
Tobias Russell
Annapolis, Maryland, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"A favorite of the Annapolis club, bar, and coffee house scene, Tobias Russell is a local artist that is worth watching in the next few years. Just take a look and listen..." - Eye On Annapolis
"As historically significant as Annapolis is, this city has much more to offer than just what has happened here in the past. The Annapolis of today and tomorrow is a vibrant place filled with bright and talented people young and old. Today we spotlight one of our city’s rising stars, musician Tobias Russell..." - The Annapolis Sound
"With multi-instrumental chops, matching vocals, and charisma that take over the room, it’s small wonder Russell was able to win over fans aplenty and earn this year’s top performer accolade..." - What's Up? Media
"With multi-instrumental chops, matching vocals, and charisma that take over the room, it’s small wonder Russell was able to win over fans aplenty and earn this year’s top performer accolade..." - What's Up? Media
"When he began thinking about a career as a musician, Russell admits he had a more glamorous idea of what it entailed. He knows better now. He has a full-length album and three shorter recordings out, and looks at marketing himself as a musician with the same savvy as someone starting a business."
- Theresa Winslow (The Capital) - The Capital Newspaper
He’s working incredibly hard to put Annapolis on the music map. In just three and a half short years since he graduated from St. John’s College Annapolis, Tobias Russell has evolved into one of the most entertaining musicians in town; and he has aspirations to expand way beyond the 21401 zip code. At 25 years old, the budding musician is, perhaps, in his creative prime, crafting songs that blend a variety of styles including rap, folk, pop, rock, electronic, and dub; he could be the next poster child of the roots-rock-reggae movement, long popularized by a talented family with the last name Marley. “I listen to a lot of music, and anytime I hear something new or innovative that really catches my ear, it makes me want to work harder,” says Russell.
Russell’s live concerts are the proving ground at which he’s been winning over new fans with each performance. He’s prolific on the piano and guitar, has writing and rhyming skills that rival the region’s best, and polished vocals. Altogether, Russell brings energy to the stage and has been featured on several bills as the headlining performer.
Long before this hype, Russell took piano lessons at an early age (about seven years old), picked up the guitar by age 12, and played percussion in the high school band at Archbishop Spalding. The second oldest of four brothers (each musically inclined), he cites his family and music teachers as lifelong inspirations and Paul Simon as a profound musical influence. “His grasp of music is something I’ve always admired, and worked towards,” says Russell. This past fall, Russell released his first record, Flesh.Bones.Teeth.Words, which has received airplay on local radio stations such as WRNR.This year he plans to record a wealth of original music and begin expanding his horizons on a tour. His credo, “Let the music set you free,” is a fitting way to describe Russell’s passion and potential. (tobiasrussellmusic.com)
—James Houck (What's Up? Magazine) - What's Up? Media
He’s working incredibly hard to put Annapolis on the music map. In just three and a half short years since he graduated from St. John’s College Annapolis, Tobias Russell has evolved into one of the most entertaining musicians in town; and he has aspirations to expand way beyond the 21401 zip code. At 25 years old, the budding musician is, perhaps, in his creative prime, crafting songs that blend a variety of styles including rap, folk, pop, rock, electronic, and dub; he could be the next poster child of the roots-rock-reggae movement, long popularized by a talented family with the last name Marley. “I listen to a lot of music, and anytime I hear something new or innovative that really catches my ear, it makes me want to work harder,” says Russell.
Russell’s live concerts are the proving ground at which he’s been winning over new fans with each performance. He’s prolific on the piano and guitar, has writing and rhyming skills that rival the region’s best, and polished vocals. Altogether, Russell brings energy to the stage and has been featured on several bills as the headlining performer.
