Russell Esby

Hey! To highlight, the planned open mic at Tilt Birmingham on the 15th Dec is cancelled but postponed to 5th Jan instead. This is in light of the O2 gig my band Riverbud has the day after. We have a Christmassy surprise in store for that. Hope to see some of you there 😄

This month’s open mic went great! Thanks to the local talent and friends for making it. Next one on the 15th December 🙂 stay tuned

The Tilt Open Mic Show, special edition 4 is on its way next week! We’ve had a brilliant past few sessions so far. We’ve had so much talent and such incredible attendees create such a lovely atmosphere to be at. You wouldn’t want to miss out! A list of things you can do;
- Pop along
- Tag along whoever
- Say hi
- Play
- Sing (if that’s your thing)
- Network
- Read some poems (or don’t read some poems)
- Read messages you plan on sending that are essays in length and get free peer reviews and feedback
- Read an excerpt from your literature review and see what people think (better than ChatGPT)
- Have a good time
- Listen to the local up and coming artists of Brum

Third edition of the Tilt Open Mic Show went excellent. This time we had so many new comers up to the stage. Not only were we blessed with Laj’s lovely everlong cover, but also Roy’s unmatchable spirit with some acoustic tunes, Neil’s bass ride alongs, Jag’s iconic rock cover setlist, Tiny Sax’s sultry jazz renditions, and Nick’s covers of belty classics. Next one in store for 10th November. Thanks to everyone who made it for yet another brilliant night.

Next open mic is less than two weeks away! From local talent of original music, to planned as well as spontaneous covers, to impromptu jams - you wouldn’t want to miss this! The last two open mics I hosted went absolutely fantastic because of all the great souls that made it. If you’re looking for a chance to practice your stage presence or just get out there and network, by all means come along :)

What a fantastic open mic night. Thanks to the good friends with high spirits who made it. Though we were smaller in numbers than the last one, we were bigger in heart. Look forward to the next on 6th Oct already. Here are some favourite moments of mine caught on camera. Special thanks to all the acts for putting on a good show :)

Second open mic will be running at the tilt with *t_dhall and next week. Be there or be square! We have a lot of great acts in store for you - with open spots for returning kind minds, as well as new ones!

It’s when you delve deeper that you really get his musicality. Actually, at the bottom of it all was just a genius songwriter. We’re re-releasing all the Queen albums at the moment, so we’re being forced to listen hard to the remastering. And it’s just staggering.
His words got better quickly. There were some very overt lyrics. Don’t Stop Me Now is a good example. He was having a good time, and that was very much a cri de coeur. Some lyrics we wrote together like I’m Going Slightly Mad, which was funny. We had fun coming up with daft things, all those ridiculous phrases.
I’d say it was Freddie’s actual musicality which was the cleverest thing of all, the notes, and his harmonic structure was quite brilliant. When he wrote The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke, on the second album, he was crossing sections of six-part harmonies, and I thought: “Bloody hell, that is tricky stuff.”
Then there’s The March Of The Black Queen, which is almost like prog-rock, and so outrageously complicated that I can’t even remember the arrangement myself. When you write songs that complex, you have to work hard at it, and it did invoke a lot of head-scratching. But then he’d come up with Killer Queen or, later on, lots of simple things like Crazy Little Thing. He had it on all sides.
Freddie evolved. I always called him ‘the man who invented himself’. I think the talent was innate, but he dug deep inside himself and forced it out. His determination was quite something.
Roger Taylor

Accurate representation of how I’ve been feeling lately

To you open mic attendees of last Fri, I have an update :) ! Tilt Birmingham have confirmed us hosting the event monthly. The next two dates that we will be hosting are on:

- Fri 15th September
- Fri 6th October

Please mark in your diaries! will be posting promotional material about it closer to the date.

Creeper, oh man.

What an incredible evening hosting with Aksh*t Dhall and set up with Kev and Matilda. Thanks to the performers for making this open mic as special as it was; Sade, Adam, Aksh*t, Martin, Roy, Jee and the rest of the great Amicus band, Sara, and Jag. The atmosphere everyone made was excellent. On popular request, there will be a next! I’ll be in communication with the venue, and post updates here and on Instagram. Will try make it a monthly thing 🙂

The best artists tend to be the ones with the most sensitive antennae. Tune your sensitivity right and connect with other creatives at my open mic Aug 4th Tilt Birmingham

Coo-coo-coo-coo coo coo. Coo-coo-coo-coo coo coo.

Day by day, I'm falling more in love with you, and day by day, my love seems to grow. There isn't any end to my devotion. It’s deeper dear, by far than any ocean 🎶

Mirror selfie. Felt cute, might scrap in bin later 🔵 . I ran out of black ink after the face, and finished it off in blue without much thought. I wasn’t sure about doing it, but I made a satisfying row of RGB in my insta feed anyways

“Every rejection, every disappointment has led you to this moment. Don’t let anything distract you from it.”

My first toe dip into the wondrous world of portraits. With a grayscale of red to begin with of course! Pleasantly surprised with how this turned out.

Today is the day ! On radio at 5pm UK time, Black Country Xtra !

“True peace is allowing yourself to feel without shame but also focus without obsession.” Late night thoughts as I late night doodle.

Starting the day with some relaxing sketch work ☺️ thanks for the shot !

Just created a page with designs based on AI art! Will be posting videos as well as gig announcements related to our band Riverbud here from now on. Follow to tag along Kev and mine’s journey down the river 🦦

Happy to announce our showcase at ! Kev and I will be playing our silly little love songs and some new hip busting covers. Amongst us will be local acoustic talent, so save the date for a night of wholesome fun. All are welcome 😊

Catch me and Kev Budd 26th Feb ! Ticket link in bio. Hosted by singer-songwriter , there will be a variety of hand-picked talent. Proceedings will go to Purple Angel, a charity raising awareness for dementia.

"Entire nation by infatuation drowning through and through. Mind's swimming in the clouds. Can I see myself through? Out of a habit when my mind tries to stab it. Saving up my heart so my brain can't grab it."

Kev Budd and I are so in tempo that we coordinate our outfits unconsciously. Last night was lovely. Cheers for hosting yet another incredible open mic Ben Drummond and playing some sweet sweet bass

“Solitude nurtures the inner flower, where beauty blooms and peace is empowered.” - ChatGPT, prompted with a description of my comic

We all have a hidden part of ourselves - a shadow - that represents our insecurities, fears, and flaws. Though it takes courage, embracing and exposing it can blossom creativity. Only with a shadow can we gain a deeper self-understanding with opportunity for growth.

Merry Christmas, everyone! A perfect coca-cola influenced excuse to dress up in red and spend some quality time with your loved ones. There are milestones. For better or worse, a lot has changed since last Christmas. But still, everything stays right where you left it. Tolerate all the corny Christmas songs, and love love :)