Alma Russ

Alma is a singer/songwriter out of Western North Carolina, playing what she considers to be “patchwork music”: country, folk, and Appalachian styles pieced together. Born in Florida, she’d spend summers with her family visiting the mountains. She took to Appalachian music at an early age, particularly murder ballads. She started playing fiddle in her early teens, and eventually took up banjo and guitar. She was a contestant on Season 1 of ABC's American Idol, and she won first place in the Violette's by Becky Songwriting Competition. She loves expressing herself through songwriting, as it’s cheaper than therapy, and she loves playing the old music that’s been her foundation and making something that’s her own.