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Ocean City Dreaming: Artist Profile - Bryan Russo
By Jessica BauerMay 24, 20203 min read

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Ocean City Dreaming: Artist Profile
Bryan Russo
- living room
- bedroom
- porch
- deck
- Any of the above
About the Artist: Bryan Russo
Bryan Russo has always worn a lot of hats and for many years, he wore them all pretty well. Yet, after a few years of struggle and reinvention, the only stories the 2-time Edward R Murrow award winner is telling now are in song-form, –and they mark the deepest and strongest songs of his career. The former multi-award winning journalist (NPR, BBC, WAMU, Marketplace, host of Coastal Connection) has spent close to 20 years working diligently as a singer/songwriter in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US sharing the stage with more than 30 national recording artists and receiving high praise from critics and listeners on his five independent releases:
- The Next Big Thing EP (2008)
- Sound the Alarms (2012)
- Here for the Show (2014)
- Burden of Proof (2016)
- Pennsyltucky (2018)
“Pennsyltucky” released as the band “Boys Called Susan”, which was named in homage of Shearer’s late mother Susan, who passed away from cancer in 2013. Her dying wish was for the boys to make music together, so they crowdfunded their way to Nashville to record at the legendary Butcher Shoppe recording studio with members of Emmylou Harris’ Red Dirt Boys as the studio band. The album, which was produced by Phil Madeira, has been spun on more than 60 radio stations across the US and Canada and received high critical marks both domestically and internationally. (www.boyscalledsusan.com for more info.)
Russo’s big bluesy voice wallops audiences with soulful lyrics that bite, but listeners and audiences have always been drawn to the depth in his lyrics, the hopefulness in the blues, and the way he can make a thinking song sound like a drinking song by blending smarts with satire. Russo’s song “Rodeo Cool”, which was released on the “Pennsyltucky” album was named as a top 5 finalist (out of more than 2000 domestic and international entries) in the ‘Country’ category of the 2019 Great American Song Contest, while his song from the same album “Unfinished Symphony” received honorable mention in the Folk/Americana category.
website: www.bryanrusso.com
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About Jessica Bauer
Jessica is a creative through and through. She loves creating from sun up to sun down. She is an artist, a friend, a mom, a wife, and whatever other hat she might wear in a day. You might find Jessica with a camera or sketch pad in the local area, but you might find her far and away as she loves to travel. If you see her say, hi and give her dog/baby, Joey a hello too since they usually travel together!
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