Muck Duck Studio
595 Blossom Road
Alma Russ
When she’s not on the road, she lives in Whittier, North Carolina. Songwriting is cheaper than therapy, and old songs make her happy.
Music has taken her lots of places, from the hometown bars, to church, to the highway. She spent a while performing as an entertainer on the passenger train in Bryson City, NC, and once she wound up getting 3 yeses from ABC's American Idol Judges on Season 1 and being sent to Hollywood, CA. Music continues to give her stories to tell.
As a kid she'd spend summers in the Great Grandma's mountain house in Western NC. Her English teacher Mama took her to historical book readings and heritage events, and she fell in love with mountain culture and heritage - especially the music. She was the kid frolicking arounud the yard singing Scotch-Irish murder ballads, passed down through generations; songs about old-true loves and murders.
She started taking fiddle lessons around age 12, practicing old-time tunes outside because of the dying-cat noises, and then she went on to learn clawhammer banjo and guitar. She learned about songwriters like John Prine and Townes Van Zandt, and she fell in love with the art of songwriting. She's played in lots of bands, but she's mostly a solo act these days. She spends a lot of time on the road playing in bars, listening rooms, restaurants, cafes, and the occasional street corner.
Her musical influences include country gold, bluegrass, folk, old-time, and americana. She attributes inspiration to artists such as Allison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Bobbie Gentry, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and so many more. She’s thankful to be doing what she loves!
Sally Louise
"Louise [is] a confident vocalist whose classical training gives her keen pitch security and effortless intonation."
- Daniel Kushner, Rochester City Newspaper
Opera singer turned singer-songwriter, Sally Louise holds her audience in awestruck wonder with her powerful vocals and 70s sun soaked guitar melodies. A self-taught recording artist, she has written, recorded, and published six singles, two EPs, and a full-length studio album. Since her debut single, Milky Blue - which was released in July 2020 - she has opened for the legendary Chris Isaak, toured solo in Nashville, New York, and Connecticut, been featured in Floated Magazine and Adventures in Americana, and performed on air on WXNA Nashville and WXXI Rochester.
A native Oregonian with an adventurous appetite spanning the US and Europe, Sally grew up playing violin, guitar, piano, and mandolin before finally studying voice. In her first classical vocal competition, she won fifth in the state of Oregon. With that confidence in her back pocket, she went on to debut with the Utah Symphony, gain her Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, and move to Berlin, Germany to pursue opera. There she gained insight into the world of the working singer, learning German and performing with some of Berlin’s best operatic talent. She returned stateside to pursue her Masters in Vocal Performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
When the world shut down in March 2020, Sally went rogue, separating from the world of opera and plunging into the creation of her debut album, My Hands Are On Fire. This album recorded in her bedroom during quarantine, is a reflection on finding balance within the duality of the self. Questioning what it means to be a spiritual being in a physical form, embodying both the divine feminine and masculine and holding onto a sense of self within the confines of an abusive relationship are explored in her lyrics and compositions.
You can support Sally on Patreon, and follow along with her on Instagram and Facebook.
"Her lyric writing is powerful... and her vocals are stunning"
- Greg Featherburn, Prism Reviews
Sun, Jul 14, 2024 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Muck Duck Studio
595 Blossom Road
Muck Duck Studio’s mission is to empower individuals, organizations, and businesses, both locally in Rochester, NY, and globally, through the transformative power of creativity. We combine a diverse range of art forms, including somatic experiences, music, visual arts, and environmentalism, to inspire and engage people from all walks of life.
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