Shinyribsdefies genres as a sonic melting pot of Texas Blues, New Orleans R&B funk, horn-driven Memphis Soul, country twang, border music, big band swing, and roots-rock. The Austin-based nine-piece (sometimes 10-piece) supergroup is led byKevin Russell, the charismaticfrontman with colorful suits and extravagant shoes who continuously swaps out an electricguitar for a ukulele and never falls short of creating a cinematic experience with on-stage anticsthat often include him donning a light-up cloak or leading a conga line through the crowd.

Shinyribs’ new record -Transit Damage(July 2023 onBlue Elan / Hardcharger Records) is,in Russell’s words, “the record I’ve been trying to make for most of my career. This is acollection of songs that relate to each other in a myriad of ways: musically, lyrically, emotionally.It’s a real throwback to the era of complete albums, and draws from songs I’ve writtenthroughout my life. I hope listeners can take the time to fully immerse themselves in the wholething.”

To help him flesh this collection out, Russell picked producer and longtime friend Steve Berlin (fromLos Lobos) to help him arrange and recordTransit Damage. Together they chose towork at another auspicious location,The Finishing Schoolstudios in Austin. The FinishingSchool is housed in the former home of Austin legendGeorge Reiff(The Chicks, BruceRobison, Ray Wylie Hubbard) who engineered and produced Shinyribs’ debutWell AfterAwhileback in 2010. Reiff, a close personal friend of Russell’s, tragically passed away from.cancer in 2017, yet his legacy lives on. His home studio was refurbished by Band of Heathens’ Gordy Quist, and reopened a couple years ago with acclaimed engineerJim Vollentine

Berlin helped source a number of auxiliary players around town to help expand the Shinyribssound, and realize Russell’s bigger vision. Shinyribs’ bassistMason Hankameralso lent someproducing skills, helping arrange many of the songs.