Ruler Sets Tour with Kississippi and Hikes

Rapidly rising Seattle artist Ruler is set for their debut east coast tour with fellow up-and-comers Kississippi beginning November 29 in Boston. The tour comes on the heels of Ruler's west coast run with Austin, TX-based math rockers Hikes, which kicks off October 21 in Spokane.

Ruler is touring in support of their critically acclaimed debut album, Winning Star Champion, out now via Barsuk Records (purchase/stream the album at https://lnk.to/starchamp).

Ruler is the project of Seattle-based singer and songwriter Matt Batey (best known for his work with Rocky Votolato and Cataldo). Batey explains to Billboard "I've struggled with anxiety my whole life, and [writing 'Petrified'] I was feeling especially afraid and anxious about what the future holds." He goes on, "I don't think I'm super old or anything, but a lot of people around me in my life are kind of quitting music and making families and doing other stuff. So choosing to continue to play music at this point is another level of deliberately choosing to do this."

Upon the band's signing to hometown label Barsuk Records, Ruler released a slew of singles including "Not Your Friend," which Under the Radar raves "beautifully captures the emotive current of the Pacific Northwest indie sound"; "Easy Life," about which PopMatters notes, "with [Batey's] idiosyncratic vocal delivery at the forefront, perched beside the catchy ebb-and-flow of his musical arrangements, the tunes he's churning out under the moniker [Ruler] are decidedly fresh and exciting" ; and "Complicated Mind," with KEXP praising the track for "just how expertly crafted Batey's songwriting really is" while hailing Ruler's "totally life-affirming live shows"

At 30 years old, Batey is already a seasoned veteran of Seattle's high-achieving music scene. The Montana native arrived 12 years ago intent on tapping into the city's longstanding creative legacy and immediately joined a band seeking a singer-songwriter-frontman. Buoyed by genuine instrumental chops but a streak of bad luck, the band toughed it out gig after gig, EP after EP. In four years Batey wrote more than 120 songs, songs he says nobody heard. Combined with his talent and ambition, these songs propelled him out of the collective setting and into solo territory. Finally on his own, he picked a name that felt triumphant and playful; a fist-in-the-air kind of name. Ruler would be all Matt Batey.

RULER LIVE

October 21 Spokane, WA The Bartlett*
October 23 Seattle, WA Sunset Tavern*
October 24 Bellingham, WA Luigi's Mansion*
October 25 Portland, OR Turn Turn Turn*
October 26 Eugene, OR Luckey's*
October 27 San Francisco, CA Neck of the Woods*
October 29 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater*
October 30 San Diego, CA Soda Bar*
November 1 Sacramento, CA Momo's
November 2 Cottage Grove, OR Axe & Fiddle
November 3 Olympia, WA Le Voyeur
November 29 Boston, MA Great Scott†
November 30 Brooklyn, NY Baby's All Right†
December 1 Philadelphia, PA PhilaMOCA†
December 2 Syracuse, NY Spark Art Space†
December 4 Toronto, ON The Baby G†
December 5 Pittsburgh, PA The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls†
December 6 Detroit, MI The Loving Touch†
December 7 Chicago, IL Schubas†
December 8 Cleveland, OH Mahall's 20 Lanes†
December 9 Washington, DC Songbyrd†

* with Hikes
† with Kississippi

Photo Credit: Lauren Max

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