Russ Tolman

Early life and career

Tolman was born August 15, 1956, and raised in Northern California. His father was a sheep rancher, and his mother was a former burlesque dancer who worked during World War II as a "Rosie the Riveter". He is the grandson of noted psychologist Edward C. Tolman, and great-nephew of Manhattan Project physicist Richard C. Tolman.

While attending school at University of California, Davis, Tolman was a DJ at the student radio station KDVS, where he met a pre-Dream Syndicate Steve Wynn and Kendra Smith, who were also disc jockeys at the station. Together in 1978 they formed Suspects, which was touted as Davis's first New Wave band. Answering a classified ad in The California Aggie was drummer Gavin Blair (who would later be lead singer in True West) and bassist Steve Suchil. Active until 1980, when Wynn and Smith returned to Southern California to attend UCLA, Suspects played many of the Northern California punk and new wave venues of the day including San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens and The Deaf Club and UC Davis's Coffeehouse. They released a 45 RPM single "Talking Loud" b/w "It's Up To You" in 1979.

Following the breakup of Suspects, Tolman began playing with Sean O'Brien in The Meantime, which also featured bassist Rick Gates, son of David Gates of Bread. The elder Gates produced Tolman's song "Two For One" for the band's self-released 7" EP in 1981.

From 1979 until 1983, Tolman worked as a disc jockey at progressive country station KYLO in Davis, where he developed a love for classic honky tonk, western swing, and folk under the tutelage of music director Gordy Broshear, formerly of genre pioneers KFAT.

By 1982, The Meantime had changed their name to True West and Gavin Blair had replaced Sean O'Brien as lead singer. The band went on to coalesce around Blair, Tolman, and guitarist Richard McGrath and record two well received albums, which allowed the band to tour constantly in the US and Europe from 1983 through early summer 1985.

In summer 1985, True West and Tolman parted ways.

Solo recording career

Tolman started work on his first solo album Totem Poles And Glory Holes, which was released in 1986 on UK label Zippo/Demon Records. The album was released in the U.S. the next year on Down There/Restless Records and received many positive reviews including being named New York Times music critic Robert Palmer's "Rock Album of the Week" in the May 29, 1987 Times, as well as making that writer's and many other's year-end "Best Of" list.

Tolman left Davis for Los Angeles at the end of summer 1986, where he helped manage Steve Wynn's Down There Records label, releasing albums by Tolman, The Romans, Divine Weeks, Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs, Doctor's Children, and others via a distribution deal with successful independent label Restless Records.

Tolman did his first U.S. tour with a band that featured bassist David Provost (Dream Syndicate,The Droogs, Phil Seymour, Holly and the Italians), former True West drummer Frank French (later of Cake), and San Francisco guitarist Jeff Kane.

In 1988, Tolman recorded Down In Earthquake Town, which was the first of a series of albums he made at Westbeach Recorders with engineer (and sometimes co-producer and co-writer) Brett Gurewitz, founder of Bad Religion and Epitaph Records. This album was released in Europe on Zippo/Demon Records and in the U.S. on Skyclad Records. Tolman supported this album with a U.S. tour with a band that included keyboardist Robert Lloyd, bassist Brian Mazur, guitarist Jeff Kane, and drummer Dave Drewry. Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, credited as the Strawberry Neapolitan Singers, lends background vocals to the album. Tolman makes vocal noises on the title song of Concrete Blonde's 1989 album Free.

Goodbye Joe was released in 1990 on Skyclad Records and on France's New Rose Records. The record was recorded at Westbeach Recorders with the nucleus of bass player Provost and drummer Drewry, then fleshed out with the contributions of lead guitarist Jon Klages (The Individuals, The Richard Lloyd Band) and multi-instrumentalist Robert Lloyd. It was after the release of this album that Tolman began frequent tours in Europe joining Steve Wynn and his band as solo opener for their 1990 tour of France, Spain, and Italy.

Tolman particularly was drawn to Scandinavia, looking to relocate to Oslo, Norway. With this plan in mind, Tolman based his recording band for 1992's Road Movie around drummer Ned Leukhardt (Wall of Voodoo) who had relocated to Scandinavia with the demise of Wall of Voodoo in 1988. With Brett Gurewitz in the co-producer's chair, the album features a core band of Leukhardt on drums, bassist David Provost, Jon Klages on guitar with guest appearances by Green on Red's Chris Cacavas on organ, Robert Lloyd on mandolin and accordion, Chris Bauer steel guitar, and The Long Ryders's Sid Griffin on backing vocals. The album was released in Europe on New Rose Records.

