Woody Russell

"One of the indie music world’s most formidably gifted artists that newcomers and long-time fans alike will enjoy and embrace." - Top Buzz Magazine

"He aspires to more than mere entertainment; Russell plots and pivots in such a way that he’s aiming for musical art every time… challenging arrangements and an intelligent lyrical message distinguishes Russell’s work from a bevy of lesser talents on the scene." - The Hollywood Digest

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A guitar-centric alchemist offering a potent mix of swagger, swing and philosophy. An improviser. A vivid lyricist. A vocalist possessing an agile baritone saturated with emotive grit. Songcraft distilled from the warmth of vinyl album era singer-songwriters and sophisticated blue-jazz, while mining elements of art-rock. Add then a masterful guitarist - one whom Blues Revue aligned with the "fearlessness" of guitar legend, Jeff Beck - and you’ve got in front of you a captivating tunesmith by the name of Woody Russell.

A critically acclaimed, award-winning artist, Russell concerns himself with a certain aesthetic: "It's centered in a blues and jazz ethos, but my music is an inextricably tangled myriad of inspirations. Though the lines are blurred, I seem to work best with musical concepts as individual projects. I can't neatly categorize my music, but it is a continual progression and transformation, as is my life experience."

The often remarked upon multitude of colors in his music is the result of Russell's informed passion for seemingly disparate styles and his own musical cross-pollination at work. Blues. Jazz. Folk. Soul. Rock. Whether intimately acoustic, employing looped manipulation of the latest music making technology or via expert craftsmanship using the recording studio as an instrument itself, Russell’s music bears the patina of being lived in and restless, revealing "the sound of a musician who's invested a lifetime in sharpening his playing."

From his early career in Seattle during the height of the Grunge explosion to now calling Austin his home, he is a self-described "working class musician", performing 200+ dates a year at all manner of venues and major stages; from house concerts to the prestigious Newport Folk Festival. He's been a prominently featured artist on the CW Network's docu-reality show, "Troubadour, TX", a Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster Artist and a 2019 Austin Music Awards Poll Top Ten Songwriter.

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"Crisp, inventive lines blend funk and blues with Jeff Beck's fearlessness." - Blues Revue

"There's a fine legacy of Texas blues and Woody Russell is well up there alongside many of his heroes." - Blues Matters (UK)

"One of the most interesting musical cities in the world, especially where we're concerned, is Austin,Texas. And again, they have a promising talent and that's Woody Russell." -Roots Time

"Woody Russell is the consummate singer/songwriter, and one of the most believable lyricists and storytellers I’ve heard in quite some time... a wallop of pop-infused jazz, soul and rock flavorings that will send you on an unforgettable expedition through fascinating hues of ingenious songwriting and immaculate production." - Jazz Quarterly