For the last few years, Sam Russell has been quietly making a name for himself in the Seattle-sector of the Pacific Northwest, constantly recording and releasing albums while putting on church-like live shows that range from the quiet-whisper to the divine shout. His singing-style has been described as "Otis Redding meets Bruce Springsteen" and his songwriting-style runs the Americana gambit from delicate folk to intense soul music. His albums, including his current release The Water Balloon, have been featured on Seatttle's listener-supported station KEXP, nationally known for taste-making in independent circles, as well as local publications The Stranger and Seattle Weekly.
Sam was born in Kenosha, WI to the minister of a small church who supported Sam and his family (including brother and sister) by driving city bus for a living. Growing up in a religious household, Sam was not allowed to listen to Top 40 radio or watch MTV until he was 13 years old, he instead listened exclusively to oldies radio and became obsessed with The Beach Boys and The Beatles as well as less-referenced acts like Del Shannon, The Rascals, and the glorious array of one-hit wonders scattered through the histry of rock n' roll. When finally allowed access to contemporary music, he picked up his dad's guitar in 9th grade after hearing and wanting to learn to play the songs off of R.E.M.'s death-obsessed landmark Automatic For the People.
After graduating high school, Sam moved to Santa Fe, NM where he supported himself by playing cover songs in cafes, becoming a human jukebox in the process that could play everything from Bob Dylan to traditional Mexican ballads. Sam then moved back to Kenosha where he spent his early twenties working in local taverns and restaurants, observing and writing about the immoral lifestyles condemned in his religious youth. During this time he formed the first version of his band The Harborrats with best friend Sean Lambrecht and other local musicians, influenced mainly by Van Morrison, Tom Waits, The Band, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Graham Parker & The Rumour as well as classic soul singers James Carr, Joe Tex, Sam & Dave, Solomon Burke, Timi Yuro among many, many others.
Sam moved out to Seattle, WA in 2003 where he started a new version of The Harborrats with Michael Spaly, whose instrumental proficiency on guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and banjo became Sam's main musical foil and with Kate Noson, whose harmony and co-lead vocals became the not-so-secret ingredient to Sam's recordings. Sam was also joined by Ken Nottingham on bass, Dave Forrester on drums, James Apollo on guitar, keyboards and vocals and Allison Tulloss on keyboards, flute, ukulele and vocals. Between 2005 and 2012, Sam recorded and released five different collections of songs with the collective Harborrats, including The Katie Sermon, The Youngest Sister, The Salted Caramel Sinner, The Sugar Nile, & The Water Balloon, working mainly with local recording legend Conrad Uno at Egg Studios and Johnny Sangster at various studios around town. These albums are all part of larger long-term project known as The Blue Moon Bible, which will eventually be comprised of 8 albums of 8 songs apiece, featuring recurring musical themes and lyrical references as well as having the different singers of The Harborrats portray characters throughout.
The fall of 2012 brings the release off Sam's first solo album The Year of the Cow, which will be released on October 30, 2012. Recorded at Johnny Sangster's studio Crackle & Pop and Sam's house, The Year of the Cow features Sam in stark, acoustic mode, with light and subtle accompaniment from Ken Nottingham on upright bass, Michael Spaly on fiddle, mandolin, banjo or guitar, and Kate Noson on vocals, with various other Harborrats making brief contributions as well. Leading up the album's release, videos of Sam performing each of the songs live in the studio will be released to preview the album.
"Pretty fucking cool.(Sam's) more garage-soul than anything, but works in lots of other stuff. He has loads of stage presence and a strong voice.Some cool back-and-forth time shifts in many of their songs that really pack a punch when they jump back into a raucous chorus. Anyway, I highly recommend seeing these guys, particularly if you're into bands like the Reigning Sound, the Sights, the Woggles and the White Stripes."-Don Slack, KEXP"It's easy to be icked out by the term "blue-eyed soul". It conjures images of middle-aged white dudes raping the soul of Sam Cooke and it's been applied to everyone from yacht-rocker Michael McDonald to the Off the Wall stylings of Justin Timberlake. But in the case of Sam Russell.whose past EP's have run the rootsy gamut between the Killer and the Boss, the term is apt."-Ma'chell Duma Lavasaar, Seattle Weekly "the doo-wopping local boys in (Sam Russell with The Harborrats) defy rockabilly cliché and show promise with their unaffected take on blue-eyed soul and rock."-Hannah Levin, The Stranger"I was able to get down on their rockin' set. and by rock I mean ROCK. 4/4 time at it's best."-NadaMucho.com
Since 2006, Seattle-based and Kenosha, WI-born singer/songwriter Sam Russell has let the mighty Harborrats through high-energy and emotionally-charged performances around the greater Seattle area. In March 2012, he will release his first solo album "The Year of the Cow," mixing intimate chamber-folk with stripped-to-the-bone songwriting and performance. helped along by his Harborrat friends of Kate Noson, Michael Spaly, Ken Nottingham, James Apollo and one or two other guests. You can get Sam's latest EP with The Harborrats "The Sugar Nile" at
http://samrussell.bandcamp.com/. Contact Sam at theharborrats@gmail.com
