A little bit of everything
Singer doesn’t care what his stuff is called, as long as it’s music
By Brandy Nance (Contact)
Friday, November 3, 2006
Emporia’s Wagon Wheel, 2909 W. Ninth Ave., will have a special guest on Nov. 10, country artist and Kansan Russell Lee Lovenstein.
From rock n’ roll to country, Lovenstein plays it all and he said he has enjoyed every step of his musical journey.
Lovenstein, who is from Ellsworth, will play at 10 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel. For more information on Lovenstein go to www.loverusty.com for photos, blogs, samples of songs and to purchase the album “American Highway Songs.”
How long have you been performing? How did you get involved in music?
“These two questions really do go together. Firstly, how I got involved with music. I think most artists have had someone in their life that exposed them to music at a young age. For me it was my dad and my brother.
“I remember when I was 4 or 5 years old and our family would go visit grandma or take a vacation. We didn’t have a lot of money so the trips were never really that long but to a 5-year-old 2 or 3 hours is like a lifetime. My brother, my two sisters and my ma and pa would pile in our tiny car and head out on the road to wherever. I was the smallest so I had to sit way in the back with all the luggage. Luckily there were speakers back there cause that is where I first really got into music. My dad always had some tape he had mixed together playing and we listened to music all the way. Elvis, Chuck Berry, The Eagles, Mickey Gilley, Don Williams, Eddie Rabbit, Hall and Oats and on and on.
“Now my brother on the other hand. He was in High School from 1980 to 1984. I was 5 to 9 years old then so he was just my idol. I tried to follow him around a lot. Everywhere we went we were listening to music. His music. 80s music. J Geils band, Billy Idol, Def Leppard, Prince, AC/DC to name a few. I am wide open when it comes to music and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“First time I ever performed technically was around 7 years old or so. The kids in my neighborhood got a “band” together. I played the tennis racket, a friend of mine played the buckets (drums) and another the box (keyboards). We would get the biggest jam box any of us had and play tapes and perform on the driveway. It cost 5 cents or something to watch us play. We were the best 7-year-old air band that ever lived, probably still are.”
What style of music do you play? Why did you choose it?
“When you hear a collection of my music you are going to hear, if you are tuned in, a wide wide variety of styles. 50’s rock, Classic Rock, Mellow Rock, rock n’ roll , Modern Rock, Southern Rock along with Classic Country, Mellow County and Texas style Country. So really if I had to categorize it, which I don’t like doing, I would say it is Country Rock.
“I describe it as: Laid back, gone with the flow, country rock soul, mellow 70s, dance with me baby, take me back and take it easy, saying the things that please me, for anywhere and anything, the music was made for driving, surprising and sometimes just flat out real and surreal, dream and remember me songs for the lost, the found, the in and the out of love searching for healing and meaning and the feelings that make life sweet and appealing; music.”
What do you like about performing?
“That’s a funny question for this reason: When you go to small towns and play you are going to get one or two things — some people are out or no one is. I certainly hope to change that fact. I go to these places cause I love the idea of them. The small towns where people work all week and need something to go out to is exactly where I want to be. I love telling the stories. I love singing the songs because the people who are there can say that song is about my life and that is a true statement. Though 90 percent of them are autobiographical I am just like everyone else who ever grew up in a small town and who rides through life with principle and hard working determination. The core of the American Idea you know? This is heartland music. This is real and genuine music. This is music of and about our lives and we deserve to be heard and represented through music.
“Performing though means nothing if there is no one there to enjoy it. I want people to come out and enjoy their time with me. It is fun. Performing is an interaction between the artist and the listener. When you see me play I am going to get to know you and you are going to get to know me through the songs I sing and the stories I tell. It is an interaction between human beings with similar ideas and backgrounds.”
What else do you want to add ?
“We, the songwriters, that come out to your town depend on you. We depend on you showing up. The sad but true fact is we are brought in for a price and we need people’s support. People should understand that if they are tired of the same old scene, that is the large Honky-tonks where you get cookie-cutter country or the loud dance clubs where all you hear is rap music, then come on out and check us out. It is quiet enough that you can hear the person you are talking to and it is loud enough that if you want to dance or quit listening to the person you are talking to you can. Have some cold refreshment, kick back, laugh and listen to a new movement that is taking place and with your help can take right off.”
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