Winners in this year’s GBS cover band category, Ruby’s Complaint first formed in the 1980s, using the name Street Justice, which the members took in haste from a Twisted Sister album. For a few years, the group of talented Turner’s Falls High School students worked the local scene, playing talent shows, battles of the bands, school and church dances. Eventually, life set in and the members went their separate ways—for a while.
A few years back, the group reunited as Ruby’s Complaint, dusted off some old set lists and came blazing back onto the Franklin County music scene. Today, the band—lead vocalist Alana Martineau, guitarist/vocalist Dave Pielock, drummer/vocalist Jim Humphrey and bassist/vocalist Scott Wolfram—has a huge repertoire, ranging from oldies to contemporary chart busters, and an equally impressive following.
“Every time we play, it’s like a class reunion,” says lead vocalist Alana Martineau. “We play mainly in Franklin County, and part of our success is that we’re all born and raised locally. We usually play for people we know. And that’s great. Speaking for myself, I’m much happier being a big fish in a small pond. It’s rewarding playing for people I love and who I know love me.”
