Rubyhorse

In 1997, this small group of friends and bandmates would gather in a meat factory outside Cork City, Ireland, perfecting their songs. Taking their name from a Wonder Stuff song, Rubyhorse continued to perform but decided the best shot at success was in America. In 1998, the Irish group left for Boston, a large Irish-friendly population awaiting. Performing at an Irish pub called The Barren, word quickly spread about the band and they became the Thursday night group there for 60 weeks. The band also released an album, How Far Have You Come?, and won three Boston Music Awards. Three national tours ensued, as did a battle among various record labels to sign them. This was only fuelled by the group reaching number one on the MP3 charts, a first for an unsigned group. A deal with Interscope Records fell through after one release, but the group eventually signed with Island Records. In 2001, Rubyhorse returned to the studio to record their first album with Island. The album, titled Rise, was released in May 2002, and features a prized slide-guitar solo by the late George Harrison on one of its tracks. The band has been compared to the Verve, the Beatles, and fellow Irish rockers U2.