In the spring of 2022, Brian Russ, longtime Brooklyn musician (Backwords, Spirit Plate, The Love Supreme) and founder of indie label Campers’ Rule Records, was itching to start something new. He felt he had to.
“When you’ve been at it for over 20 years, it’s part of who you are,” he said. “I can’t stop making music. Even running around in my life, coaching baseball, going to work, hanging out with my family. Songs are always bubbling to the surface. Thank god for the voice memos app.”
Composed of all new songs written mostly while on a cross-country summer road trip with his family, all on a little kid-sized guitar “because it fit into the trunk,” Hand Gestures began materializing.
“I wanted to make something that spoke to life in your early 40s. That looked back, but also looked forward. Songs that could unlock universal feelings within - longing, love, loss - feelings we’ve all been through, while vividly reflecting on memories I haven’t thought about for years. Life as a teenager. Trying to figure things out. Coming to identify as an artist.”
Recorded in Brooklyn bathrooms, bedrooms, and in a superfund sludge warehouse, BQE-adjacent rehearsal room near off-duty sanitation trucks and once a random and shocking flame engulfed car, Hand Gestures was a two year process in the making. Produced, arranged, recorded, mixed and mastered by Brian after his kids were in bed, little by little, an album began to emerge, and in the process, as if by magic, a five piece live band also materialized.
Sal Garro, drummer from the 2010s Brooklyn band pow wow!, entered the picture after running into Brian fairly regularly during their morning bike commutes across the Brooklyn Bridge. Then Sal invited Bryan Bruchman from the former Brooklyn-based band Mount Sharp to play lead guitar parts.
“Everyone was just itching to play music again,” Brian said. “We all missed it. Once we were in the rehearsal space together, it just clicked.”
Joined by their friend Courtney Smotkin on keys and bassist Ryan Belski, just like that, ✌️ H A N D G E S T U R E S ✌️ was born — a brand new band for 2025 with a debut record in toe.
Brian, both a tech teacher and a tech skeptic, sums it up like this: “In a world riddled with emojis, only certain ones are clear and decipherable. The ones we've been doing our whole lives. The ones that just come out naturally. The ones we rely on to speak without speaking.”
Hand Gestures debut self-titled album is due out October 31st, 2025 on Campers' Rule Records who is releasing a limited-edition 100 copies on 12" vinyl.
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