TOM RUSSELL (PALMS PLAYHOUSE 2006) --A REVIEW-- by Bradley Mason Hamlin I recently had the pleasure to see Tom Russell live in concert again, and not much to my surprise, it also inspired me to once again feel the need to shout out that this guy is a goddamned great and honest performer. Russell played the Palms Playhouse in Winters, California, one of his regular road-stops, an excellent and friendly venue (with good beer), and usually he’s in the company of Andrew Hardin and a good blonde. Well, the good blonde was there all right, but ol’ Hardin was temporarily off road. However, Russell, not one to give the crowd anything less than what their hard earned dollars deserve brought in a temp, Michael Lorca Martin that, frankly, kicked butt. Don’t worry Hardin—your guitar playing already belongs in the hall of fame and we’re all awaiting your return. Yet, what a nice treat to have a stand in that brought his own flavor to the show. The thing that made this performance different for me was that I sat up close, just two rows back from the stage so I could really get a good look at what Tom does up there. I have to say that Tom Russell’s music really benefits from intimacy. When you can see the music coming out of him as well as hear it, well, you just know you’re experiencing something genuine and original. So many bands today, across all the genres of music, have a cookie-cutter sound to them. Too many rocks bands sound like typical rock bands and too many country bands sound like typical country bands, etcetera, etcetera. But there’s only one Tom Russell and the upshot of that beyond originality is that he appears to be one of the hardest working minstrels in the business. Right now I’m listening to some songs from an EP of the upcoming release Love & Fear, which reminds me that hearing Russell’s new song “Stealing Electricity” live for the first time was a definite highlight at the Palms show. I had previously read and published the lyrics in Russell’s book, Tough Company, but there’s nothing like hearing a song come alive on stage. I find this particular tune very interesting right now, because the melody and lyrics veer from Tom’s moodier stuff, which I really love, but "Stealing Electricity" has a fun and positive quality that sounds like a radio hit to me, that is if the radio stations actually played the good stuff. Come on, Hightone, get it on the airwaves! Well, we all know the stations are corporate owned, corporate controlled, and corporately interested in the cookie-cutter stuff. But thank the gods there are people like Tom Russell, Andrew Hardin, and Michael Lorca Martin laying it on the line, doing it up close and personal, and as Charles Bukowski would say: “telling it true.” Love & Mercy comes out March 21st, 2006. Go buy it. Tom Russell is on tour. Go see him. Otherwise, you can always stay home and watch “reality” TV … or listen to another commercial on the radio. There’s something happening out there, goddamnit, but you’ve got to go experience it for yourself. “Tom Russell (Palms Playhouse 2006)” by Bradley Mason Hamlin © Copyright 2006 Mystery Island Publications. All rights reserved. TOUGH COMPANY MYSTERY ISLAND TOM RUSSELL WEBSITE CONTACT