ABOUT
Well hello there! It's me writing the tunes, singing, playing acoustic guitar, obsessing etc. I have a band behind me for the groove though - there's drums, percussion, bass, plus some samplers. We've got a set of urgent-sounding songs, probably influenced by the hectivity of London life. Lots of it is has hypnotic loops and is quite danceable, with some funky synths and noises. And I try and fit in as much blues guitar as I can get away with, but mostly it's all about huffing and puffing at the mike. I record my songs with a company in Dorset called Faustuss International that currently also works with Kenyan musicians. Faustuss is on the wavelength: looking outward for interesting voices everywhere; sharing in the vibe, and any rewards that come with it. The plan is to play shows as far as the world will take me and the guys. Except it's not a plan at the moment, it's more like wading through the jungle. But there's some amazing music coming out of the UK at the moment and it's a great time to join in. Ricky Russell
- Screen name:
- Ricky Russell
- Member since:
- Oct 04 2005
- Active over 1 month ago
- Level of commitment:
- Very Committed
- Years together:
- 3
- Gigs played:
- 10 to 50
- Tend to practice:
- 2-3 times per week
- Available to gig:
- 1 night a week
- Age:
- 44 years
Influences
Firstly the blues: old, not so old, and contemporary e.g. Blind Willie Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ian Siegal. I really like the English folk singer Nic Jones. Plus classic American tunesmiths like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. As a band we edge in influences like the bluesy hypnosis of styles coming out of west Africa, the middle eastern rhythmic influences introduced by our Lebanese percussionist, and variants of electronic music, old and new, I've been getting into over the last 7 or 8 years.
Members Of Band
Ricky Russell (vocals/guitar/samples)
Ian Grant-Roawn (drums/timbales)
Sam Herzallah (djembe/tabla)
CALENDAR
Past Events
On stage at 10pm. £5 with flyer / £6 on the door. 4 bands followed by a club night until 4am. Your ticket admits you to the club as well as the bands. Check www.myspace.com/rickyrussell for more details.
On stage around 9:30pm. £30 entry for this weekend festival on Fri 14th - Sun 16th September. The headline band is growing local act Blackbart. The festival site is located beside a glorious lake which you can swim in. Check www.myspace.com/rickyrussell for more details about out our dates, or check www.faustuss.com for more info about this festival.
On stage around 10pm. £4 entry. Check www.myspace.com/rickyrussell for more details.
On stage at 9:15pm. £5/6 entry. Check www.myspace.com/rickyrussell for more details.
On stage around 10pm. £10 entry to this weekend festival over Fri 27th - Sun 29th July. This isn excellent mini-festival in a great location. The field is about 8 miles from Banbury in Oxfordshire, which is in the heart of the English countryside. The £10 fee goes towards cancer research and admits you to the festival for the whole weekend, including camping and parking. Check www.myspace.com/rickyrussell for more details, and for web links to the festval.
On stage at 10pm. £5 entry. Check www.myspace.com/rickyrussell for more details.
