Richardine Bartee
Ruby Fray’s new video for Cilantro is worth the watch.
Ruby Fray’s video for “Cilantro” is everything that I enjoy about bonding with a friend or watching others bond. In my pastime, watching groups of people cook or clean is soothing to me. It gives someone like me, who is unreasonably busy and self-neglecting, the chance to rest and enjoy the company others, outside of work.
It is unclear whether the young women made anything after they picked and cleaned the cilantro, but I cannot help to remember or want to compare what I see to a personal experience. The atmosphere in the video makes me remember a dinner I had in Austin, Texas. It was during the SXSW season. I stayed with a new friend that I had met through Thedra. She invited me to have dinner with her family. We had a meal from Africa. I couldn’t tell you if it were from the Northern or Central parts of the continent, but it was delicious. The surroundings remind me of my friend’s mother’s home.
Cilantro, the herb itself, takes me to the time when I used to travel to Los Angeles. My boyfriend (at the time) and I used to enjoy eating fresh tacos or burritos from there. We’re from the Northeastern part of the United States (Connecticut and New York City), so our Mexican cuisine isn’t as authentic. Sadly, if you don’t travel, you wouldn’t know better. In short, “Cilantro” evokes memories of my happier times. Therefore, I watched the female band’s video multiple times to not only hear the record but to allow myself to feel and record the memory.
According to an article by the premier site, Ruby Fray is the brainchild of a former solo artist named Emily Beanblossom. She refers to the group as “a small army of all-female musicians.” There are three more tour dates on the group’s summer tour. If you’re in Chicago on the fifteenth of September, see Ruby Fray live at The Observatory. Texans in Austin can have the same live experience six days later at The Mohawk. Finally, on October 13, they return to the Chi to play Cafe Mustache live.
Ruby Fray’s album comes out before the year ends. I’m looking forward to the release day. “Cilantro” is the reason.
