Mitt Romney isn’t likely to be at Kilby Block Party this weekend, but Ritt Momney 100 percent will be. Utahn Jack William Rutler (aka Ritt Momney) plays the first day of the Kilby Block Party festival today at 3pm (Kilby Stage).
While it’s not his first time to play the indie rock fest, he did get his start playing at Kilby Court several years back. Eight of the first 10 concerts he put on were on its stage. Returning to play the festival on the very last date of his tour feels like tapping into Salt Lake City pride, he said.
“Kilby Block Party feels like the only major connection that Salt Lake has to indie music, and it’s something we never thought Salt Lake would ever have,” Rutler told me over the phone. He and his bandmates were enjoying some mid-tour downtime at a Chipotle in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Mostly, I wanted to hear about “Put Your Record On,” the Corrine Bailey Rae song he covered in 2020. At last count, the song’s streamed more than 660 million times on Spotify. It even hit No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, turning him into an instant indie phenomenon.
THAT COVER PUT YOU ON THE MAP, BUT WHY THAT SONG?
Rutler: It felt right to do a more uplifting song. I recorded it at the beginning of COVID, in April of 2020. Seemed like the right time. I was burnt out with my own writing, and the way to have fun while still working on music, and without feeling the stress of writing? Do a cover. I expected people to like it — it was a cool production on an already awesome song — but I didn’t predict the scale. The most surprising thing was just the randomness of it.
People connected with it. People liked it. But the thing that made it blow up was this makeup trend guy, Ian. He posted this video, a cool idea, some transition on the drop of the song, and people copied him. Other makeup artists did that as well, making videos with the song. It’s crazy, though… if that one guy hadn’t made that video, none of this would have happened. The main thing I got from it was financial support for all of my stuff I’ve been working on since then. A huge percentage of money I make from doing music still comes from that song.
To me, it’s been a pretty clear lesson that a level of fame or millions of streams isn’t going to fulfill anything for me. Some aspiring musicians, there’s the sentiment of, OK, once I reach some level, once one of my songs gets this many streams, that’s when I’ll know I’ve made it. And this was just not that feeling for me. It has informed how I’ve gone about music ever since, and I’m not chasing anything like that anymore. I mean, it feels like I just won the lottery. I don’t think I did anything particularly deserving of that. It feels so random. I feel pretty lucky about it.
IT’S ALMOST LIKE YOU MADE THE SONG BIGGER THAN IT WAS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Rutler: Maybe to the newer generation. Yeah, I brought it back a bit maybe. I actually talked to Corrine Bailey Rae once, and she’s so awesome.
AND SHE BENEFITS, TOO, RIGHT? FROM YOU DOING HER SONG?
Rutler: Yeah, she makes a good amount of money off of it.
SO SHE LIKES YOU. THERE’S NO REASON NOT TO BE YOUR FRIEND.
Rutler: She was really nice and sweet about it. It’s been cool for my mom, because she played the original in the car when we were kids. Now, in her piano room, she has a platinum record from that song. It’s cool, but I think it’s important to remind myself there’s nothing beyond that.
IT’S A STEPPING STONE SORT OF THING.
Rutler: And that’s it. It doesn’t mean that much to me.
BUT IT HAS ALLOWED YOU TO CONTINUE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, NO?
Rutler: Yeah. I haven’t had to work any kind of job since then. That song has funded my music career, and my two most recent albums. I was able to buy a house in Salt Lake, and it’s awesome. I’ll say it again: it really does feel like I won the lottery.
WHAT LED YOU DOWN THIS MUSIC PATH, ANYWAY?
Rutler: I can point it back to when my older brother played in the talent show in elementary school. He was one of those Justin Bieber types, already really good at singing and playing instruments when he was super young. He did “Apologize” by OneRepublic and I was watching. Everybody was going, oh my gosh, he’s so good! And I wanted some of that spotlight. It was an attention thing at first. It’s become something different now, but back then? I wanted to feel cool.
Tickets are still available. Info here.
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