A bodacious British chat with Sam Russo
Sam Russo takes some time out of his busy day shredding the gnar to chat with BRD.
Sam Russo is a solo artist from England currently signed to Red Scare Industries. When he's not skateboarding or growing his beard, he can be found strumming his trusty guitar in a pleasing manner as made evident by his most recent release Back to the Party! 10 tunes of tenacity that are guaranteed to have you humming for days. But don't take Josh's word for it, let the man himself explain!
BRUTAL REALITY DIGEST: Introduce yourself and give us a quick and dirty recap of your music career.
SAM RUSSO: Hi! I’m Sam. I’ve been writing and playing acoustic since 2010ish. The first song I ever wrote to play solo I wrote while squatting on my mate’s floor with all my belongings in a cardboard box I’d drawn on in Sharpie so it looked like a tiny wardrobe. Is that dirty enough for ya? I have 3 albums and a bunch of bits out on Red Scare Industries and my newest record Back To The Party came out in March! The best month to release music in 2020.
BRD: How did your relationship with Toby/Brendan at Red Scare Industries come to be?
SR: I opened for Dan Andriano and Brendan on a UK tour and we just fell in love. I showed them all the good dogging spots, kept them knee deep in crumpets and marmite and managed to trick them into thinking I’d be a good fit for the label. Next thing I know I’m at Fest drinking Bloody Mary’s with Toby and Masked Intruder planning when to put out my first album. Literally a dream come true. It’s great when your heroes become your friends!
BRD: What is a genre of music you love that might surprise people?
SR: I guess people might be surprised that I like some extreme metal. I really like Cradle of Filth. Also a fan of Mortiis. Then again, maybe no one will be surprised by that – I have no idea. I really like Deftones – is that weird? Genre wise though, people might be shocked to learn that I’m pretty much obsessed with LA punk. I make many playlists!
BRD: What is your favourite song to cover?
SR: Currently it’d have to be Dead Man’s Coat by The Lawrence Arms. I love singing ‘I read the last of my tea leaves, zodiac geography – nothing is what nothing seems’ – incredible lyrics.
BRD: I understand you have an interest in cryptozoology. What is your favourite and why is it the Suffolk Panther?
SR: I’m writing a cryptozoology cookbook as we speak. Working on my Jackalope breakfast skillet…
BRD: What is a movie you love but nobody else seems to know about?
SR: I’m a big fan of a movie called Brick. Always draws a blank stare at parties. It’s directed by Rian Johnson - he went on to direct The fucking Last Jedi. Great movie. Modern noir in an American high school.
BRD: If you could steal any person in history's song writing prowess, who would it be ?
SR: Are you asking because you can make it happen? Are you a warlock? Probably Cory Branan. He’s one of the greatest songwriters of all time in my book. I’ve also always wanted to be in Slipknot though so maybe Cory Taylor…
BRD: How many times have you been zapped by ungrounded microphones in your music career?
SR: Less than I deserve probably! I have, however, used microphones after many crusties and dealt with a lot of unpleasant residue. I tour with my own mike nowadays.
BRD: What is your favourite board game of all time?
SR: Either Risk Europe or the Dungeons and Dragons board game from the 80’s! I always got turned to stone by the basilisk before I even made it to the dungeon. Me and my brother fight over Novgorod every Christmas. This year, I have a plan…
BRD: What can people expect from Sam Russo in the future as we navigate this bizarre timeline?
SR: I’m playing War on Christmas! Other than that I’ll just be doing a load of livestreams and a lot of writing. Check out my new album – it’s abasically the musical equivalent of the movie Brick and the D&D board game.