South Coast singer/songwriter 17-year-old Russell Starmore has immersed himself within the local music scene; performing at a host of open mic nights where he has hooked up with a load of established musicians with the hope of learning more and improving his substantial talent. Russell first came to my attention when he played an Oxjam event I was hosting at Mr Kyps in Poole where he played lead guitar in a Screamo/Metal band called “Beyond The Souls”. Even at that early stage his knowledge and enthusiasm of his instrument was impressive.
Nowadays Russell can be found performing regularly at the Cricketers Arms in Wimborne, The Grove Tavern in Southbourne and the Coach & Horses in Cadnam. His musical knowledge is well beyond his years and he can be seen performing some classic rock songs with his own stamp of individuality.
As well as covers Russell has recently been into the ‘Hangover Hill Studio’ in Blandford to record some original material with the fantastic all-rounder Matt Black. The studio work has brought some impressive results with the first release to come from this being “In Another Life”, a tune that has a real depth to it with plenty of originality. At 7 minutes and 12 seconds long it’s not what you would expect from a debut release. The track opens with some intricate guitar work and an effortless vocal that really breathes life into the song with short bursts of power. It has a really progressive feel and meanders on its way without getting tedious. I can certainly hear some influences from the past, possibly some of which were around long before he was born. Russell uses these to his benefit and starts to carve out his own sound. With all this precious experience in music at this young age he is certainly someone to keep an eye on in the future.
Link
https://www.facebook.com/RSRhythms
Download the tune from Spotify here.
Words by David Chinery (Chinners)
Photograph by Andy Starmore.
