Russell Gottlieb is an inspired performer whose style is located at the intersection of careful introspection and reckless abandon.  His fearlessly open musical expression is as striking at the front of a stage as it is sitting around the fireplace, and it has carried him to influential venues all over the United States.

In 2014, Gottlieb graduated Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s Degree, magna cum laude, where he studied with master guitarist Vic Juris and a faculty of other jazz greats.

By that time, Russell was already a keen performer. From 2010 to 2014, he played over 250 shows, spanning the entire East Coast and points West. It was during this time Russell started studying with banjo legend Ryan Cavanaugh.

In 2012, Russell co-founded The Brummy Brothers, a rock-infused, improvising string band that toured the US playing clubs, theaters, festivals, and more.  The Brummy Brothers played hundreds of shows and recorded one full-length album, On Our Way.

From August 2015 to January 2022, Russell played banjo in Deadgrass, a string-band quintet performing unique and adventurous interpretations of music from throughout Jerry Garcia's life. Joining near the band’s founding, Russell helped to develop repertoire and style and to grow the band’s notoriety and geographical range from NYC to the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and California.

In 2022 Russell joined Clare Maloney and the Great Adventure on electric bass and banjo. This 4-piece rock band has released two studio albums and played throughout the Northeast and Mid-West. The band was featured in Relix Magazine in 2023.

Most recently, Russell has shifted his attention towards American traditional folk music, learning old folk songs from their earliest known recordings, such as those available from the Lomax Digital Archive and via aural tradition (learning them directly from other musicians). He performs regularly with The Burnt Mills Highballers, an old time string band.

Additionally, Russell leads Steel Press, whose YouTube channel includes recordings from live-streamed concerts and more. Solidified in 2020, Steel Press broadcasted concerts throughout the earliest days of the pandemic from a living room in Jersey City, NJ that Russell converted into an improvised yet effective live music and streaming studio.

Other groups Russell has accompanied include, Diesel Wagon, Keepin’ the Family, Adam Melchor, The Promised Land, The New Jersey Youth Choir, and more.

Music has the power to strengthen communities both large and small by bringing people together to share art in a social setting.  Russell has participated in events with the Rex Foundation and other charitable organizations working to use music as a force for good.

Russell offers private music lessons to players of all ages and skill levels, including beginners.  As a teacher, his goal is to teach his students the skills they need to learn and improve on their own, along with the skills needed to play with other musicians and perform solo or with a group.  Lessons are based on each student’s needs and interests.  For more information on lessons click here. 

“Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”

    -Robert Hunter