Social Robot - The Botz Sessions

Website:

http://socialrobotmusic.com

Music Style:

rock

Hometown:

Brooklyn

Country:

United States

Band Description

A decade after solo album Selftitled, Brooklynite Bayard Russell returns for 12 sci-folk songs with his band, featuring layered vocals about artificial intelligence, social media, space travel, hope and heartbreak buoyed by guitar and sparkly synths.


Additional Band Websites

Artist Biography

Social Robot is a friendly artificial life form that just wants to be polite and play guitar, but is deeply worried about the fate of the universe. It keeps a stiff upper lip about it though. Social Robot’s album is now available on the interwebs, featuring songs about AI, one-way trips to Mars, social media, hope, and heartbreak.

Social Robot is...
Lead - Bayard Russell
Drums - Jason Lang
Keys - Dave Florey
Guitar - Michael Muller
Bass - Andrew Gilchrist-Scott

Bayard Russell is a singer-songwriter performing in the NYC area with his band Social Robot, who has released their debut album “The Botz Sessions”.  His solo album “Selftitled” is available on CD Baby and iTunes, about which Neufutur Magazine has said, “All that individuals need to do is stick the album in and be placed on clouds of indie rock that will float them along for the better part of an hour.”

Russell grew up in the suburbs of Indiana, influenced equally by The Beatles and Ice Cube. Classically trained in piano from age four, he discovered the guitar in high school and his passion for pop music blossomed. He moved to NYC after graduating from Dartmouth College with a major in philosophy and a minor in music. He currently writes and records out of his home studio in Brooklyn.

Bayard Russell has performed at New York venues such as The Way Station, Alphabet Lounge, Pianos, Arlene’s Grocery, Memory Motel, Amendment 18, Trash Bar, Sidewalk Cafe, Kenny’s Castaways, Bohemian Hall, Connelly’s Klub 45, Desmond’s Tavern, Bar East, Waltz-Astoria, Blackbirds, Lucky Mojos, and La Negrita; and in festivals like Make Music NY, LIC House Party, Why Leave Astoria, Astoria Music Now!, The Interdependence Project Festival, and the IMC Festival.

In addition to fronting Social Robot, Russell is a singer and bassist for 90s cover band Blind Folds Five. He has composed and performed with the bands Karess, Clean Slate, Funkelstiltskin, The Very Nerve,  Matt Jones Band, Negative Ken, The Botz, Stirfry Massacre, Mark from 3A, Rockers Anonymous, and Atlantic Animals.

Press Release

A decade after his solo album Selftitled, Bayard Russell hasn’t stopped writing. This Brooklynite returned to the studio to record 12 of his best sci-folk songs for his band Social Robot’s debut. Songs about artificial intelligence, social media, space travel, hope and heartbreak are buoyed by acoustic guitar, sparkly synth sounds, and sentimental layered vocals, influenced by the sound of The 1975, MGMT, and Kings of Leon, and the lyrics of Big Data and Radiohead.

What reviewers said about Selftitled:

“Russell delivers simple, catchy songs with honest lyrics straight from his broken heart. He effortlessly takes what most of us would consider as bad situations and makes light of them, and in doing so he creates a responsive bond of some sort with his listeners.” -HotIndieNews.com

“Mr. Russell sings in a warm, intimate style that avoids in-your-face anger or a passive aggressive demand you love him as a fan. “Living at My Mom’s” laments his lack of foresight in one failed relation, and “I Will Chase You” leads him into just such another learning experience. You may not learn much from Bayard yourself, but listening to him grope his way through life is a calming experience.” – Ink9

“Here is some deliciously sweet indie pop from NY artist Bayard Russell — think John Mayer meets The Postal Service…some very honest lyrics that make you take light of a situation that would otherwise cause you to shudder in pain.” – AudioDrums.com

“Should stardom befall on Russell, and there’s no reason to see why it won’t, this debut is a glaring reason for him to keep the music coming from his bedroom, as well as his heart.” -Northeast Performer Magazine