Indie rock singer-songwriter Ruby Fields has dropped her first episode of Fred’s Shed, where she hangs with bands, and builds cool shit. This episode’s featured guest? New South Wales’ own surf-rock outfit Hockey Dad.
As we all know, Ruby Fields is a legend in her own right. Combine her with Billy Fleming and Zac Stephenson from Hockey Dad, plus Fred, a friend Ruby has known since she was 14, then you get the ever-crafty, and hilarious series titled Fred’s Shed.
“I met Fred when I was about 14 and since then we’ve built stuff, told yarns, and had some great arvos in the shed… we wanted to start filming it,” Ruby says of the concept. As she explains, she’s been keen on building for quite some time, and that’s exactly what she’s wanting to do with Fred’s Shed – build stuff, and chat to musos while at it.
“I’ve always wanted to do something with building since I was little,” Ruby begins. “My dad always used to make LEGO with me, and stuff, so I think combining physics with music in a way that made sense in my brain was always something I was interested in, and then, obviously, was made a reality when I became mates with Fred.”
So, what do they get up to in the shed together? Well, Ruby chats up Hockey Dad with a fair few questions about their music, adds a few hockey-related facts, and they create the ultimate combination that every musician needs.
Check out Ruby Fields in the pilot for Fred’s Shed:
Fred, first seen shirtless like all typical Aussie dads while sniffing around the shed for something to get their hands dirty with, pops into the first episode with Billy and Zac from Hockey Dad with the out-of-this-world idea to create a fridge that also doubles as an amp.
“What we’re going to do is we’re going to combine your tastebuds with your audiometric pleasures,” Fred explains. So, when you’re keen for a bit of a beer and a jam, all you’ll have to do is “walk up, plug in, grab a beer, sit down, jam, drink beer.”
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While Hockey Dad and Ruby Fields begin to dismantle a fridge and amp, and Frankenstein the two together under Fred’s watchful eye, they crack open a few cans, and have a go at discussing the evolution of Hockey Dad.
“Do you guys still jam?” Ruby queries as they begin to work on the amps, which prompts Billy to admit that they haven’t really done so as much as they used to.
“When we first started playing together, Zac was living at his parents place, and that was just where we first started the band in a shed,” which garnishes a chuckle as they all continue to tinker in the shed. “We kind of just got lazy when we started touring more,” Zac continues, which leads Ruby to state that gigs feel “like an hour-long jam every time.”
Fraught with comedic moments that will bring back the painful moments of helping our own dad’s with a project, such as Fred giving Hockey Dad a hard time about taking yet “another” break, the episode ultimately ends with the four of them relishing in their hard work when they finish “Fred’s Shred Fridge” – prompting Zac to play a little tune on the amp while Billy grabs a cold one from the fridge portion, turning the original dream into a reality.
To wrap things up, Ruby Fields states that “this was a pretty crazy first experiment,” making us wonder what hybrid machines her and Fred will come up with next. “Next week we’ll probably fuckin’ do something else,” she states with a cheers to Hockey Dad.
Check out the first episode of Fred’s Shed:
