There's an official story, and we're sticking to it. For a REALLY deep glance into my musical origins, go here.

Coffee shops. Open-mike nights. Acoustic guitar. Facial hair. Combine all ingredients. Yield: one average singer-songwriter.

ACOUSTIC ROSS, however, is anything but your average singer-songwriter, and much more than the sum of those parts.

ACOUSTIC ROSS is a solo AntiFolk artist and recovering Fat Person from Ohio who calls Tulsa home. His fiercely original take on life is a one-man assault on all things stale and boring: equal parts folk, punk, rock, blues, country and pop, with a dash of standup comedy to taste, it's AntiFolk al dente, high-energy Service with a Smirk. Nothing is safe as ACOUSTIC ROSS skewers targets far & wide with biting wit, fearless wordplay, wild irreverence, and a medley you have to see to believe.

A childhood filled with comedy records, an instinct for pushing boundaries (“I was always a smartass, and I got sent to my room without dessert a lot,” ROSS explains in a fake interview, “so I learned to lead with my best material”) – mixed with ROSS’s instinctive sarcasm built-in BS detector, and acerbic wit honed his pointed sense of humor and sharpened his tongue.

The mid-90s find ROSS moving from his native Ohio to Springfield, MO, where he would cut his live-performance teeth at open mics and with a standing gig at a local coffee shop. Getting compliments and complaints about exactly the same material, he decides he must be doing something right, and soon he finds himself settling down in northeast Oklahoma. Appearances at local clubs lead to features on local TV, airplay on the legendary Dr. Demento radio show, and (thanks to a miscommunication that sticks) a new stage name.

In 2002 the newly christened ACOUSTIC ROSS self-releases his first CD, News From Around the Bend, garnering him a Tulsa World Spot Music Award nomination, and launches acousticross.com. Two years later comes The 918 UFN EP, cementing ROSS's status as the Court Jester of the Tulsa music scene. ACOUSTIC ROSS spends three summers as Executive Producer of Tulsa’s edition of an American Idol-esque TV singing competition, and concludes 2004 touring the American Southeast with several indie press authors, sharing songs, stories, and issues of his own little-known zine, coincidentally titled News From Around the Bend.

The mid-to-late-aughts bring another Spot Music Award nomination (“Best Singer-Songwriter”), four years fronting a side project (a four-piece rock band called MATH LAB that sounds nothing like him), and high-profile shows (including multiple appearances at Tulsa's Mayfest & D-Fest events). His latest album, The Anarchist Fakebook, is recorded, released, and well-received in 2008, and features a selection of darker, edgier songs alongside the twistedly funny ACOUSTIC ROSS fare.

In 2010 ACOUSTIC ROSS joins forces with Tulsa’s original sword-swallowing, knife-throwing, fire-breathing, snake-dancing carnival sideshow troupe, the Crispy Family Carnival, becoming its house troubadour, MC and road manager, among other things.

Solo or with his carnival family, ACOUSTIC ROSS continues carving out his peculiar, unique niche, performing regularly in and around the Midwest, still proving that solo acoustic music doesn’t have to be boring, quiet or mellow.

Award Nominations:

Tulsa World Spot Music Awards 2002, “Best None of the Above”
oklahomarock.com Music Awards 2003, “Best Singer-Songwriter”
paynecountyline.com Music Awards 2005, “Acoustic Band of the Year”
Tulsa World Spot Music Awards 2005, “Best Singer-Songwriter”