December 18, 2015

Friday night live at Transistor: indie singer-songwriter Randi Russo and Grant Mooney of alternative rock band The Forest of Love.  Sound by Jon Monteverde.

As a solo artist Randi Russo has released three full-length albums, Solar Bipolar (2002), Shout Like A Lady (2006) andFragile Animal (2011), and the EP still standing still (2005). She has toured the U.S. and Europe and opened shows for artists like Regina Spektor, Here We Go Magic, White Rabbits, Nicole Atkins and Ida. The Village Voice has said, “Randi’s someone to keep your eye on…all she needs is one gig opening up for someone like Cat Power and her fame is pretty much guaranteed.” Randi left New York City for Chicago in the summer of 2012. She is also a painter. Visit Randi’s website.

Also available: previous Randi Russo Transistor performances from:
October 17, 2014
September 20, 2014
July 26, 2013
April 12, 2013 (as New Missionaries)
October 5, 2012

The Forest of Love is an alternative rock band based in Chicago. Founded in the Chicago suburbs circa 2006, the group has undergone numerous lineup and name changes since its inception. The current lineup is comprised of Grant Mooney on vocals and guitar, Alexsandra Castellanos on keyboards, and Mateusz Matczuk on drums.

The aesthetic and music of The Forest of Love is heavily rooted in alternative acts such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead and The Mars Volta. Their newest release, “reel_demo_real,” has shown them to not only be capable songwriters and talented musicians but unafraid to walk the line between accessibility and avant-garde. Appropriately released on Valentine’s Day of 2015, all songs were recorded, mixed and mastered by the band in Grant Mooney’s portable home studio. Dressed up as straightforward rock songs, the pieces on “reel_demo_real” gracefully unravel with hushed ambient vocal samples, shrieking guitar harmonics, temperamental synth fluctuations and terse soundscape vignettes built by multiple effects pedals. The lyrics and subject matter for the songs on “reel_demo_real” reflect Jungian dream interpretation, references to George Orwell’s work, and finding one’s identity and voice in today’s divisive political and social climate.