

Shinyribs reassembles the American song bag like a picker in a junkyard; Texas singer-songwriter, East
Tx blues, Louisiana swamp n’ rhythm, honky tonk, Oklahoma swing, Golden-Triangle Cajun, and
Arkansas jazz are all filtered through the singular vision of Kevin Russell, one of Austin’s most celebrated
and criminally underrated singer-songwriters.
The Austin-based supergroup has entered a bold new chapter with the small baller “Shortribs”
configuration — a tightly arranged powerhouse built to showcase what has always been at the heart of the
Shinyribs experience: Russell’s legendary songwriting chops, his iconic voice, and the infamous hi-jinks
of the self-proclaimed world’s oldest living male exotic dancer. Hip shaking, booty twerking, arm
flapping, high kicking and karate chopping good times are guaranteed to send you home with aching
cheeks and tear-stained laughter.
At the rhythmic core is Keith Langford on drums — Russell’s musical partner of 30 years, a bond forged
in the crucible of legendary, The Gourds— and as essential to the Shinyribs sound as the backbeat itself.
Mason Hankamer holds down the low end on bass, pulling double duty as co-producer of the last 3 Ribs
platters and musical director, tightening the arrangements and the show into something leaner and more
purposeful than ever.
The Delta Dawns — both hailing from the famous Memphis/Mississippi alluvial
plain — have been elevated to a full dynamic singing sisterhood: Kellee Broadway, who doubles on
percussion, and Schaefer Llana, who shakes the chandeliers and plays some guitar too.
Eric Baker, a rising star in the Austin scene, frisks the pianoforte like a long-lost Leon Russell. Rounding
out the band — and perhaps its most exciting new voice — is lead guitarist and pedal steel wizard Cat
Clemons.
Russell himself says it best: “Clemons, beyond just notes and licks galore, possesses the ability to
communicate psychically with audiences. It’s really a feat to be experienced. More than just being able to
say you were there, one will be able to try and describe their experience.”
A Shinyribs show these days runs the gamut — from tongue-in-cheek winks and nudges to poignant
stories of family, loss, grief, and love. The poetic joy joins the musical melancholy like a rainbow over the
swamp. Above and below, a human collaboration of deep knowledge and soul, expressed with a grace and
groove unlike anything else.
Shinyribs has been nominated and won a slew of awards and honors, but you will be the one going home
with that Shiny trophy feeling. We are so excited you get to see Shinyribs soon. Lucky you!
If you’ve never heard of Shinyribs, that’s a good thing. Now you’ve got something to look forward to.
Let’s try and keep this a secret. We don’t want a bunch of dilettantes and phonies ruining our good time.
DISCOGRAPHY: Well After Awhile (2010) · Gulf Coast Museum (2013) · Okra Candy (2015) · I Got
Your Medicine (2017) · The Kringle Tingle (2018) · Fog & Bling (2019) · Late Night TV Gold (2021) ·
Transit Damage (2023) · Leaving Time (2025)
Real Alligator, Shinyribs’ 10th album, is due Autumn 2026.