Birthed In Houston: Shinyribs Returns To Heights Theater

Ribs have a long history of symbolizing the genesis of creation serving as an symbol for two people completing one another. For Kevin Russell, his band Shinyribs has been the jumping off point for many new avenues of creation for an artist who has never shied away from changing things up.

“It started with just me in the beginning,” says Russel who prior to Shinyribs was mostly known for his work with The Gourds. “It just grew into this monstrosity which is a dream band to me. It’s amazing and it’s a lot,” he says of his eight piece band who always provide an amazing and high energy show.

Shinyribs will perform in Houston on Saturday, August 31 at The Heights Theater in support of their latest album Transit Damage with opener Gus Clark & The Least of His Problems.

Shinyribs as a project was born right here in Houston with Russel performing solo at Under The Volcano, a cozy room that pretty quickly had trouble keeping up with the demand. Russell and his project grew into a full blown band that has had a steady stream of changes to the lineup ultimately adding to the genres they are able to capture.

“Doug Sahm was like that, Dylan, Niel Young, some of my heroes, they’re not afraid to change it up. I just get bored doing the same thing over and over,” says Russell recalling his disappointment ages ago when Boston released their followup album Don’t Look Back only to sound much like their self-titled debut.

“I just get bored doing the same thing over and over.”

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Russell is always staying busy with his writing.  Exploring his Substack one can keep up with his many musing in poetry, prose and new songs.  He recently collaborated with author Katie Terrell Ramos to release a children’s book based on his song “Who Built The Moon.”

Though the band has seen some changes in lineup, Russell is always backed by his old friend and The Gourds drummer Keith Langford. Throughout the years he added backup singers known these days as “The Shiny Soul Siblings” and the Tijuana Trainwreck Horn section. Currently, Russell has Eric Baker on keyboard and Mason Hankamer on bass.

“It just opened up all possibilities of music that I had been wanting to do and songs I had laying around that I knew would work,” he says of adding the dynamic horns to the lineup.

When asked which comes first, the sonic shifts or band members changes, much like seeking the ribs to complete oneself, Russell follows the lead of his band members.

“It is driven by the personnel, that’s the way I operate. It’s based on the people that appear in my life and they end up in my band. As people left and I got new people, I definitely lean on the people that are in the band, I try to take their skills and let them shine.”

On Transit Damage, Russell and his band took their sound down a notch but somehow without compromising the musical integrity or energy they’ve become known for. For a bandleader who often needs no microphone and can sustain the chorus of many songs while leading congo lines, Transit Damage shows Russell’s impressive vocal range and dedication to grooving even when he’s attacking it in a more subtle way.

For Transit Damage Russell teamed up with the legendary Steve Berlin as producer. Russell describes how Berlin was into doing something “different” for the band and as to be expected, Russell was all in.

In what Russell describes as a “full circle” moment, the band recorded at The Finishing School, a studio owned and operated by Band of Heathens member Gordy Quist. Quist purchased the studio after original owner George Reiff passed away and it was where Shinyribs had recorded their first three albums.

Russell describes feeling a sense of magic when he sang into the studio’s microphones, previously owned by Queen. “They sounded amazing. I would just sit there in my headphones talking into them so I could hear them and it was like butter.”

For someone whose voice naturally fills any space with a sonic boom, Russell took inspiration from some isolated Al Green vocals he heard where it really stuck with him how quietly the legend was singing. Russell decided to tone it down and let the microphones do the work.

“I would put my hands in my pockets and shrug my shoulders as if I don’t care if this is a good vocal or not. I had that attitude and I think it really made it better. I wasn’t trying too hard like I have in the past. Maybe I learned something,” laughs Russell.

“Little Drops Of Summer” and the sweet closer to the album “Kind” show all the range, warmth and depth of Russell’s voice and let the listener focus on the details of his wonderfully crafted lyrics.

Then there’s the bluesier “Alphabeta” showcasing how the band works together to create a groove that, though pushing into a different genre, is always their own sound. “I think now the blues world is aware of me,” says Russell. “Now I’m a blues man apparently,” he laughs.

When asked about how the band plans their shows to keep the audience on their feet even during the slower songs, Russell says Hankamer has been key to creating a setlist with fast transitions and allowing the songs to flow one to another seamlessly as they play new and old songs from their catalog.

“That’s kind of the fun part of it is finding commonality between the old stuff and the new stuff. I think the fans dig that, I’ve never done a poll about it but that’s what I like to hear when I go see shows,” says Russell citing a recent Pretenders show that did just that for him as an audience member.

“Our shows are just as creative and involved as our recordings for us,” says Russell. “They live on their own, the records are the records and then the show is the show. To me they are two different things.”

Shinyribs has always been a great example of the many musical influences of the Gulf Coast from past and present as Russell has always leaned into surprising his audience with his ability to not only take over the stage, but blend more genres than you can shake a stick at and taking radio hit covers like “All About That Bass” or TLC’s hit “Waterfalls” and turning them into his own.  

“I think Houston influenced me in that way for sure,” says Russell of his love for making musical gumbo on stage and his wide range of influences. “I think Houston is a big part of the diversity of Texas music and it’s always been that way.”

Shinyribs will perform with Gus Clark and The Least Of His Problems on Saturday, August 31 at The Heights Theater, 339 W 19th. Doors at 7 p.m, tickets $24.