finds Rubikon in a more experimental place, but the constant elements remain the same: five friends who love making music together, playing for their fans, and having a great time doing it.  As singer Sims notes, “Rock n’ roll never dies.  We want to restore a little organic humanity back into music.  No frills, just rock. No genres, just good songs.”