Russ started playing stringed instruments with his first ukulele in 5th grade purchased with S+H Green stamps in Dover, NJ. After a brief stint in heavy metal bands in his early high school years, he discovered bluegrass which led to a life-long love of acoustic music. At his first night at Moravian College, he met John Gorka where they were both playing at an open mic. They soon formed the now legendary Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band and were joined the following year by Rich Shindell on lead guitar. Throughout all four years of college, they played in the Lehigh Valley centering on Godfrey Daniel's and the south side of Bethlehem, PA.
After college, Russ went to medical school and John and Rich went on to well-deserved fame and glory in the folk music world. During his medical training, Russ continued to pursue his passion of acoustic music and picked up hammer and mountain dulcimer, fiddle, Dobro, autoharp and bouzouki. He also started building hammer dulcimers and uses his own instrument on stage.
While continuing to practice medicine, Russ has performed at bookstores, coffee houses, schools, churches, and music festivals in eastern Pennsylvania, NJ and NY. He has accompanied John Gorka on several of his return performances to the Valley and has opened for Patty Larkin and shared the stage with Godfrey Daniel's founder, Dave Fry. Russ gave several performances at Bethlehem's MUSIKFEST and was honored to have the Martin Guitar Company ask him to play their new resonator guitar at the Martin Showcase. His song, Nazareth Pike is being used on their phone call waiting system at the Nazareth guitar factory and his hammer dulcimer piece, Planxty Fluharty, won first prize in the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Songwriter's Contest instrumental category.
His debut CD Acoustic Minstrel made it into the list of top CDs played in April 2004 on folk radio stations and has garnered positive reviews including one in Sing Out! Magazine. The title track of his 2nd release, Scarecrows Lament has won honorable mention in the 2005 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. NPRs Car Talk just featured New Car Smell, another track from this CD. WLVT/ PBS 39 in Allentown has filmed a feature on Russ and his music that aired in late March 2004 and he has appeared on Horses Sing None of It , an award winning folk music cable TV show broadcast nationally. He has been interviewed and performed live on folk radio in NJ, PA and Delaware.
Russ has recently closed his practice of internal medicine and is now pursuing his life-long passion for performing original folk music. He still makes medical mission trips to Haiti which continues to positively inspire his life and music. His performances are a mix of original folk, Celtic and blues-inspired tunes with multiple instrument changes interspersed with his off-beat humor and wry observations about life that keep the audiences laughing and coming back for more. (As well as asking for free medical advice between sets!)
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