SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH

SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH is a collection that features traditional and original ballads that tell stories of tragic misfortune.  "...very unique lane of songs about love and death!  Fascinating material."  John Magnie

SHADOW

Released July of 2022,  Shadow is a collection collection of original songs from singer-songwriter Russ Hopkins.  Performed in his unique warm folk-rock-americana style, Russ sings songs about love, angst, loss, despair, redemption, innocence and longing with an at times haunting voice.  The tracks are arranged around acoustic guitars, mostly.  Musical guests Jerry Palmer and Steve Amedee help Hopkins create a diverse yet unified thematic ambience and feel.  "Great songs on the subject of shadow!...the shadow knows!" John Magnie

Now available on all major steaming sites.

For a CD copy contact: russ@kivarecords.com

Buffalo

Russ Hopkins

A collection of traditional folk songs.

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Froggy

Russ Hopkins

Traditional and original children's songs with textured acoustic guitar based arrangements.

This is my eighth studio album and the first with children in mind. The recordings feature acoustic and slide guitar, bass, flute, harp, piano and clarinet.

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Kairos

Russ Hopkins

Contemporary folk/pop/rock style release.

Hopkins possesses an “Americana/folk rock sound... Earthy undertones flow throughout his pieces, creating an old Western ambiance. His poetic lyrics combine with beautiful harmonies and melodies rich with acoustic honesty, transporting listeners to a different time. His hauntingly beautiful, deeply rich

Contemporary folk/pop/rock style release.

Hopkins possesses an “Americana/folk rock sound... Earthy undertones flow throughout his pieces, creating an old Western ambiance. His poetic lyrics combine with beautiful harmonies and melodies rich with acoustic honesty, transporting listeners to a different time. His hauntingly beautiful, deeply rich voice reminds you of Johnny Cash circa “Hurt.” In a world filled with bubbly pop and club remixes, it’s refreshing to find honest lyrics presented in a way that makes listeners reflect on themselves.” Crystal Campbell, Fort Collins COLORADOAN

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Sweet Mystery

Russ Hopkins

Americana folk/rock originals about love, loss and the mystery of it all.

“This is a wonderful record! Thanks for the great music and songwriting.” - Wendy Wham, KUNC Radio

“After producing over one hundred albums Russ Hopkins has utilized his musical expertise to compile Sweet Mystery... Co-produced by longtime collaborator Jerry Palmer, this

Americana folk/rock originals about love, loss and the mystery of it all.

“This is a wonderful record! Thanks for the great music and songwriting.” - Wendy Wham, KUNC Radio

“After producing over one hundred albums Russ Hopkins has utilized his musical expertise to compile Sweet Mystery... Co-produced by longtime collaborator Jerry Palmer, this collection of country-tinged folk leaves the listener longing for the time when music was unapologetically raw and organic... The album generates a Western ambiance that never ends... Hopkins’ introspective lyrics and multi-instrumental skills evoke moments spent contemplating the vast skyline and our connection with nature. Perhaps his close ties to the Native American community are responsible for the obvious earthy undertones throughout the piece... This New York native demonstrates his melodic genius by delivering songs that are naturally rich in poetic suggestion and harmonious charm. Each song integrates with one another seamlessly, and the result is an enjoyable album that showcases Hopkins’ talents as a bona-fide troubadour.” By Joshua Espinosa, Scene Magazine

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Six

Russ Hopkins

A unique sounding album by a singer-songwriter who has found his own style in the tradition of Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

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Desert Cinema

Jerry Palmer & Russ Hopkins

Sweeping instrumentals with broad textural landscapes.

Russ Hopkins has been writing, performing and producing music for over 3 decades on three continents. He has performed with and supported national acts on stage, such as John McEuen of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful and Chuck Pyle. Hopkins lives in Colorado

Sweeping instrumentals with broad textural landscapes.

Russ Hopkins has been writing, performing and producing music for over 3 decades on three continents. He has performed with and supported national acts on stage, such as John McEuen of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful and Chuck Pyle. Hopkins lives in Colorado with his wife and two children.

Jerry Palmer is an accomplished acoustic musician and multi-Instrumentalist, currently living in the Northern Colorado area. With a long list of albums behind him and years worth of original materials in hand, Jerry's music bursts with enthusiasm as well as true artistic flare, which can only be characterized as being unique to him alone.

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Moon Dreaming

Russ Hopkins & Jerry Palmer

Engaging, cinematic instrumental ambience.

"Haunting." — Bob McDonnell, Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

“ ...the first impression is one of Indian Qwali music mixed with Tibetan chanting and a dash of Eastern European flare. “Moon Dreaming” captures the essence of those worlds and much more in these laid-back, acoustic-driven, instrumental wanderings.” —

Engaging, cinematic instrumental ambience.

"Haunting." — Bob McDonnell, Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

“ ...the first impression is one of Indian Qwali music mixed with Tibetan chanting and a dash of Eastern European flare. “Moon Dreaming” captures the essence of those worlds and much more in these laid-back, acoustic-driven, instrumental wanderings.” — Glenn BurnSilver, The Reporter-Herald

"If judging a book by its cover is a no-no, then ditto for a CD. In this case, I initially blew it with Moon Dreaming: A Dance With The Hermit, by Northern Colorado multi-instrumentalists and longtime collaborators Russ Hopkins and Jerry Palmer. I saw the orange, shadowy moon on the cover; I was a tad squeamish about the album title and a song called “Cat Dancing.” Visualizing a store packed with reeky incense, coffee-table Buddhas and middle-aged, ponytailed clerks, I thought, This is death by New Age, and it’s going to last more than an hour.

My mind pulled a U-turn after multiple listens, however. New Age is, like most genre titles, a ramshackle descriptor at best. Even so, the worst of what we call New Age presents a plastic, vague spirituality that often glosses over our organic, messy souls?

The seventeen instrumentals on Moon Dreaming, though they include New Age staples like background samples of chanting monks and thunderclouds, elude pigeonholing. Hopkins and Palmer, who have soundtracked plays for local theatre company OpenStage and documentary film projects, achieve a cinematic, engaging ambience. Though the album is packed with flutes, found sounds, keyboards, an oboe, folk harp and more, the acoustic guitar is the most captivating, especially on the pensive drive of “Mendacity” and the bouncy folk-blues of “Mandala.”

It would be a shame if Moon Dreaming became just another album to accessorize a yoga session, because the skill and subtlety here create a backdrop worth paying attention to." — Elliott Johnston, Rocky Mountain Chronicle

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