Slightly interrupted by a phone call at the end. New song, The Infinite Scroll. "They call it a feed 'cuz it goes down your throat"

It’s a little odd that I’ve written several songs lately about parasocial relationships, but it may be the theme for an album

Happy 4th and 250th - wearing my red, white, and blue feather for it. We have work to do, for sure. But I love my country, not always for what it is or has been, but for what I still believe it can become.

Dystopias are easier to monetize than utopias. That explains pretty much all of this.

Took the 1967 Fender Coronado XII out to play last week. Special occasion, as it rarely leaves the house. But such an amazing and jangly player!

Sometimes at coffeeshops my name is “Rust.” I just go with it.

If you’re going to buy an electric self-driving car, it’s probably a bad idea to buy one made by a guy who doesn’t know how to stay in his lane. I mean, staying in lanes is kinda important for self-driving.

Hadn't planned to do this one, yet it turned out to be my highlight of the night. Very much appreciate Danny Coleman and Six Strings Guitar & Lounge on the square in Georgetown TX for having me play last week.

Expecting to see John Barron leave a one-star review of Haberman and Swan's "Regime Change" on Amazon any minute now.

The pundits sometimes miss an important thing about Mamdani's appeal: he's cheerful and positive. There's a big appetite for that right now.

Between frogs and algae, a theme is emerging russsomers.bandcamp.com/track/the-mi...

Algaetifa

youtu.be/_9BTM0OAdfc?... BLACKBERRY SMOKE & MIKE CAMPBELL AND THE DIRTY KNOBS 'Runnin' Down A Dream'

Photo by my friend Albert Sanchez, who is not on here. It was a super fun night. Sharpening some arrangements to work better solo.

Peter Thiel is an anagram for “the reptile”

Progress on the #weevilcaster

Rewiring a Telecaster for three-conductor wiring so I can install a four-way switch and run the pickups in series or parallel. Building this for a friend of the family who lost their guitars in an apartment fire.

I look at my fretboard, you look at the top of my head...sorry. Rehearsing for a songwriter's showcase on at Six Strings on the square in Georgetown, TX. Friday, June 19, 7p. Thoughts on this arrangement? I recorded with full band Chicago blues style, working to make it work for solo performance.

We now have our first trillionaire. Maybe I should update the song to reflect that reality, but I have a more audacious idea: let's update reality to reflect economic justice. russsomers.bandcamp.com/track/the-la...

Gulf of Kennedy Center

“I got a job at Guitar Center, I f’n hate this place.” Loving this Fantastic Cat track. open.spotify.com/track/6DbsPM...

Person, woman, man, camera, TV interview that marks a turning point

The Precision Bass has gone to San Marcos to live with the boy in his first apartment. I have feelings about this…feelings as complex as a nice bourbon, but all good.

Evidently if you play Jazz, it voids the warranty on this guitar stand. A sensible policy.

Sometimes I wonder how the truss rod is holding up on the Gibson bass I sold that guy that one time

Dog and slide

Harmony Rocket 5-string open G POV. First time playing solo slide live

It's true that money doesn't buy happiness. But it does alleviate misery. Which is why a wealthy person's unhappiness ("I still feel unfulfilled and there are still things I can't control") is sometimes different from a poor person's unhappiness ("I'm losing my house because of my kid's cancer")

Sometimes The Strokes make me think of Television.

Usually when I tell the story about the scorpion and the frog it doesn't include the part about "and so I posted a photo of myself reading 'The Art of the Sting' to try to get his endorsement, but it didn't work."

In retrospect, having nuanced good-faith conversations about social issues with people in a movement that sees things like recumbent bicycles as signs of moral decay - "it's not like the American bicycles we had growing up!" - may have been a flawed strategy

Every so often I find an old Blogger site from someone who cared passionately about a niche topic like coffee spoons and never called themselves a “coffee spoon influencer” or posted endless selfies with coffee spoons and I remember that the Internet didn’t always suck

I will play the America 250 celebration only if I can play this song. youtube.com/shorts/xxxwd...

A headline writer at The Economist had a fun day at work.

Scrolling through my timeline, I realize that I post pictures of my dog even more than I post pictures of guitars. That seems like the right prioritization.

Dog at the bar

I question Spotify’s definition of “upbeat”

How about some music discovery on this Monday? This week's Other People's Music is one for the (strange) ages! Wild free jazz, insane dub mutations, adventurous IDM & dreamy soundscapes await you. www.etherdiver.com/2026/05/22/o... #musicsky #MusicDiscovery #WeirdMusic

I am Tipper. I have been to the groomer and I feel v stylish right now

I kinda thought the hannityvirus had already done enough damage

Gettin real, gonna happen. Been a long time since I did this.

How many of my bsky peeps are in Pflugerville, TX? Probably not many. But if you are...swing by the Three Legged Goat at 6p. I have not done a full set in a very long time...this will be fun. And I have a friend sitting in on violin (or fiddle, depending on which song).

Final episode of The Boys. Buckle up, c****

Happy National Rescue Day! Thanks to Tipper for rescuing us

Russ Somers – “I Drink My Whiskey Neat (I Don’t Like Ice)” A fun and folky anti-ICE protest/drinking song – short, sweet, sharp and pointed. russsomers.bandcamp.com/track/i-drin... @rsomers.bsky.social www.etherdiver.com/2026/05/15/o... #ProtestMusic #folk #rock #DrinkingSong

Coffeeshops should have a real-time display of their Internet speed on a big sign outside, like gas station price signs

If the fund is for victims of weaponization of the Federal government, I assume Hunter Biden's claim will be honored

Doggo does alt-text

Welcome to the week. Here's some new music to get you thru it! Unusual post rock, classic pop/rock, a drinking song for protesters, instrumental eclecticism + more www.etherdiver.com/2026/05/15/o... From @timeveleigh.bsky.social @reonmoebius.bsky.social @rsomers.bsky.social @sixomatic.bsky.social

I'm playing at Three Legged Goat in Pflugerville this Friday, 5/22. 6pm. If you're a Pflugervillian (or Austinite, or Round Rocker), swing by and say hi! www.bandsintown.com/e/108351730