Casey Russell, best known as the keyboardist of tour circuit mainstays, The Magic Beans, has released "Hit the Ground Running," the debut single off of his solo record Patience due out on Color Red on November 8, 2024. The track features special guest powerhouse vocalist Lyle Divinsky rounding out an already star-studded studio cast of Casey Russell (keyboards & vocals) Dan Africano (Bass), Jeff Franca (Drums), Taylor Frederick (Guitar) Kim Dawson (Vocals), Shira Elias (Vocals), Parris Fleming (Trumpet & Horn Arrangement), and Alex Cazet (Saxophone). Listen to "Hit the Ground Running" HERE.
Inspired by soul greats such as Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, and Sam & Dave, Russell set forth to write a song with an impactful multi-harmony chorus and had a clear vision from the start on the aptly titled inaugural song he wrote for the album, “ I knew I wanted a call and response vibe, so I sent the demo to my vocal Guru, Lyle Divinsky,” he says, “He sent back 16 vocal tracks of pure gold, and we finished the lyrics that week. Parris Fleming added a very nice horn arrangement, and the song was born. Put it on repeat!”
Russell began writing the album shortly after the pandemic lockdown, pouring energy that would normally be used on gigging heavily into sending demos back and forth between musical colleagues locked down in their studios. In late 2020 with a solid batch of demos in-hand, he called Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds & The Lucky Strokes) to book a session at Color Red Studios and record 8 songs in 2 days. The new collection of songs positions itself perfectly with stalwarts of the soul revival in recent years such as The California Honeydrops, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and Leon Bridges who have stormed the scene and airwaves with the new school of soul and R&B music. With Color Red’s trusty Tascam-388, Russell was able to hone in on the old school analog sound while putting his imprint on the reemergence of soul music that honors carefree arrangement sensibility, breezy vocal harmonies, and a locked-in rhythm section. The record was mixed & mastered by Josh Fairman of Laskin productions who was a standout part of the process dedicating many hours to the process of honing in on Russell’s signature soul sound.
“Patience is my love letter to old school Soul and R&B music,” proclaims Russell, “From the song writing to the recording methods, I wanted to take a step back in time to my favorite sounds of the 60s and 70s, with a little bit of modern flare mixed in. It has a very funky retro-soul feel, complete with an 8 piece band recording through analog equipment.”
The studio recording features Dan Africano (Thievery Corporation), Jeff Franca (Thievery Corporation), Taylor Fredrick, Lyle Divinsky, Nick Gerlach, Eric “Benny” Bloom (Lettuce), Parris Flemming (Harry Styles, The Parrisian), Alex Cazet (Mama Magnolia), Shira Elias (Cool Cool Cool), and Kim Dawson throughout.
To celebrate the release of Patience, Russell will be performing the album in its entirety at Cervantes’ Other Side in Denver, Colorado on November 9th joined by an all-star band featuring Dan Africano (Thievery Corporation) on bass, Collin O’Brien (Neal Francis) on drums, Taylor Fredrick on guitar, Brittany Beckett (Watermelon Funk) on vocals, Will Trask (High Hawks) on percussion, Gabriel Mervine on trumpet, and Alex Cazet on saxophone. Jamtronica quintet Splendid Blend will open the night. Tickets are on sale now HERE.
