While walking through a New York City neighborhood, Xenia Rubinos noticed a curious phenomenon in the restaurants she passed. In the front of the house, mostly white servers and bartenders were setting up for dinner service and listening to indie music. Meanwhile, in the back of the house, the cooks and dishwashers, mostly Latinos, were blasting salsa, ranchero and bachata as they prepped the kitchen for the evening.
“It just made me laugh,” Rubinos tells Isthmus in a recent phone interview. “No matter what kind of restaurant it was, it was the same kind of scene.”
Rubinos started writing a rhyme as she walked home, which eventually became the song “Mexican Chef,” an infectiously catchy ode to the often-overlooked contributions of hardworking people of color. Rubinos will perform that and other new music from her latest album, Black Terry Cat, at the Frequency on Friday, Sept. 9 along with DJ Lolo and Tin Can Diamonds.
A talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Rubinos draws from jazz, hip-hop, R&B, daptone and garage punk to create a genre-bending fusion style. She counts old-school favorites like J. Dilla, Busta Rhymes, Rufus and Chaka Khan among her influences for the new record. With driving beats, precise-yet-raucous instrumentation and soulful vocal melodies, Rubinos crafted a unique kind of groove. It’s music that will make you dance, and make you think.
“Lyrically, I was challenging myself to be more specific about what I was saying and find meaning in words in a way that I hadn’t before,” Rubinos says.
Music bloggers and critics have praised Rubinos’ music for exploring political themes like racism and police brutality, but she says she never set out to make a political album. Instead, her songs are observational and deeply personal, inspired by current events and daily life.
“I didn’t set out to be preachy,” Rubinos says. “I’m just telling you what’s on my mind.”
The song “Black Star,” with its theme of immortality, was inspired by her father, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. Rubinos says the song can also apply to the victims of police killings and participants in the Black Lives Matter movement. She also draws inspiration from the unconventional. On “See Them,” she creates a musical, stream-of-consciousness vibe using percussive vocals and lyrics based on a children’s hand-clapping game.
"It had been so long since I’d thought of that (rhyme), but I loved the sensory experience,” she says.
Rubinos always knew she wanted to be a singer — she grew up idolizing Mariah Carey, singing in choirs and performing musical theater. But when she moved to Boston and started her first band, she felt stuck in a rut, interpreting old jazz tunes. She got depressed and eventually quit singing. Over time, she taught herself how to write instrumental music and eventually found her way back to vocals.
“I had to let go of it and come back to it,” Rubions says. “I’m finding my singing voice again — and it continues to change.”
