Ruby Waters brings SUPPRE$$IONS to Old Rock House in March

The Canadian songwriter's first St. Louis show since 2024 lands on a Tuesday, March 23, 2027, behind a record about the habits we can't shake.

The last time Ruby Waters played St. Louis, it was Oct. 13, 2024, at Off Broadway, the year she was touring her debut full-length, *What's the Point*. When she comes back, it will be with a new record about the stuff people usually try to hide, and a slightly bigger room.

Waters plays Old Rock House on Tuesday, March 23, 2027, at 8pm. The date, part of her Suppre$$ions North America Tour, was announced Oct. 19, and tickets are on Etix. Old Rock House holds about 500, so this is still close quarters, just with more people in it than a night at Off Broadway.

The reason for the trip is *SUPPRE$$IONS*, her second album, on Wet Records. When she announced it, she pitched it as a record about old habits and addiction, and about how bad habits and questionable choices shape people. In her telling, it comes from wanting to change while still building up the courage to actually do it. That's a more direct subject than a lot of songwriters her age will touch.

A record about wanting to change while still working up the nerve to do it.

The rollout made the theme concrete. The lead single, "Pay As You Go," which premiered at Beats Per Minute, is about the weight of money worries, the kind of song that lands differently in a room full of people who just paid for a ticket and a parking spot. It arrived alongside "Get a Grip" and "6 Feet Under." Tour listings describe the album as dealing with self-discovery, destructive habits and breaking old patterns.

If you're coming to her late, a little background helps. Waters is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives in the mountains of British Columbia. Her first single, "Sweet Sublime," caught fire on Reddit before most people knew her name, and *What's the Point* carried her across North America in 2024, with stops in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston and Ottawa along with that Off Broadway night. Earlier releases, including the *if it comes down to it* EP, are still up on her Bandcamp.

What changed between the two St. Louis visits is mostly the writing. The first album was a calling card. *SUPPRE$$IONS* sounds like someone working out what she wants to say about herself, and choosing to say it out loud. That usually makes for a better show, because the new songs have a reason to be played.

The St. Louis date also sits well on the calendar. It's a Tuesday in late March, when the city's winter hangover is lifting and a weeknight show at Old Rock House, just south of downtown, is an easy sell. An 8pm start leaves time for dinner first.

The 2024 visit was the introduction. March is the follow-up, and it's worth showing up for the second conversation.

Sources: JamBase: Ruby Waters at Old Rock House (jambase.com); Etix: Ruby Waters Suppre$$ions North America Tour, Old Rock House (etix.com); Beats Per Minute: Ruby Waters announces new album, 'Pay As You Go' (beatsperminute.com); Ruby Waters Suppre$$ions North America Tour at El Club (app.discotech.me); Ruby Waters confirms What's The Point North American tour (v13.net); Ruby Waters on Bandcamp: if it comes down to it (rubywaters.bandcamp.com); Billboard Canada: Ruby Waters (ca.billboard.com)