We were lucky to catch up with Rene Russell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rene thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I was born with this drive to to shake things up, rebel against the way things were expected to be, to go against what everybody else said was “what was expected” and making music became the core part of my path, there was never really a choice, it just was who I was. I always new I would make music even at that very young age when adults ask you what you want to be when you grow up, I always said I wanted to be a singer. That turned out to include songwriter and musician as well.

I was athletic and artistic, drawing, painting, I took piano, my teachers were always frustrated with me because I played by ear and didn’t want to read the music. I didn’t read music well, but I could play it after I heard it once. When I was 12 my neighbor brought over a 12 string guitar and I was mesmerized by it,

I have always been comfortable by myself but the guitar brought out the desire to share with others, to perform.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was never going to be anything other than a singer, I just didn’t know when I was 7 or 8 that I would also be a guitar player. I have almost more fun playing guitar than singing. When I was 9 or 10 yrs. old I saw and heard a 12 string guitar for the first time, my neighbor got one and when I heard it I was hooked. I was never interested in the 6 string, only the 12 string would do. People told me I couldn’t play a 12 string guitar all the time, and when I asked why, they didn’t really have an answer, I guess they thought it was harder, But that was it, I was going to play 12 guitar all the time, and from the time I did get my own, I have never owned or played anything but.

I took my guitar to school and played everywhere and whenever they would let me, At the end of class, at lunch, talent shows…I was the kid with the guitar. I went to college and found I could play in clubs and restaurants. All this time I was playing other people’s music, I was writing my own songs, but those were private and personal, I didn’t share those.
As I got older, I realized that I had something to say and that maybe my songs could help someone else through a tough time, or make them think about something in a different way, or feel something, wake them up!

So a lifetime is going by, I’m moving around the country singing & playing from Atlanta, GA to Austin, TX to San Diego, CA and by the time I got back to the East Coast, it was 1998. I lived through the Y2K scare in 2000 along with everyone else, fell in love a couple yrs. later and moved to Charleston, SC where I stayed until 2022 and then moved to Western NC, where I live now.
So somewhere in there, I figured out that being yourself was what I really was good at, authentically me, not who other people wanted or expected me to be. And this was a great epiphany for me.
I realized that telling “my truth” was what I really wanted to be doing all this time. So I started writing the songs that mattered to me, the ones that talked about being gay, about hiding it from family and then about not hiding from family or anyone else. I wrote about things that bothered me in society, racism, social inequality, about the environment and global warming. I didn’t and don’t write songs to be on the radio, I write them to sing to people wherever I play, if they get played out there in the world that’s great, but I’m not a conventional songwriter in that sense.
I chose a turtle symbol with a spiral in it as my logo because the turtle represents the Earth and North America in some native cultures. The spiral is the symbol of our journey through our lives here on Earth.
I want people to remember that we are all responsible for our home, the Earth and for each other, and if we’re being honest with ourselves, it becomes very clear that there is nothing more important at this time on our tiny blue planet.

“My music tells the story of my search for My Truth—What is YOUR Truth? Where do you find it? Find the Courage to make the Choice to make the Changes in order to find your Truth. This is Change Your Brain Music.”— Rene Russell

Bio-
Rene Russell is an accomplished musician, her instrument; the 12- string
guitar. She makes it look so easy. She turns one guitar into a rhythmic
percussion section; percussive thumping bass lines, popping strings like a
“hammer dulcimer”, precise finger-picking defining the melodies and bass
notes within the song at once.
Her DIY approach to music has resulted in a style that is incredibly clean sounding, while retaining an edgy, and dynamic live sound. Her “change your brain music” comes from her life experience.
She challenges you to have the courage to make a conscious choice to make changes in your life that will lead you to your truth.

She has been crafting her style since she picked up the guitar in 1972, at
12 years old, influenced by musical icons such as James Taylor, Michael
Hedges and Stevie Nicks. She also absorbed and was influenced by the
harmonies of the Statler Brothers, the rhythm of Stevie Wonder and
Santana, and more recently bands like Tyler Childers and Turnpike Troubadours. It’s hard to put a label on her music, but Songwriter/ Folk/Rock/Americana comes close.

As a Songwriter, she speaks to you of experience, both personal and
Universal. Mediums of messages, her songs deliver layers of life, internal
moments of choice, change and hope. It’s up to the listener to decide how
deep they want to go. Her clear, Alto voice is the thread that weaves
together the tapestry of Rene Russell the Artist.

Now residing in Waynesville, NC, Rene Russell takes her musical ideas in
directions that few performers have been able to in recent times. Dazzling
audiences for the past 30 years from Nashville to San Diego, Atlanta to
Austin, Texas, Rene Russell not only writes her own material, but performs it with the passion and precision only a dedicated solo artist is capable of.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There’s not just one thing, I do love to perform, it’s really fun for me. I like to see the effects of my music on people. I love when people tell me how one of my songs influenced them or helped them though a tough time.
Actually writing a new song is my favorite time, it can be really easy sometimes, and sometimes it gets frustrating, but the challenge of getting it right and finishing and then playing it live for people is so rewarding for me. I get to share a secret part of myself with people that I wouldn’t just have a conversation about. It’s the art and creative mystery of it that is so wonderful. It’s like magic when I finish and I’m so proud, I want to share it with everyone!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I feel like telling “my truth” is my mission, my journey, my experiences are where I write from, I’m not really good at making stuff up, so I guess I’m not “technically” a songwriter in that sense, I’m just writing about my life and experience, I know that other people have the same issues and problems and sometimes it helps just to hear that someone else has been through the same things and hearing how they dealt with their problems helps. It let’s them know they’re not alone, there’s someone out there who understands.
I want people to feel, really feel, and go with me on whatever emotional ride I’m calling up.      

Contact Info:

• Website: https://renerussell.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renerussellandthebottomend/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReneRussellandtheBottomEnd/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/renerussell1
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4S2a8ukHCxF95fSrUe7NtA?si=RN_GiSRKRqyt0b-3n4IZ-w

Image Credits
Wayne Ebinger, John Barhhardt