Album Notes

ALBUM REVIEWS: "A wonderful find in amongst my in pile. I love the simplicity of the arrangements which really allows the tracks to shine. With one small blemish in a field of great tracks, this is definitely a great album, especially for fans of a more acoustic sound." - Indie Launchpad "The disc may outwardly look like nothing special, but all that individuals need to do is stick the album in and be placed on clouds of indie rock that will float them along for the better part of an hour." - Neufutur ALBUM INFO: An Ivy League education should be the backbone of every prevailing New York City singer-songwriter. A guy that started out in the suburbs, fought through the Dartmouth College rigors of education, and is now maneuvering the NYC music scene, should have an overabundance of experience to draw upon once his chosen path of songwriting begins. Maybe so… or maybe it takes someone ripping your heart out to spark the flame of creativity. On Bayard Russell’s straightforward debut, simply called Selftitled, Bayard sincerely weaves in and out of accounts of love and loss… mainly loss of love it seems. Not just another tale of heartbreak, Selftitled’s layered vocals and lo-fi bedroom instrumentation seem heavily influenced by Elliott Smith and all the more former Brooklynite Eric Elbogen’s project Say Hi. Bayard Russell is not ashamed to bring a bit of heartbroken indie pop your way… you’ll find the proof in the 11 songs scattered across Selftitled. BIOGRAPHY: Bayard Russell is a singer-songwriter performing in the NYC area. He releases his debut solo album "Selftitled," available on CD Baby and iTunes, and performs at New York venues such as Kenny's Castaways, Trash Bar and The Fort at Sidewalk Cafe, and in events like The Interdependence Project Festival and the annual IMC Festival. In addition to his solo work he is the lead vocalist, bassist, and songwriter for garage rock trio Negative Ken, who perform at New York venues including Arlene's Grocery, Don Hills, Snitch, Suite 16, The Orange Bear, Crash Mansion, and Pussycat Lounge. Russell grew up in the suburbs of Indiana, influenced equally by The Beatles and Ice Cube. Classically trained in piano from age four, he discovered the guitar in high school and his passion for pop music blossomed. He moved to NYC after graduating from Dartmouth College with a major in philosophy and a minor in music. He has written for and performed with the bands Karess, Clean Slate, Funkelstiltskin, The Very Nerve, and Matt Jones Band. He currently writes and records out of his bedroom studio in Astoria, Queens. LINKS: For more information please visit: http://www.bayardrussell.com http://www.negativeken.com COMMENTS FROM LISTENERS: "your solo stuff is gorgeous" "wonderfully refreshing" "very sincere, heartfelt stuff" "I dig the solo stuff a lot" "impressive...each song has its own character...the entirety of the songs are well polished"