Acoustic Ross
BIO ACOUSTIC ROSS's fiercely original take on life is a one-man assault on all things idiotic. Equal parts folk, punk, rock, blues, country, and pop, it's highly energetic Service With a Smirk. Nothing is safe, as ROSS skewers his targets - obsessive lovers, pet causes, pop culture, rampant stupidity - with a biting wit and a wild irreverence seldom seen in these hyper-PC times.
A steady diet of old comedy records (Stan Freberg, Spike Jones, Tom Lehrer) warped the young ROSS, and by high school his songwriting was already uniquely twisted. After that time, ROSS would learn more from punks like the Dead Kennedys and the Minutemen than from Paul Simon or James Taylor. "I was a smart-aleck from day one, and ended up getting sent to my room without dessert a lot," ROSS explains. "But all that taught me was that I had one chance for a good wisecrack, so I should always make it a really good one." That instinctive sarcasm, combined with a natural skepticism and a built-in BS detector, molded his acerbic wit, and helped hone that pointed sense of humor.
From open-mike nights to opening for young punk bands to headlining nights on his own, his bizarre, darkly humorous original songs & parodies of pop hits endeared him to the coffee shop crowds and attracted a strong local following.
Mixing in some heartfelt sentiments to offset the punch lines, ACOUSTIC ROSS moved to Tulsa, OK and carved out the peculiar niche he calls "Comedy Rock with a Dark Side." He's made several TV appearances, and his signature tune "Idiot" appeared on the nationally syndicated Dr. Demento radio show. "I've always gotten complaints and compliments on exactly the same material," ROSS notes, "so I guess I'm doing something right."
Why He's So Antifolk
CD REVIEW: ROSS, News From Around the Bend:
"If Ben Lee let his sense of humor loose, Ross wouldn't have much of a music career.
But then, he doesn't really. Such is the fate of guys with guitars who have such sharp senses of humor.
Ross knocks out catchy pop riffs on his acoustic guitar and sings always amusing, often hilarious slices of life, from well-meaning stalkers to pack rats and the other losers at open-mike night. His cynicism isn't too cutting, almost cuddly."
-- Thomas Conner
In early 2002 ROSS released his first independent CD, News From Around The Bend, and was later honored with a nomination from the Tulsa World newspaper in its annual Spot Music Awards ('Best None of the Above' category). He continues to perform regularly at a variety of venues around the Tulsa region, providing living proof that solo acoustic music doesn't have to be boring, quiet, or mellow.
Antifolk is more an approach than a sound, but most Antfolk artists incorporate a healthy dose of humor into their music. And ACOUSTIC ROSS is one such artist.In late 2001 it finally occurred to ACOUSTIC ROSS that he might indeed be an Antifolk artist, and he started throwing the word around a bit. It was Tulsa's first exposure to that word, and most didn't know what he was talking about. Not that they'd understood him much before that anyway.