Late-Night Sessions with Kevin Russell

www.twotwoart.com – Some radio moments feel less like broadcasts and more like secret gatherings. The Hole Story sessions with Kevin Russell of Shinyribs land squarely in that magical space, turning an ordinary Tuesday at 10 p.m. on KUTX into a weekly rendezvous for curious ears. These sessions do more than spin tracks; they invite listeners into a loose, late‑night circle where stories, songs, and sideways memories drift together. If you crave music radio with personality and depth, these sessions deserve a spot on your calendar.

At first glance, The Hole Story might look like just another niche show buried in the schedule. Listen once, though, and the sessions reveal something much richer: a guided tour through the grooves, gaps, and glorious accidents that shape American roots music. Kevin Russell brings not only his Shinyribs songbook, but also his well‑worn record collection, road stories, and wry sense of humor. The result is a set of sessions that feel intimate, adventurous, and stubbornly human in an era obsessed with algorithms.

The Hole Story sessions: more than a playlist

The word “sessions” usually conjures images of studio takes, musicians huddled around microphones, or bootleg tapes passed between friends. The Hole Story sessions borrow that spirit but move it onto the airwaves. Each Tuesday, Russell pieces together an hour that feels like a behind‑the‑scenes hang. The music does not simply fill time; it stitches together a narrative. You can sense choices guided by curiosity rather than corporate metrics, which is increasingly rare.

On paper, these sessions are just a radio program. In practice, they resemble an ongoing conversation between host and listener. Russell threads together soul, swamp pop, country, funk, folk, and oddball gems without treating any style as a novelty. Instead of rigid genre walls, the sessions map out the secret trails running between sounds. It feels like visiting a friend with a deep record shelf and no urge to show off, just a desire to share discoveries.

There is also a distinct sense of place that runs through the sessions. KUTX, rooted in Austin’s fertile music ecosystem, gives Russell room to roam while still anchoring him in Central Texas soil. That balance matters. These sessions reflect a region where honky‑tonks, dance halls, and backyard parties shape taste more than trend charts. When Russell pulls a tune from Gulf Coast R&B or Louisiana swamp rock, you hear an entire humid geography echoing through the speakers.

Why late-night sessions still matter

In a world of on‑demand playlists, the survival of curated radio sessions might seem surprising. Yet the timing of The Hole Story sessions is part of the appeal. Tuesday at 10 p.m. is a threshold hour, when the day finally loosens its grip. Listeners lean in rather than multitask. These sessions arrive precisely when attention is softer, maybe even more honest. That mood turns a simple sequence of songs into a shared nocturnal ritual, faintly conspiratorial, faintly soothing.

There is also the paradox of choice to consider. With millions of songs available, discovery often feels more like scrolling than listening. The Hole Story sessions push against that fatigue. Instead of endless options, you receive a single, unrepeatable path through an hour of music. Russell becomes less a DJ and more a guide, cutting through the noise with selections shaped by lived experience. These sessions may not solve digital overload, but they offer a humane counterweight.

On a personal level, I find this model of sessions deeply restorative. The show reminds me that music appreciation thrives on context: a story behind a track, an offhand remark about a session player, a memory tied to a cheap motel on tour. When Russell drops these bits between songs, the sessions grow roots. The music turns into a map of human moments rather than a background soundtrack. In that sense, late‑night sessions like The Hole Story are not nostalgic relics; they are small acts of resistance against passive listening.

Kevin Russell’s voice in the sessions

Kevin Russell’s presence is the gravitational center of these sessions, yet he never overwhelms the music. Fans of Shinyribs know his flair for theatrical performance, but on The Hole Story sessions his showmanship becomes something gentler: a storyteller’s cadence, seasoned with wit and affection for misfit tunes. He champions songs that might otherwise remain buried, framing them with just enough commentary to spark curiosity. From my perspective, these sessions highlight a role often missing in modern music culture: the enthusiastic, informed neighbor who insists you borrow a record because “you just have to hear this.” In a fractured listening landscape, that kind of generous curation feels quietly radical and deeply necessary, leaving listeners with more than a playlist—an enduring sense of connection.