We recently connected with Cole Rupple and have shared our conversation below.

Cole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I don’t really think I could have done much to speed up the process. Even now, everything on my creative journey feels like it happened so quickly and in the necessary order, or was instilled at the appropriate time.

Music and songwriting have been my passions for as long as I can remember. From a young child, I watched my Father thumb through song charts he had hand-written, while playing classic rock numbers and obscure folk tunes in the basement of my grandma’s house; a basement that strikingly resembled a full bar, complete with beer brand memorabilia and old dusty bottles of sloe gin and creme de menthe that not even a desperate teenager would touch. It made for quite the atmosphere to create; I imagine.

My parents enrolled me in piano when I was five until the age of ten, which I found thoroughly boring, until I was to the point of being able to play classical pieces, for which I still only lasted one or two years doing before my hyper child mind could take no more.
My Dad would go along to ease me into songwriting as I grew; more palatable things like The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix at first of course as I began to pick up the guitar, before challenging me with things like Del Amitri and Joni Mitchell, and touting the virtues of Ani DiFranco and Jackson Browne as I came of age.
Some of the very first memories I have as a human are seeing my first music video clips; Yellow Submarine, things like Nirvana Unplugged and old VHS Del Amitri bootlegs.

I had the privilege of surveying some of the greats in the company of my dad and his friends as a young lad. My first concert ever was a living breathing Beatle, Ringo Starr and his All-Star Band; Lyle Lovett next, then Eric Clapton to follow.
After this, we would attend Australian guitar virtuoso Jeff Lang at the Ark in Ann Arbor; a small intimate venue surely not suitable for children of my behavioral capacity at the time. I remember my dad pushing past security to meet this cat saying his son “had to have a guitar pick.”

I think maybe I did, but I just didn’t know it at the time.

My Dad, who was born in 1950, primetime Boomer, would tell stories of Haight/Ashbury, and his travels in Europe, and stories of witnessing the greats play, and stories of not being able to go to Woodstock because my grandmother wouldn’t let him; and these stories filled this young boy with a lust for that kind life, a life of song and adventure.

I’m predisposed, I guess.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Given all that about the musician lineage, it only be appropriate that my brother and I were in a family band, right?

My brother and I started The Rupple Brothers in 2015 when I graduated high school and Evan moved back from Montana. Evan was living away from home when I was a youth, which made our bond incredibly strong, and I would spend any time I had off school traveling to see him in places like Florida and Montana. This bond and love lends itself to our little family message we like to bring to our lyrics often.

Our music is psychedelic folk; often soft and odd little chord progressions with a focus on lyrics and songcraft. We released our first LP in 2019, “The Rupple Brothers”, and are in the process of demoing out our second record, which we intend to turn into a double-disc concept album.

We’ve played all over the state of Michigan and a bit in the Ohio River valley, have opened for some incredible bands and played at some beautiful events, and we now run a festival with our family in our hometown, the festival is called Handmade Music Festival.

We’re incredibly proud of our little event, as it brought back music to a place where it was missed dearly, and we’re very thankful for our Michigan music community and all the support they have given us over the years that allows us to do what we do.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Certainly, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is watching people connect with your art. Nothing makes me feel or believe in the words to our songs as much as when people are singing them back to us. I can’t really compare anything to it, especially when at times these songs can be so emotionally heavy; so, to have people singing them back to us really lets us know that it will be okay and that it is okay for us all to feel these things, ya’ know?

Sadtown, our big, sad brother love song is always a really emotional moment in the set for me, and I’m usually one voice crack and tear away from not being able to get through it, but Evan’s always got me, and now, sometimes there will be a few people in the audience singing and helping us along through to the end.

Nothing beats that, man.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Either/Or – Kierkegaard. Thus Spoke Zarathustra – Nietzsche.

For resources on songwriting and creation, I like “Look, I Made a Hat” by Stephen Sondheim, it is just a great glimpse into the mind of a true songcraft genius.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.handmademusicfestival.com
• Instagram: the_rupple_brothers
• Facebook: The Rupple Brothers & Company
• Twitter: @therupplebros
• Other: The Rupple Brothers on your streaming services!

Image Credits
Handmade Poster – Travis Solis Black and white photos – Leisa Thompson The Rupple Brothers logo – Lil’ Will’s Inspirations