BIO

“It is very rare that I hear a band that was previously unknown to me that blows my ears off… Rusty Shipp have rocked this album right out of the park.” - Andy Phelps, The Metal Review 

True to their name, Nashville’s Rusty Shipp have created a sound known as Nautical Rock ‘n’ Roll. Characterized by its dark, underwater sound, haunting vocals, and unconventional heavy riffs, the music is a perfect fusion of grunge and surf rock, sounding appropriately like a “rusty ship”! The band has created a multi-dimensional, artistic experience that integrates music, narrative story-telling, illustration, and video to take the listener on a voyage into their underwater world with its undercurrent of provocative philosophies. Artistry and depth aside though, their music is most memorable for the Beatlesque chord progressions and hooky vocal melodies at the core of every song.

Tirelessly thinking and working like it’s a divine mission, the band’s goal is to “inspire people’s imagination, fill them with hope, and do our part to increase harmony in the world using the medicine of music.” The result of this zeal is the new concept album “Dark Side of the Ocean.”

Named after singer-songwriter Russ T. Shipp, the band was started in 2014 in Nashville, TN and grew to include AJ Newton on drums and Doug Webster on bass. Russ T. has his own signature sound, weaving his raspy voice in and out of falsetto and vibrato; at times sounding like a “higher-pitched Kurt Cobain,” as one music critic put it, and other times like a ghost. 

ACCOLADES

“NECK BREAKER” (SINGLE) WON RadioU’s Battle of the Buzz song contest

“The best album I’ve heard this year!” - Dave Hawkins, The Antidote (Radio Show on Effect Radio)

Rusty Shipp won TWO prestigious awards — Song of the Year (Rock) for “Living Waters” in the 2023 Josie Music Awards (Largest Independent Music Awards) and Alt Rock Song of the Year for “Bottom of the Barrel” in the 2023 Grizzly Awards. The album Dark Side of the Ocean’s singles “Bottom of the Barrel,” “What’s Kraken?,” and “Living Waters” rose to the top 10 most played rock songs in the nation on BigBigHit’s USA Rock Hits/Breaking Rock Top 10 charts, RadioU’s Top 10 Most Wanted Songs (per listener requests), and Christian Music Weekly’s radio chart (#6, #9, #8), among other charts.

“LIVING WATERS” (SINGLE)

  • WON “Song of the Year (Rock) in the 2023 Josie Music Awards (Largest Independent Music Awards)

  • 6th Most-played Song on ChristianRock.net in 2023

“BOTTOM OF THE BARREL” (SINGLE) 

  • WON ”Alt Rock Song of the Year” for “Bottom of the Barrel” in the 2023 Grizzly Awards

  • #14 Rock Song of 2022 — Christian Music Weekly’s National Radio Chart 

  • #1 Song of 2022 — Crossroad Radio (WBFJ) 

  • #12 Song of 2022 — Some Sort of Rock Show (WJTL) 

  • #26 Most Requested Song of 2022 — RadioU 

“Rusty Shipp returned with a brand new single called ‘Bottom Of The Barrel’...already it’s a contender for my favorite song of the year.” - Andy Herrin, 102.9 FM The Buzz, Nashville‘s Rock Station

“DARK SIDE OF THE OCEAN” (ALBUM) 

  • #1 Album of 2022 — The Antidote, featured on Effect Radio, etc 

  • #5 Album of 2022 — JesusFreakHideout.com 

“An ambitious work…its concept and storyline brilliantly executed… flawlessly arranged and beautifully crafted on every level.”  
- Album Review, Eclectic Music Lover

Rusty Shipp won Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and three other awards in the 2020 JFH Awards, and was named top 30 artists of 2020 by Effect Radio. ‘Liquid Exorcist’ was named #1 album of 2019 by WBFJ (Crossroad Radio), #9 Album of 2019 on The Antidote radio show, and #10 Album of 2019 in the JFH Staff Picks on Jesusfreakhideout.com (alongside artists like Switchfoot, Disciple, and Demon Hunter). ‘Breaking Waves’ was named #9 song of 2019 by WBFJ (Crossroad Radio) and ‘Liquid Pendulum’ stayed at #1 for 3 weeks on the USA Rock Radio charts according to BigBigHit.

The group has had premieres, features, and interviews on CCM Magazine, HM Magazine, PureGrainAudio, Jesusfreakhideout.com, NewReleaseToday, RadioU, ChristianRock20, Cross Rhythms (UK), Effect Radio, and many others, including Nashville’s FM rock stations Lightning 100 and 102.9 The Buzz. They have also played concerts with artists such as Saliva, Tantric, Smile Empty Soul, Chuck Mosley (Faith No More/Bad Brains), and Kevin Max (dc Talk). Frontman Russ T. Shipp performs every week in a livestream for the band’s fan community, ‘The Shippmates.’   

“Down at the Bottom of the Barrel, still your love is bottomless
The weight of the world is crushing me to a pulp, but it brings my soul to the surface
And if I make my bed in Mariana Trench, I’m welcomed to a city that’s lit
Bioluminescence” - lyrics to ‘Bottom of the Barrel’