Posted on August 6, 2010 - by Kim Ford

Sam Russo – Hotel. Payphone. Carpark.

Sam Russo © Dan Mayhew

“Hotel. Payphone. Carpark” – a seven track journey of gritty, working class tales from the depths of Haverhill, brought to you by Sam Russo. Recorded on an old dictaphone, this collection of demos is packaged with the statement – “Rest assured in the fact that your money is now whiskey or diesel” – and provide a cheeky yet emblematic glimpse of the artist you’re about to hear.

Sam Russo brings a strong and original sound to the world of acoustic punk, with Hot Water Music vocalist Chuck Ragan amongst the many voices praising him as an artist to keep your eyes fixed tightly on.

Russo picked up his first instrument at 15, playing bass to Everclear covers in a band whilst at school. He switched to guitar when the family were forced into a caravan whilst their Dad built them a home, and began writing songs about his situation and surroundings. Russo and his guitar have since gone on to tour every last space available in Britain; from basements and squats to pay phones, and even bus drivers break rooms.

Wearing a faded plaid shirt, stone washed jeans, tatty old workman boots and clutching at a bottle of the whiskey – an unshaven Sam Russo would look more fitting against an American West backdrop than a rainy Haverhill. His manner is self effacing and enthusiastic as he openly discusses his music and jokes about the unfortunate eye patch he is forced to wear today, caused by “getting poked in the freakin’ eye by a cop last night.” Russo is a rough and ready character with a clear abundance of stories to tell.

The world of Russo’s “Hotel. Payphone. Carpark” is a tough and tragic place where the dice unfailingly roll snake-eyes, any glimpse of love is but a

Sam Russo © Dan Mayhew

fleeting memory, and hope is found shipwrecked in a bottle of booze. With fire in his belly and an incomparable cry in his voice, Russo tugs on his listeners’ heart strings fusing country, blues and American rock, with a weighty dose of punk. Russo brings together something unique that sets him apart from the current acoustic ‘folk-punk’ flock. His heartfelt working class gutter poetry hints at Frost, Bukowski or Dylan and conveys an artist clearly older than his years.

“Hotel. Payphone. Carpark” sees a more matured musical progression from Russo than his previous, more upbeat offerings (“The Rock Steady Pick Pocket” demos / “Darkened Doors” demos). His acoustic guitar echoes the loneliness and isolation, as he takes the listener on a voyage through elation, dreams, disappointment and lost illusions. Imaginative lyrics and inventive word play romanticise themes of working class hardships and suggest a nod to Springsteen and Cash in their ability to charm and engage. Every word sung is a product and prize of his experiences.

“I’ve always been into Johnny Cash and Creedance but nowadays I’m into Leadbelly and really dark bluesy country. I’m listening to a lot of music I

loved as a really young kid like Springsteen, Melencamp, Thin Lizzy and ACDC, as well as a lot of Garth Brooks and Merle Haggard. Thinking about it, I’ve got a whole lot of Lucinda Williams, Howlin’ Wolf and Drive By Truckers on the go at the moment. I don’t know, I guess I’m just a bit blue.”

The imagery on this EP is incredibly powerful – reminiscent of Tom Waits’ back alley tales – drawing the listener in with raw, heartfelt and unpretentious musical storytelling. A muffled live recording of ‘All these Postcodes’ (taken from Bail Bonds /James Hull Split) through a pay phone onto an answering machine take the concept one step further; Sam explains “I had an idea that I wanted to record songs in places that had something to do with the lyrics so that’s me trying it out. I want to record in a car, in a warehouse and a car park to name a few.”

Scruffy vocals and sombre strings convey a sense of melancholy; but it’s certainly never morose. “Sometimes life gets so hard without you noticing and you just deal with it until you break and run. Being broke, working awful jobs and being forced to do things that are painful.” The anthemic sense of hope and urgency reminds of Hot Water Music’s ‘No Division’ or Against Me!’s ‘Reinventing Axl Rose’ as choruses are belted out with passion and guitar tempos are driven hard.

‘Tinned Peaches and Diamond Rings’ and ‘Bar Jobs and Bus Stops’ present a two part theme exploring the female perspective of ended relationships. The characters in each song may be broken, but they’re certainly not defeated. This exploration is important to Sam; “I want to write more about women because I like pushing my own empathy and seeing how much detail I can conjure about something that really I shouldn’t be an authority on at all. There’s just an ocean of inspiration in the lives of tragic women. It’s what’s made me volunteer for a prostitutes outreach centre over the summer, I’m hoping to do some good and get some serious inspiration for a little concept EP on strippers, porn actresses and hookers. It doesn’t come across that well on paper but I think it’ll be good.”

Sam Russo © Dan Mayhew

The EP comes to a close with a cover of ‘Chain Reaction’, a song written by JG Harding – Russo’s proudly hailed hero and best friend. As he bellows the lines from his lungs “All Love will turn to lust / these strings were made to rust / But I’ll still make them sing / If I lose everything” the salvation in his music rings powerfully true. Much like the cover of “Song for Solidarity’ by Kelly Kemp (featured on Rock Steady Pickpocket demos) Russo strips down the original blueprint and paints over with his own unique style until the song is completely his own.

Given that this collection of songs is a preparatory sketch for his full length album, there’s no doubt the polished product will be the catalyst that hurls Sam Russo out of the dingy house show basements and onto the brightly lit stages currently being kept warm by the likes of Frank Turner, Laura Marling and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly.

Quite simply, this is songwriting and musical storytelling at its very best – original, despairing, and masterfully constructed. The heart of Sam Russo’s ‘Hotel. Payphone. Carpark’ is ragged and rotten, yet strangely fascinating.

To download Sam Russo’ current back catalogue, please visit: http://killyourown.bandcamp.com