Russenorsk

Genre: Rock
Secondary Genre: Folk Athens, Ohio USA Contact

Russenorsk is an indie rock trio out of Athens, Ohio. Lyrical songwriting that combines guitar looping with walking cello and orchestral percussion lies at the heart of this power trio.

Artist Information

Biography

Adaptation to life in Athens, Ohio means inevitably encountering the dense art and music scene that thrives within the county line. Tim Race, Jack Martin, and Zach Inscho came to Ohio University with musical backgrounds that differed in their history but were mirrored in their resonance. Race’s influence stemmed from his childhood as he watched his older brother, Cory, contribute drums to bands in Northeast Ohio such as Party of Helicopters for nearly a decade. During his freshmen year, following an unusually inspiring performance by Athens band Nostra Nova (Adam Torres and other members of Southeast Engine), Race focused his guitar training and penchant for ambience onto a new songwriting project. Introduction to cellist Jack Martin, another freshmen who lived in the same dorm as Race, ignited a guitar loop-based duo by the name of Russenorsk. Martin’s extensive classical training filled out Race’s sparse songwriting style and their live performances were often a mixture of instrumental improvisation and crude versions of songs that finally came to life on their first record In a Great Wave of Horns.
A few days before the release of this record and the end of their freshmen year, Inscho and Race met (almost poetically) at another Nostra Nova show, where Inscho was unofficially signed on for percussion duties. Inscho’s orchestral style well accented the band’s repertoire at the time, but once the three began writing again, a transformation took place. Louder, more powerful, and tighter than the earlier material, the songs that eventually culminated to make up Russenorsk’s second record had been born. The band constantly played shows in Athens and major cities in the Midwest region throughout their sophomore year.
One crucial show occurred when the band’s favorite spot, The Union, asked them to play a cover set of any band of their choice. Joy Division was the only logical selection. They immediately learned and practiced their set religiously, and the influence of this tribute saturated their sound with a post-punk flavor far beyond the initial performance. With a fresh aesthetic and responsibility for each band member, the following months included moments for the band such as scoring an amazing student film, sharing the stage with each wonderful band in Athens and other touring bands that made a stop in this Appalachian benchmark, and finally going into the studio in September of 2008 with producer Josh Antonuccio. The result is their sophomore release, Comforts.
Released on January 30, 2009, Comforts exposes the anxious, dystopian, and fervent qualities of the life of someone very close to Race. It is a dynamic power trio at its most distant, where chaos lies beneath its punch and guitar layers swell between robust drumming. Most importantly, Comforts is an important moment for Russenorsk as they continue to ride and revel in their experience as close friends taking shape as a band.

UPDATE*****
Tim from Russenorsk just finished scoring the full length feature film Trailerpark! Check out the trailer and other info here:

http://www.trailerparkmovie.com

The film is screening at Lake Placid Film Festival alongside Woody Allen's new flick. It will be all over the country at festivals this summer/fall and on DVD soon after.







Has shared the stage with:

Jay Reatard, O'Death, The High Strung, Mason Proper, Bad Veins, The Gunshy, Oh My God, The Visitations, Kris Roe (of The Ataris), Nostra Nova

Thank you for reading.

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Instrumentation

Tim Race - guitar, loops, vocals
Jack Martin - cello, loops
Zach Inscho - percussion, concertina

Discography

Comforts - LP
In a Great Wave of Horns - LP

Official Website

http://www.russenorsk.com, http://www.myspace.com/russenorskband

Links

Audio

Video

'Science Tells Me' Video

Photo Gallery

  • by dustin franz

    Download print quality (high-res) version (Right Click -> Save As)
  • Comforts release show

  • Comforts release show

  • Comforts release show

  • Comforts release show

  • Cafe Bourbon Street

  • Comforts cover

  • Live @ The Union

  • Live @ Donkey

  • In a Great Wave of Horns cover

Press

  • The Sound of great "Comforts" [+ Show ]

    By Jill Mapes In a dank, cramped basement on Mound Street stands local indie rock band Russenorsk...

  • Columbus Alive Blurb [+ Show ]

    by Chris DeVille "The trio from down Rte. 33 crafts gorgeous indie-rock power ballads with guitar...

  • The Post Review [+ Show ]

    by Kelly Kettering Ambient indie rockers Russenorsk have won Athens audiences over since 2007 wit...

  • Sound as Language Review [+ Show ]

    If I had to guess without looking, I would surely place Russenorsk from the NYC area. They have a hi...

  • Midpoint Festival Review [+ Show ]

    By Michael Breen Indie/Folk This trio might just be the sleeper highlight of MidPoint. With lush...

  • Midpoint Festival Preview [+ Show ]

    By Mike Breen This trio might just be the sleeper highlight of MidPoint. With lushness and grac...

  • Fire Note Review [+ Show ]

    By Sam DaMatta Fire Note Says: Catchy Alt-Folk from Athens, OH! Album Review: Probably not ma...

  • RUSSENORSK [+ Show ]

    By Greg Gallant Sounds Like. . . Arcade Fire + Neutral Milk Hotel -----------------------------...

  • Local band Russenorsk shines with unique beauty [+ Show ]

    By Jen Kessler To linguists and scholars, the word “russenorsk” denotes a faction of a world lang...

  • In a Great Wave of Horns Review [+ Show ]

    By Isaac Smith In a Great Wave of Horns is the debut album of local band Russenorsk. Taking influ...

Setlist

(In no particular length or order)

No Crash
Heart
Buzz + Spit
Break In
Give me The Devil
Gaping Maw
Scattered World
Camelot
A Change Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover)
Easy Bird
Science Tells Me
Surveillance
Long Winter's Coming
Branches

Substitutes:
Angel in the Snow (Elliot Smith cover)
In a Great Wave of Horns
Forsythe
Expansions and Water
No Surprises (Radiohead cover)
Monkey Gone to Heaven (Pixies cover)

Basic Requirements


Calendar

There are no upcoming dates at this time.