Russ was born and raised in Northern Minnesota and took to music at a young age, studying piano as a child, then taking up the trombone for school band before finally picking up a guitar at age 14 to begin a lifelong labor of love with the six-stringed instrument. He began playing out in bands from age 16 on, with friends that are all still playing out professionally on their own merits.
In high school he studied trombone, playing in the school concert band and big bands, as well as singing in, and leading various choral and small groups. He matriculated at Bemidji State University, touring Europe with the Bemidji Choir and gaining valuable musical experience playing brass, piano and percussion with the Jazz big bands, concert band and orchestra, culminating with training as a conductor for the concert band, all while spending these formative years cutting teeth as a keyboardist and singer with various bands in the Bemidji music scene.
Since moving to the Twin Ports area in 2003, he has grown into a seasoned musician and multi-instrumentalist performing in a wide array of groups playing different genres and styles ranging from country and rock to pop, jazz and Dixieland, becoming deftly accomplished on keyboards, bass and guitars and playing many public performances as well as being a highly sought after touring sideman and studio musician.
2022 saw a new facet of Russ come about with the advent of his songwriting career. Russ began taking on themes of personal struggles, societal commentary and the joys of life and love in the songs that now make up his brand new, debut solo record, Time Is Short, Recorded in Duluth and being released for worldwide distribution on May 31, 2024. Get the new album here.
Late 2022 also saw the advent of Sidestreet Detour, an Americana, country/rock band featuring Russ on guitar and good friends and bandmates Bart Porter and Steph Jago rounding out the group on drums and bass/ keyboards, respectively. Starting in 2023, Sidestreet has been writing and arranging original music in their unique style that mixes Heartland rock with old-school country and classic ’70s guitar grooves. Their new album is now available on CD and also at YouTube!
Day after day, year after year, Russ keeps building on the the experiences of the past and continues to pursue the promise of the future!