From the Norwood Times, September 29, 2005

Wolff doesn’t take second chance for granted
By Christopher Griffin
Staff Writer

Touring throughout New England in support of his new album "Karma, Co.", Russell Wolff stopped at Perks Coffee House Sept. 22 to continue what had become a new life through music.

Wolff, who survived a nearly fatal throat infection in 2002, is now dedicating his life to happiness and is certainly conveying this through his live show.

Wolff, who has the spent the last 10 years playing his catchy, quirky pop-rock throughout the United States and Canada, suddenly became sick with a throat infection in 2002 that quickly spread to his head, chest and his neck and completely closed off his throat.

Doctors, fearing for his life, prepared Wolff's family for his death. But miraculously only four weeks later, Wolff was released from the hospital.

"You're conscious, but you never know if you're going to come back," Wolff said. "It's too large to understand, so I just continue to do the things in life that are positive."

The positive things in life for Wolff include releasing his sixth album, producing other artists and touring the country with his band delivering an upbeat, explosive pop rock show.

Wolff, who is no stranger to Perks, played the coffee house as a favor and fill in due to a cancellation. Throwing the show together at the last minute proved to be an organizational disaster full of reverb and tuning mishaps, but it provided some comic relief and gave the audience a personable feel of how truly upbeat Wolff is.

"This could go down in history as the most disorganized show ever," he said to the assembled.

Wolff played a straight two hour set with his four piece band that was filled with songs about love, heartbreak and the simple annoyances of life. He rarely stopped smiling.

The set also included three songs with Liz Carlisle, a folk and country songwriter originally from Montana. Carlisle just released her debut studio album (produced by Wolff). Carlisle provided a seriousness that lacked in the beginning of Wolff's set.

Although the throat infection is never directly addressed during the show, Wolff's live music is a portrait of an artist who has lived through the hardships of life. Though the degree of these hardships and how they are conveyed may vary, both the show and the music stay fun and upbeat throughout. The songs he played from "Karma, Co." were no different.

"This is a song about a yellow truck and how it can signify that your girl leaving forever, in a good way," Wolff said.

The chorus of "Yellow Ryder Truck" details the public heartbreak of a girlfriend moving out and packing her possessions into a moving truck.

"I cross the street, I look both ways and when I get there/ I keep on running into doggone twisted luck/ last thing that hit me was a yellow Ryder truck," Wolff sang.
Wolff also showed that his upbeat strength can turn to vulnerability on one of his few somber songs, "Karma, Co."

"This big yellow truck outside the house with your life inside/I've shown the world all my tears and joy underneath my pride," Wolff sang. "And I'm hearing, as you hand back the key ring and you say what I'm fearing, that its time to go home."

Originally doctors were not sure that Wolff would survive, let alone continue to sing. So Wolff is taking full advantage of a second opportunity and is making music that lyrically gets right to the point and delivers a message.

"Honestly, it created a dark time for me", said Wolff about recovering from his illness. "In the wake of this experience I just try to seize the moment and make people happy with my music."

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