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With a new song expressing a preference for being in water more than on land, Bloomington-based band Six Foot Blonde is a natural fit for playing the USA Swimming Live concert series.
“I always loved the water,” vocalist Julia Rusyniak sings at the beginning of “Landgirl,” which describes bodies of water as an escape from unkind people on solid ground.
Six Foot Blonde will perform Sunday on Georgia Street, capping 10 days of free concerts celebrating the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Although Rusyniak didn’t write the lyrics of “Landgirl” in anticipation of the swim trials, she swam competitively as a member of the Zionsville Swim Club.
“I was a swimmer until the end of my high school career, when I decided music took priority,” Rusyniak said. “It was always a dream to be at the Olympic swimming trials. I just didn’t think it would be for singing.”
Meanwhile, USA Swimming Live organizers didn’t hire Six Foot Blonde based on “Landgirl.” The band has built a buzz since forming on Indiana University’s campus during the pandemic lockdown.
On June 29, Six Foot Blonde will share a stage with Amos Lee and Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs at Milwaukee’s Summerfest. In July, the band’s itinerary includes headlining appearances at historic venues Mercury Lounge in New York City, Schubas Tavern in Chicago and Beachland Tavern in Cleveland.
The upcoming run of dates will reach a crescendo with an Aug. 2 show at Fountain Square’s Hi-Fi Annex, where Six Foot Blonde will play a record-release show for debut album “Ask Me How I Am.”
Five of the six members of Six Foot Blonde grew up in central Indiana. Zionsville is the hometown of Rusyniak and her keyboard-playing brother, John Alex Rusyniak. Drummer Brian Healey also grew up in Zionsville.
Guitarist Elliott Obermaier and bass player Dob Heyob grew up in Indianapolis, while the band’s non-Hoosier is guitarist Zach Patrick, a native of Western Springs, Illinois.
Six Foot Blonde is previewing “Ask Me How I Am,” which technically arrives on Aug. 10, with two singles: “Landgirl” and “Blackout”—an intense, slow-build ballad focused on the topic of self-esteem.
“It’s pathetic how little it takes to flatter me,” sings Julia Rusyniak, who said songwriting is similar to therapy.
“It’s a way to talk about things that I maybe have a hard time expressing to other people,” she said. “It had been sitting with me for a while, how embarrassed I was that I needed validation in order to feel good about myself in any way.”
Rusyniak said she’s not alone when it comes to relying on others to provide a declaration of worth.
“I really wanted to put that into words,” she said. “I specifically wanted women around me to hear those words and to realize that it’s not embarrassing and it’s not their fault.”
A type of empathy also is heard in the lyrics of “Crazy Eyes,” an easy-gliding example of soulful pop.
“It’s one of those things where you notice someone and they’re saying, ‘Oh, I’m fine,’” Rusyniak said. “But you know, deep down inside, they’re probably not fine. But you know that because you’ve been there before. It’s a case of, ‘It takes one to know one.’ I know that you are feeling like you’re crazy, but don’t worry: I’ve been there.”
Six Foot Blonde debuted as a cover band, guitarist Obermaier said. The band issued a six-song EP, “Tino’s Place,” in 2023 before making the “Ask Me How I Am” album at Bloomington’s Primary Sound studio last fall.
Obermaier said the band played around 75 shows between the recording of “Tino’s Place” and “Ask Me How I Am.”
“The practice time, the understanding of what our voices are on our instruments and what our voices are together allow us to be more cohesive as a whole,” Obermaier said. “We’re asking, ‘What is the soundscape we’re creating?’ ‘What is our emotive voice?’ ‘How are we following Julia as our lyrical voice?’”
Six Foot Blonde
- When: 5:30 p.m. June 23
- Where: USA Swimming Live, Georgia Street
- Admission: Free
- Info: Visit indianasportscorp.org.
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Since this is the IBJ wouldn’t it have been interesting to note how they get all of these gigs around the country by mentioning their booking/management team? Or… do they do this all themselves? What are their plans/goals moving forward? How are they using social media to promote the band? Are the songs available for streaming?