Austin, TX · roots rock · soul

Shinyribs

1 upcoming festival

Kevin Russell's post-Gourds nine-piece — Texas blues, New Orleans funk, Memphis horns and border music, delivered in a technicolor suit with a ukulele.

Shinyribs is the project of Kevin Russell, who spent close to two decades as a singer and guitarist in the Austin band the Gourds. What began as a solo outlet grew into a large ensemble with horns and backing vocalists, and Russell moved from guitar to ukulele and loose-limbed dancing as the group's focal point.

The music draws on Texas roadhouse blues, New Orleans funk, Memphis soul and country, often folding unlikely covers into the set alongside Russell's own writing. The band's reputation rests largely on its live show, where the arrangements stretch out and Russell works the crowd in bright, unmissable suits.

roots rocksoul