Shinyribs in the Red River District

Once you’ve seen Shinyribs’ Kevin Russell on-stage and heard his band’s music, it’s impossible

to forget him. Known for his outrageous outfits and antics, Russell is a regular Austin fashion

icon, liable to turn up in anything from his lime-green sherbet leisure suit to a flashing LED

cloak, which he donned for a soulful performance of “East Texas Rust” on the award-winning

PBS show Austin City Limits.

Born and raised in Beaumont, East Texas, Russell has been dubbed (mostly by himself) the

Baryshnikov of the Big Thicket, the Pavarotti of the Pineywoods, the Shakespeare of Swamp

Pop or the Shiniest Man in Showbidniz. Balding with a scraggly beard and an unapologetic gut,

Russell boasts the indelible spirit and nudge-nudge, wink-wink playful quality of a man forever

young, who points to the likes of Tony Joe White and the Coasters for his rib-tickling,

mind-expanding, butt-shaking “is he for real” sense of humor. As a member of The Gourds,

Russell took his musical inspiration from the fertile Ark-La-Tex turf and became a pioneer of

Americana.

Shinyribs is one of the music world’s best-kept secrets, but not for long. The eight-piece outfit

was named Best Austin Band for 2017 and 2018 at the Austin Chronicle’s Austin Music Awards

and their album, “I Got Your Medicine,” was tapped as Album of the Year. Shinyribs was also

nominated by Black Fret in 2015 for a grant and was selected as a recipient.