Press and radio play for If Red Was Green are happening across Canada as we speak. News will be updated soon... You can find a few more recent remarks on our myspace blog.

November 2005 The band is sounding great. Marcus has been picking up tunes like the pro that he is, and the rest of us are locking right in. The horns are playing on more and more songs, with Keith sizzling on sax and Brian diversifying on trumpet, flugelhorn, and now keyboards. Ansgar is wailing on harmonica, grooving on congas, and every rehearsal at his studio is a party. The CD is being mastered and we're looking forward to releasing it this summer. Unfortunately, our scheduled gig opening for soul legend Percy Sledge had to be cancelled, but the MC at our first show with Marcus declared after our set that Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, and Bob Marley would all be proud! That says a lot about the Russell Leon Band's diversity and authenticity.

September 2005 The Russell Leon Band is pleased to welcome Marcus Walker aboard on bass. Marcus is a multi-talented music freak who can be heard at many jams and open stages around town, performing his own material, and also playing bass for Factor Fiction. The cool thing is we didn't even have to go looking - he got the word through the New Foundation and contacted us right away. Meanwhile, Russell is shaking up the Foundation with a new season of singer/songwriter events he'll be hosting. Sign up for Songwriters Unite! now and stay tuned for details.

July 2005 Our last gig with bassist Jeff Haas was a wicked but bittersweet show. Jeff is moving to Sweden, becoming the third RLB bass-player to leave the country (not as bad as Spinal Tap's record with drummers, but sad nonetheless). We've had some great times together and he contributed a lot to the band. Who could forget his bald head thrashing uncontrollably through "Scenester" or his terrifying cover of "Monster Mash"? You can follow his escapades by reading Jeff's blog. Skaal, Jeff - we'll miss ya.

April 2005 Last month, we played to a packed Cameron House at Canadian Music Week, but that was nothing compared to opening for the legendary "Father of Rock'n'Roll", Ike Turner, last Saturday at the Reverb. After we got to hang with his awesome 10-piece band and have a photo snapped with the man himself, a crowd of several hundred faithful and curious music-lovers poured in and we delivered a smokin' set to warm them up for the main attraction. Ike and his Kings of Rhythm had us all shaking our booty - and shaking our heads in amusement. Hearing the 72-year-old simulate oral sex with his lusty singer (who looked and sounded like Tina Turner, of course) is something we may not forget for a while, as hard as we try. Yeah, he's a dirty old man, but hey, we like our blues dirty.

February 2005 How often do you get invited to do a gig with one of the guys who invented rock'n'roll? The Russell Leon Band is honoured to be opening for the one and only Ike Turner on Saturday, April 16 at the Reverb/Big Bop (651 Queen Street West). Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, but contact us if you want to go.

December 2004 Russell has started hosting The New Foundation monthly songwriter events at Hugh's Room. This unique series features nine different performers playing their original songs each month - with a different backing band each month. And to make things even more interesting, each performer has to write a new song on a special theme for the month. Check out the website if you're interested in participating. Our recording engineer skipped off to Costa Rica for two months, so the CD is on pause for a while, but we'll be back in the studio in January. Happy New Year!

October 2004 For all of you who've been asking when we're going to record the debut Russell Leon Band CD, it's time to give thanks. We spent Thanksgiving weekend in the studio putting down bed tracks - and this time it's for real. Working with the same talented team who co-produced and engineered Russell's solo EP, we laid the foundation for what is sure to become an indie classic. Russell and Ansgar did a great duo set as part of the RED festival at Lula Lounge. Organized by creative powerhouse Lisa Pijuan, RED shows are magical evenings filled with extraordinary music, dance, theatre, comedy, and more. Check one out and feel the force of true artistic expression.

September 2004 A few weeks after playing to hundreds of people at the Leon Russell show, we played for thousands of healthier people at the Terry Fox Run. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and we had the whole park grooving as everyone celebrated their physical achievement with... burgers and hot dogs. Thanks to all who organized and supported this great event in honour of a great Canadian.

August 2004 Just got back from a long weekend retreat up at the Funny Farm. We jammed, rehearsed, ate, drank, swam, canoed, chilled, and jammed some more. Many thanks to our hosts R&B and Jazz! Now we're gearing up for our big show with Leon Russell. Hope to see you there...

July 2004 Our traditional summer break. Last summer Russell went to Cuba for a month and came back with a Latin love song as hot and steamy as Havana in July. This year he spent some time in New York and returned with a tune about love going astray in the big city. And a kick-ass poem written while people-watching. Meanwhile, Russell was profiled in the June/July issue of the Annex Echo, the independent newspaper in his downtown neighbourhood. The article described the Russell Leon Band's music as "broad, unique and energetic... with themes running the gamut from anti-corporate sentiments and environmental issues to falling in and out of love."

March 2004 We have been busy recording recently, laying down demos at two local studios. Some of the results are available on this site for your listening pleasure. We also whipped up a stack of promo CDs to give out to important people at Canadian Music Week. That may even include you. We are working towards a full-length CD, but you'll have to wait a bit longer for that because, well, we want it to be worth the wait. Stay tuned for further details...

March 2004 Our new website is finally up and running. Read all about us, listen to our demo tracks, check the gig listings, see some photos, sign up for a songwriter night, order a T-shirt, join our mailing list, and keep in touch. We're still adding lots of info and ironing out some kinks, so please be patient and keep coming back for more. If you have any comments or suggestions, you can shoot us an email at info@rleonband.com.