389: Ivan Rubenstein-Gillis and 500 Suns

Ivan Rubenstein-Gillis! Singer! Songwriter! Producer! Dear old friend! Delight!

I've known Ivan for decades and I've always loved his music AND talking to him, so having him on my podcast to talk about his music AND MORE was perfect.

Under the band name 500 Suns, he's got a new album "Hungry Man" coming out in July 2025!

Stay tuned for that, and also stay tuned at the end of this podcast episode for a sneak peek of some music from that project!

We have a great chat and you can have a great listen!

PS This is only the first HALF of our chat.
For the second half, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or merely click on over here to Patreon!

Also, here's more about Ivan in Ivan's website's own words:

"Ivan Rubenstein-Gillis is a singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist based out of New York. With deep roots in folk, rock, jazz, world music and modern poetics, Ivan brings a rare sense of craft, intellectual provocation and emotional expression to his work.​

Ivan grew up in a creative family and from an early age was exposed to great music, books and visual art from all around the world. He played piano as a kid and began putting lyrics and chord patterns together around the age of 10 ... Bought his first guitar in high school and later added mandolin, banjo, harmonica, bass and other instruments to the mix.

Over the course of his eclectic career, Ivan has written hundreds of songs and instrumental pieces, produced and recorded albums across various genres, composed for dance and theater and performed with great musicians in many styles.​

The primary focus of Ivan's creative life has been his songwriting. To date, he has recorded 11 albums of original material as a solo artist, collaborating with extraordinary rhythm sections, instrumentalists and singers along the way. His songs have won grants and awards, have been performed by numerous artists and choirs, have been featured in a number of movies, documentaries and PSAs, and have become part of the American musical landscape for his many admirers.​​ Two of his songs were featured in a worldwide viral video produced for the United Nations Environmental Program regarding the evils of single-use plastics.

Outside of his own material, Ivan enjoyed a very successful collaboration with legendary trombonist Roswell Rudd over the last decade of his life. Ivan played with Rudd's dynamic MaliCool band in 2007 and produced Feeling Good (a tribute to Nina Simone) - the lead track off of Rudd's 2011 album The Incredible Honk.  In 2013-2014, Ivan produced Trombone For Lovers, an epic collection of American standards which included the house band of John Medeski, Aaron Comess and Richard Hammond, plus guest appearances from Bob Dorough, Faye Victor, Gary Lucas, Michael Doucet, Steven Bernstein, The NYC Labor Choir and other luminaries. TFL received a four star review in Downbeat and generated raves around the world. Roswell performed with Ivan and his band on numerous occasions and guested on several of Ivan's albums, including in the guise of a braying elephant on dogz and katz, a choice cut from Ivan's 2016 album The Lion. Ivan and Roswell continued to work together on new compositions and arrangements right up until Roswell died in December of 2017.​

Ivan produced and played multiple instruments on "Songs From Home" - a well-received  'pandemic EP' with fellow Rudd collaborator (and wonderful singer ) Heather Masse, featuring some of their favorite classics, reimagined for quarantine.

Ivan's latest project - 500 Suns - is a collaboration with the great rhythm section of Craig Santiago and Scott Petito - an uplifting soulful band based out of the Hudson Valley featuring Shawn Dawn, Kendra McKinley and Leslie Ritter on vocals.

​Ivan's deep love for many different types of music has allowed him to play around the margins of numerous genres, and has led to longstanding musical relationships with Meyer Horn (drums), Adam Small (bass), Craig Santiago (drums), Scott Petito (bass), Aaron Comess (drums), Richard Hammond (bass), Heather Masse (voice), Cat Martino (voice), Leah Siegel (voice), Lexy Casano (cabaret artist), Clarence Ferrari (flame throwing fiddler), Arne Wendt (organist), Rod Sherwood (producer), David Grausman (piano) and David Brahinsky (NJ-based folksinger), among many others.

Ivan has also worked extensively as a music educator, concert producer and "musical activist" - utilizing his talent and experience in the service of providing musical opportunities to underserved populations. Ivan has played at countless benefit concerts, fundraisers and community events and always appreciates the opportunity to play music in the service of a worthy cause. 

Along with the music, Ivan writes satire, short stories, poems and the occasional expository essay. He also likes to draw funny sketches."

Thanks and love, all!