Life & Work with Ruby & Suki Rendrag / Kuehn of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruby & Suki Rendrag / Kuehn.

Hi Ruby & Suki, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Some of the biggest chapters in our story began with events we never would have imagined.

Suki and I met in New Orleans in May of 2005 while auditioning for another band. At the time, I was already building momentum with my own project, and neither of us suspected how much life was about to change. My mother had passed away that spring, and just a few months later Hurricane Katrina scattered musicians, friends, and entire communities across the country. Like so many people in New Orleans, we found ourselves searching for a way forward.

As we reconnected and started playing together, we discovered a shared love for details. We could spend hours chasing the perfect note or finding the arrangement that made a song come alive. That like-mindedness became the foundation of our musical partnership.

In the years after Katrina, as New Orleans slowly found its footing again, we played wherever we could. In 2008, we opened for Heart at the House of Blues in New Orleans. Standing on stage in front of a packed room, we each realized how completely at home we felt. That feeling stayed with us and shaped everything that came after.

We spent years developing our sound and eventually began touring the Northeast. Those trips opened our eyes to possibilities beyond Louisiana and planted the idea of moving somewhere more central. Having visited Medina, Ohio, for many years because of Suki’s family, we started making plans in 2020. Then COVID arrived and disrupted life once again. But by then the wheels were already in motion, and in 2021 we made Akron our home.

As the world reopened, we began rebuilding our musical life in Northeast Ohio and discovered an incredibly welcoming music community. People came to our shows, introduced us to venues, and connected us with other musicians. Around that time, we changed our name to Sunflurry after noticing snowflakes sparkling in the sunlight—a small moment that captured what we were experiencing: beauty, change, and finding ourselves in a new place. What began in the aftermath of loss and upheaval has grown into something we never could have planned—a musical home where the warmth of New Orleans meets the quiet beauty of an Akron winter.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not. We’ve had to reinvent ourselves more than once.

When we moved from Louisiana to Ohio, we left behind decades of relationships and history. Starting over in a new city meant walking into venues where nobody knew us, introducing ourselves to people all over again, and building trust one show at a time. That can be humbling, especially after years of performing and developing a following.

Like most musicians, we’ve also had to learn that growth rarely happens in a straight line. There are periods when opportunities seem to appear all at once, and others when things feel quiet and uncertain. We’ve learned to keep showing up, keep practicing, and trust that small steps add up over time.

Probably the biggest challenge has been resisting the pressure to chase trends or compare ourselves to others. Social media can make it seem like everyone else is moving faster, but we’ve found that the most meaningful moments usually happen in smaller ways—someone telling us a song gave them chills, a venue inviting us back, or discovering a community that genuinely supports what we do.

Looking back, many of the things that felt like setbacks ended up redirecting us toward something better. We certainly wouldn’t have drawn it up this way, but we’re grateful for where the road has led.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We’re an acoustic duo based in Akron, Ohio, built around voice, cello, guitar, and foot drums. We call what we do “Baroque Rock” because it blends the atmosphere and elegance of chamber music with the energy and emotion of rock and singer-songwriter traditions. We perform originals alongside cover songs that we reinterpret and make our own.

What we probably specialize in most is arrangement. We love finding the details that make a song come alive—the note that creates tension, the harmony that changes the meaning of a lyric, or the moment when less becomes more. We can spend hours chasing those things because we’re both fascinated by how music makes people feel.

People often tell us they get chills during our performances or that they feel like they’ve been transported. Those comments mean more to us than a number on social media because that’s really what we’re trying to do: create an experience that invites people to slow down, listen deeply, and feel something.

Whether it’s one of our originals or a cover, we treat every song like a landscape to explore. We love intimacy and nuance, and we’re happiest in listening rooms where people come together to share an experience.

What we’re most proud of isn’t a particular show or milestone. It’s that after all these years—and after rebuilding more than once—we still get excited about discovering a new arrangement, learning a new song, and sharing music with people. We still love the process, and we hope that joy comes through every time we play.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success has changed for us over the years.

When we were younger, it was easy to think of success as bigger stages, larger audiences, or industry milestones. While those things can be exciting, we’ve come to realize that they’re not what sustains us.

Today, success is having the opportunity to keep creating, keep learning, and keep sharing music with people who genuinely connect with it. It’s watching a room become completely quiet during a song. It’s hearing someone tell us they felt transported, got chills, or heard a familiar song in a new way. It’s being invited back to a venue because the experience meant something to the audience and the people who hosted us.

Success is also maintaining our sense of curiosity. We still get excited about discovering a new arrangement, finding the perfect harmony, or uncovering something unexpected in a song we’ve played many times before.

Most of all, success is building a life that allows us to keep doing meaningful work together. If we’re still creating music we’re proud of, still growing as artists, and still making genuine connections with people, we consider ourselves successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sunflurrymusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunflurrymusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunflurrymusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sunflurrymusic
• Other: https://sunflurry.bandcamp.com/