With so much new music floating around the interwebs, sometimes it’s hard to dig a little deeper and find out more about a promising artist.

That’s why The Profile is breaking it down for you. The Pitch takes care of the nitty gritty factual bits, The Plot serves as a Q & A with the artist, and The Plug is where you can go for more. 

The Pitch

Emma Russack is a singer-songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia. Originally Hailing from Narooma, NSW, She first appeared as Lola Flash with her single ‘Psycho’ released in 2009 and then followed up with the 2012 debut album Sounds of Our City.

Having toured Scandanavia for two months in 2012, Emma is now back and about to release her second full-length album You Changed Me  via Spunk Records (out this Friday the 4th April).

Not one to sit still, Emma is also member of Melbourne band Hot Palms and part of the Why Don’t You Believe Me label, alongside local favourites The Ocean Party, Velcro and Zone Out.

The Plot

Hometown: “Narooma, NSW. I now live in Melbourne but I do miss the coast.”

Influences:  “Neil Young for his earnestness, Lucinda Williams for being a bad-ass and Sean Nicholas Savage for his song You Changed Me.” 

Favourite local act: “Oliver Mann is the only local act that has brought me to tears. He’s playing at my album launch and that makes me very happy.”

What’s your gear setup: “I tend to play either solo (guitar and voice), as a duo (two guitars and voice), or in band mode (two guitars, bass, drums, voice). I’m also working on a little tap routine a la Sammy Davis Jr. So now I need to remember to bring my tap shoes to gigs as well.”

First Gig you ever played: “Dalmeny Nursing Home, circa 1993. I sang an Easter song dressed up as a rabbit.  Ah, the good ol’ days…”

Worst gig you’ve ever played: “I have played so many terrible shows. But the worst was Narooma Carols By Candlelight in 2004. A girl in the crowd told me to ‘Get off the f***ing stage, sl*t’, to which I responded (mid-Jingle Bell Rock) ‘…And a merry little Christmas to you too”.

Best gig you’ve ever been to: Maybe not the ‘best’ gig, but my dad took me to see Cat Power at the Seymour Centre in Sydney when I was 15. It changed both our lives (Dad said it was the strangest thing he’d ever seen), and I got the handwritten set-list after the show. She also did this whacky dance to a Lil Bow Wow song and it was so cool.” 

Dream rider: “Enough wine for me and my friends to share, and lots of water. One must stay hydrated.”

Favourite ‘local’: “Favourite local? Pub? The Napier in Fitzroy. Tell ’em Emma sent you… Try the ‘roo.”

The Plug

Emma Russack’s second album You Changed Me is out April 4th on Spunk Records.

You Changed Me tour dates
Friday May 30, BONEY Melbourne
Sunday June 1, MONA Hobart (daytime show)
Sunday June 1, REPUBLIC BAR, Hobart
Wednesday June 18, BLACK BEAR LODGE, Brisbane
Thursday June 19, RAD BAR, Wollongong
Saturday June 21, BRIGHTON UP BAR, Sydney
Friday July 4, HOTEL METRO, Adelaide
Thursday October 9, MOJO’S BAR, Fremantle
Saturday October 11, THE BIRD, Perth

In the meantime Hot Palms (Emma’s other band) will be launching with split single with Lehmann B Smith on the 19th of April at LongPlay in Fitzroy North.

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