Shinyribs w/ Wrongbird

w/ Wrongbird

Thursday, October 2nd 2025

Charleston Pour House

Main Stage

7:30 doors /8:30 show

$22 advance /$25 day of show

We will maybe never know what Shinyribs is. Sometimes, it’s a sprawling multi-piece ensemble slapping the air until it grooves; sometimes he’s a somber subtle songwriter pouring poetry on the ground from a cup half full. Either way it’s always the house-party-meets-library that is, Kevin Russell.

Raised in Beaumont, TX, and Shreveport, LA—the cradle of swamp pop, Leadbelly, and bayou R&B—Russell distills those regional sounds into something both timeless and immediate, dripping from his fingers like honey, salt & fat. Think Texas Gulf Coast meets Muscle Shoals, songs carved and weaved by hand with a storyteller’s heart.

Shinyribs evolved from a solo residency Russell began under that moniker in the mid-2000s, after an incident in a Houston club, playing a private party for a group of welders where he bought a homeless woman a plate of ribs. “Her name was Roberta,” says Russell. “She was a high priestess of transistor radios and an almost forgotten music she called ‘Chilibump.’ For that plate of Ribs that night she gave me in return a name, Shinyribs and a road map to the mysterious big thicket sounds I had only heard of from old timers and time travelers.”

With Leaving Time produced by David Beck (Texan Weekend, Blue Healer), Russell parks the party bus behind the venue and sits in a lawn chair in the street lights with the bugs and a dingy moon. Joined by extraordinary bassist, arranger and co-producer, Mason Hankamer, keyboardist Jonny Keys (Uncle Lucius), drummer Dees Stribling and Mr. Beck singing gourd- like harmonies while handling multiple Instrumental touches, Leaving Time is a departure and an arrival showcase of Russell’s long evolution as a classic Texas songwriter. The songs reconnect with Russell’s literary roots, the folk and country influences that shaped his work with The Gourds, and the ever-present irreverence guiding his musical journey since his early years.

Kevin Russell - Shinyribs - invites you into his junkyard of juke, his shack of shakin’ souls, for a Sunday evening sit down, a slow sound for a sweet night. When the time is just right for Leaving, let ya mind wander into believing.

It’s Leaving Time.

Folks, the bird is the word. Based in Austin TX, Wrongbird is the world’s premier (and quite possibly only) WRONG-rock band. Helmed by Shinyribs keyboardist and Tomar & The FCs alum Eric Baker in collaboration with guitarist/producer Michael Blake, rounded out by bassistDylan Hill of Mamalarky and drummer Tim Smith — this songwriting vehicle most commonly takes the form of a four-piece band. They’ve also been known to add horns, strings, or background singers to their arrangements in addition to wherever else the music takes them…

Owing a debt to classic 60’s and 70’s art pop artists, Eric Baker has been cutting his teeth as a songwriter as long as he can remember. Beginning his musical journey in the worship band in his church as a kid growing up in a small suburb of Chicago. During his time at college in rural Indiana, he saved up the money and collected enough of his songs to record his first record. Wishing to avoid putting an album out under his own name he concocted a musical pen name Wrongbird Erickson to signify his name as an artist. His first release Epitome of the Opposite (2016) showed his interest in the art of crafting albums. Following this release he moved to Austin with the hopes of forming a band around these songs.

Concurrently, Michael Blake was already working as a producer and songwriter in Austin. After being introduced by a mutual friend at the club Mohawk on Red River, they quickly discovered the common musical inspirations they held. This led to a collaboration and ultimately the second musical release in the form of an EP Who is Wrongbird? (2018) Decidedly dropping the ‘Erickson,’ Wrongbird was now a true band instead of just a solo songwriting project. This release declared Wrongbird’s intention to be a true part of the Austin music scene and captured the raw energy of their live performance. After a hiatus due to Covid, the bird is back in action with the release of two singles in 2023 Mr. April and Western Hero and plans to release a new record in 2024. This time around the group is pulling out all the stops with the hopes of putting out an “album for people who like albums.” In the algorithm driven sea of the music industry, Wrongbird is forging ahead with musical experimentation and unwavering sincerity in their approach to music. It’s a good time to be an incorrect songbird.

* Show is 21+. Attendees under 21 must be accompanied by a parent & will be subject to a $5 surcharge. The surcharge must be paid in cash at the door on the day of the event.

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