Ukulele Russ - “Big Truck”

Ukulele Russ and the Parks Highway Band perform at the Howling Dog Saloon on Halloween night in Fairbanks, Alaska.

ABC Perth in Western Australia

A live interview Ukulele Russ did about ukuleles, Alaska, and himself in Perth, Western Australia for the Australian Broadcast Company.

Daily News-Minder, Fairbanks: Alaska musician takes the ukulele to entertaining heights

With a stage name like Ukulele Russ, one might imagine Hawaiian shirts and inoffensive luau music or maybe a bunch of kid-friendly songs espousing the benefits of making friends and learning to tie shoes. But that’s about as far away from reality as possible.

Central Maine: Maine native returns to uke it up.

Everybody has this preconceived notion that I’m going to be singing songs about beaches and rainbows and playing all happy songs. That’s really what people think about when they think ukulele — ‘Aww, it’s that cute little guitar from Hawaii.' Instead, he brings rock, blues, tongue-in-cheek and a catalog as varied as “You’re the One,” a sweet song to his wife, Dixmont native Lindsey, to “Two Ply,” a Stevie Wonder-ish ode to toilet paper.

UkeMarket: Ukulele Russ Live Performance Review

Not only is Ukulele Russ a great musician and performer, but his schtick is perfectly suited for the venue in which he performed. He engaged the audience, talked to the crowd, cracked jokes and even managed to diffuse an obnoxious drunk. He’s energetic, funny and genuinely enjoyable.