Around this time, Tolman toured Belgium, Holland, and Denmark with John Wesley Harding. Earlier, he had done a winter tour of Spain with Harding, Steve Wynn, Chris Cacavas, and Giant Sand.

In 1992, Russ contributed background vocals on Steve Wynn's album Dazzling Display.

Sweet Spot was Tolman's fourth album released 1994 on his own Brilliant label via several European record companies including PIAS. Once again recorded in Los Angeles at Westbeach Recorders, Sweet Spot featured a band that included guitarist Kirk Swan (Dumptruck), drummer Dave Drewry, bass player Nino Del Pesco, multi-instrumentalist Robert Lloyd (Steve Wynn, John Wesley Harding, Carlene Carter, Amy Rigby), and Canadian vocalist Wendy Bird (Barney Bentall).

Tolman, along with Kirk Swan, Wendy Bird, and bassist Spike Priggen, embarked on an acoustic European tour to support Sweet Spot that included Scandinavia, France, Spain, and Italy.

Late in 1996, Tolman left Los Angeles for San Francisco. Living in the Mission District, he wrote his next album City Lights. During this time he made frequent trips to Portland, Oregon to work with songwriter/drummer Jim Huie on Huie's Girls Say Yes project that featured Huie's songwriting and drumming with vocals by Huie and several other Portland artists. Notably, True West guitarist Richard McGrath lends his considerable guitar talents to the project. Canadian songstress Wendy Bird also appears. The album was recorded with engineer Mike Demmers at Desitrek Studios. Tolman would later go on to record and mix part of his City Lights at this studio.

"City Lights" was also recorded in San Francisco with engineer Chris Von Sneidern with Steve Wynn co-producing several songs that include Linda Pitmon on drums, pianist Robert Lloyd, and Doug Freeman on bass. Guitarist Jeff Kane (who passed away from cancer in 2012) also participated in the album, both playing guitar and engineering overdubs. The album was mastered by the late Doug Sax and released on Germany's Blue Rose Records in 1998.

Tolman followed up the City Lights release with two tours of Europe. First in May and June 1998, he was solo opening act for The Cole Porters featuring his friend Sid Griffin playing in Germany and the UK. Tolman returned for a Fall 1998 tour with a band that featured guitarist Jeff Kane, drummer Jim Huie, and Portland bass player Roland Couture. It was on this tour in Cologne, Germany that Tolman met his future wife Kim Assing (now noted Hollywood production designer Kim A. Tolman).

In addition to songwriting and performing, Tolman has a keen interest in music production, having produced records for Barbara Manning's first band 28th Day, The Windbreakers, The Downsiders, The Popealopes, Lost Durangos, and others. In 1998, he started Innerstate Records, along with Pat Thomas. The label was active in the San Francisco Bay Area till 2006 with nearly 100 releases and spawned offshoot labels InnerSpace and WEED (which released albums by Thomas's band Mushroom). During the early 2000s, Tolman also worked as a reissue producer, overseeing re-releases from Willie Nelson, Bob Marley, Waylon Jennings, Leadbelly, Patsy Cline, and others.

In 2000, Tolman released New Quadraphonic Highway, which he recorded almost entirely in his Haight Ashbury district bedroom. It featured guest appearances by John Wesley Harding, Chuck Prophet, Tom Heyman, and Dale Duncan of Map of Wyoming and Flying Color.

In 2006, Tolman joined Gavin Blair, Richard McGrath, and True West newcomers Jim Huie, and bassist Ian Barrett for a series of True West reunion shows, which included several dates as opening act for old friends Violent Femmes, playing at venues such as San Francisco's legendary Fillmore Ballroom and the House of Blues at Downtown Disney, Anaheim.

In 2011, Tolman and wife Kim left the SF Bay Area to relocate in Los Angeles. Tolman reformed the Russ Tolman Band shortly after, featuring Kirk Swan on guitar, drummer Dave Drewry, Robert Lloyd on organ, bassist Dave Provost, and new addition Carl Byron on piano. They recorded and released the digital single "Los Angeles" in 2013.

Personal life

In 2000, Tolman married Kim Assing (now Kim A. Tolman) in Cologne, Germany. They currently reside in Los Angeles, where Kim works as a production designer and art director for film and themed entertainment. She is also a fine art painter.

Discography

Videography