Long before this hype, Russell took piano lessons at an early age (about seven years old), picked up the guitar by age 12, and played percussion in the high school band at Archbishop Spalding. The second oldest of four brothers (each musically inclined), he cites his family and music teachers as lifelong inspirations and Paul Simon as a profound musical influence. “His grasp of music is something I’ve always admired, and worked towards,” says Russell. This past fall, Russell released his first record, Flesh.Bones.Teeth.Words, which has received airplay on local radio stations such as WRNR.This year he plans to record a wealth of original music and begin expanding his horizons on a tour. His credo, “Let the music set you free,” is a fitting way to describe Russell’s passion and potential. (tobiasrussellmusic.com)
—James Houck (What's Up? Magazine) - What's Up? Media
Tobias Russell appears to be a contradiction of terms. A dreadlocked twenty-something that considers Paul Simon as his biggest influence? An MC that doesn’t curse? But it’s this dichotomy that makes his musical approach so intriguing. “Flesh.Bones.Teeth.Words” is the first full-length from this Annapolis native and it’s as rooted in folk as it is in hip hop. Russell says he’s unafraid to drastically change styles from song to song and while he holds true to those words, it’s not at the expense of cohesiveness.
A prolific songwriter, he had a multitude of songs to choose from for his debut but he told Underground Wednesday that he found common lyrical ground in the songs that worked their way onto the record – regardless of whether he was singing or rapping. It’s hip hop that’s refreshingly free of misogyny and braggadocio. It’s rock with an ear for hooks and a way with words. And it’s folk that’s introspective without being self-absorbed.
Not hurting matters is the stellar production, subtle guitar work and backing vocals by Annapolis musician Casey Hean (of local bands Ethics Committee, newstravelsfast, and the forthcoming Diving Horses.) From the ebullient pop of first single “I Woke Up” to the soul-inflected hip hop of “This Ain’t Music” (featuring former Jepetto and Victory Party MC Dave Richardson), it’s a promising debut that’s only accentuated by his passionate live performances. He might not use profanity in his music, but we’re going to go ahead and call Tobias Russell a badass anyway. - Underground Wednesday
Discography
Three Tracks For My Friends EP (2009)
1. Blind Boy
2. Matter Of Time*
3. Enough For Me*
*Both Matter Of Time and Enough For Me received airplay on 103.1 WRNR.
August, Like A King EP (2009)
1. August, Like A King
2. When The Leaves Start To Fall
3. Seeing Stars (B-side)
Flesh.Bones.Teeth.Words. (2010)
1. I Woke Up*
2. This Train
3. Project Life
4. Flesh.Bones.Teeth.Words.
5. I Used To Live
6. Matter of Time
7. This Ain't Music
8. You'd Better Bury Them Quick
9. The End Of The World
10. Sleeping With The T.V. On
*I Woke Up received airplay on DC 101 and 103.1 WRNR
Rainy Day EP (2011)
1. Caribbean Sugar*
2. Enough For Me*
3. Rainy Day In A House By The Ocean*
*All three songs received airplay on 103.1 WRNR.
Prodigal Son [single] (2013)
1. Prodigal Son
Six Tracks For My Friends (2013)
1. Love Won't Keep The Rain Off
2. Streetcar
3. Caribbean Sugar
4. Rainy Day In A House By The Ocean
5. It's All Gonna Come Undone
6. Enough For Me
Fast Enough [single] (2013)
1. Fast Enough
Photos



Bio
Tobias Russell is a singer/songwriter/producer from Annapolis, MD. Since 2009 he has 4 EPs, one LP, and two singles under his belt, with more music on the way. He's rocked countless shows, from bars to festivals to sidewalks to boats. His work has earned him airplay on MD/DC radio stations such as DC101 and 103.1 WRNR. In the summer of 2013, a song Russell co-wrote, "This Is No Place For A Fox Like You" appeared in the major motion picture "The Way Way Back," starring Steve Carell. The film's release came on the heels of a readers' poll in regional magazine What's Up? in which Russell was voted "best musician/performer in Annapolis."
Citing influences ranging from Paul Simon to Miles Davis to The Roots, Russell is always experimenting with different sounds and styles, an approach that is building him a fanbase as diverse as his music. While continuing work on several studio projects, Tobias has been touring extensively over the past few years throughout the mid-Atlantic. His shows have taken him from Maryland to NYC to Austin and earned him a headlining slot at the 2011 Dewey Beach Music Conference. He has been invited to open for a variety of artists such as Cake, Citizen Cope, G. Love & Special Sauce, Astronautalis, and Charlie Mars. Russell's online presence also continues to grow with his music, with 4000-plus combined fans reaching across his social networks.
His music has been described as "...hip hop that's refreshingly free of misogyny and braggadocio. It's rock with an ear for hooks and a way with words. And it's folk that's introspective without being self-absorbed."
Crew up.
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