PEPERINA ༒ Daisy Jones & The Six

I Love Rock N' Roll.

[Tape starts]

༒ 1952 In Ponce, Puerto Rico, Rhiannon Fernanda Ruiz was born to Esteban Ruiz and Alexandria Cordova. With the family of three eventually fleeing from Puerto Rico to New York when Rhiannon was only 11, she spends the rest of her childhood growing up in the Washington Heights. 

Rhiannon Ruiz (bassist & Singer, Lunes Por La Madrugada): Well if I'm going to be honest about this all, then I gotta say— my side of the story wouldn't make much sense if you only heard what I experienced when I started to not just hang out with the band, but join them on tour as well.

INTERVIEWER: tell me about your background story then.

Rhiannon: [chuckles] Well firstly, from what I can remember I grew up in the Heights in New York. Growing up, before I reached my teen years really, I wasn't too big into the rock n' roll scene. That was only because in Puerto Rico, before we had even fled to New York, you never heard such a thing.

I mean, even when we settled in New York I remember any type of rock music of that time never being condoned whatsoever. I think that's what really influenced me then too. [laughs] Once I did start testing the waters when it came to different music than just the usual Bomba or Reggaetón I heard daily, I don't think I ever went back.

Of course though my mother hated the change. She would fucking kill me whenever she heard it playing on my old vinyl. I think I was already dead when she even found out I got a vinyl from "Sólo Dios sabe." [smiles].

Joni Anderson (Longtime friend of Rhiannon Ruiz): I was the one who gave her that vinyl. The first day I'd met Anna and found out she didn't know about any kind of rock music, something inside me stung a little. Like I had come to the realization not everyone knew of the kind of music I was absolutely enamored with, so I gave my vinyl to her. I never planned for it to be permanent, but I honestly believe, even now, that once I'd given her almost half my records to listen to, she'd fallen in love with rock n' roll more than I already had.

Rhiannon: [laughs] Yeah I fell in love with anything that had to do with any rock band. I felt bad after a while that I always ended up with any record Joni bought for himself, so I started inviting him over almost everyday to listen to music with me. You know, I never made any other friends besides Joni growing up because nobody else understood the depth of how much I really loved rock music. Nobody except Joni understood that.

At least up until the day I decided to up and leave for California.

Joni: New York has always been an overly glamorized place for people who didn't really live there. I had lived there all my life and you could always clearly point out who was and who wasn't born in the Heights, or anywhere in New York for that matter. To had known Anna was leaving, making it out of the typical life every person ended up living in New York, never even attempting to pursue their dreams— I was damn proud.

Sometimes I still wonder why I never went with her.

༒ 1967; Rhiannon was halfway out the door with nothing but a suitcase and messenger bag crossed over her shoulder, ready to flee the place the exact way she and her parents had fled Puerto Rico. Alexandria Cordova was hot on her tail, wailing pure nonsense about how Rhiannon was throwing her life away and putting her own mother to misery. Partially because she was drunk, partially because she was also narcissistic.

Rhiannon: I hated the way she cried. Not because I felt bad, but because she knew exactly why I had wanted to leave in the first place. I went through things at home not even I felt comfortable telling Joni. I didn't want pity from anyone, I just wanted to have fun and listen to my music. That's all I'd ever wanted.

I can't really tell you exactly why I chose California of all places to leave to, but I had heard at some point then, California was where every popular and just any up-and-coming rock band or artist was performing at.
It was the hotspot for music and it had all the things I wanted that New York didn't have.

Sure I was a little dumb and naive for not really thinking of if my stay was going to be temporary or permanent, and if it was, what would I have done to keep money flowing, but I was happy.
And at the time, in those moments, it was was all I cared for.

© iownthemooon.