Tom Russell talks songwriting & travels
- What: Singer-songwriter Tom Russell
- When/where: 7 p.m. Sunday at Duncan Hall, 619 Ferry St.
- Cost: $20 advance, $25 door
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Tom Russell has worn a lot of hats during his life — painter, writer, taxi driver, academic.
But the one he'll display most prominently Sunday is singer-songwriter. At 7 p.m., Russell will perform at Duncan Hall, 619 Ferry St. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. The show is presented by Friends of Bob live music co-op.
As a self-described American composer, Russell said his style is rooted in the American experience and folds in folk, blues, jazz, classical, Tex-Mex and more. His 2015 folk opera, "The Rose of Roscrae," brought in Mexican and Canadian influences as well. Russell's songwriting chops have been lauded by critics, and his work has been performed by Johnny Cash, k.d. lang and Iris Dement, among many others.
Here are excerpts of Russell's email interview with the Journal & Courier.
Question: Your biography notes that you received your master’s degree in criminology. ... Why did you decide on this degree, and has it influenced your artistic career?
Answer: I was attending the University of California, Santa Barbara, and became friends with a well-known sociologist named Dr. William Chambliss. I really liked his approach to criminology and his books. He offered me a job as teaching assistant for one year in Ibadan, Nigeria, during the Biafra War. I came of age over there but decided academic life was not my style. Ever since I saw and met Bob Dylan as a kid I wanted to be a songwriter … so I came back to North America and started at the bottom, in Skid Row country bars. But I think my interest in sociology stayed with me … I'm interested in people's stories. I'm working on a music memoir and that training has helped me … I love to write about the back side of show business.
Q: I understand that you’ve traveled extensively and lived around the world. Is there a single place or experience that continues to stand out to you most?
A: I drove (a) cab in New York in the 1980s, in order to eat, and picked up Robert Hunter, the songwriter for The Grateful Dead, and sang him my song "Gallo del Cielo," and he pulled me back into the music business. But the high point for me was meeting my wife, Nadine, in a honky tonk in Switzerland … she has a psychology degree and I walked up (to) her and blurted: "Are you Swiss? You're beautiful! I'm gonna marry you!" And I did a few years later … and Ramblin Jack Elliott and Ian Tyson were our best men.
Q: What is the biggest challenge for today’s songwriters?
A: How do you top Bob Dylan? Leonard Cohen? The Beatles? The Rolling Stones? John Prine? It seems to me we are not creating the type of independent, creative characters who can hit the ball out of the park. The biggest challenge is developing (your) own writing voice and steering clear of all the muck that might bring you down … as Townes Van Zandt said "You wanna be a songwriter? Give up everything … etc. etc. … and be ready to rock and roll for 40 years of dues." Something like that.
Call J&C reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 765-420-5247. Follow her on Twitter: @DomenicaReports.
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