Family bringing music to Glenwood

Tunes are a strong tie for mother-son duo

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — While it may be hard to explain what draws anyone to music, for Lesa Russo and her son, Jacob, 16, it’s certainly a family thing. Lesa had a childhood of playing music with relatives and neighbors, and even spent a few years strumming tunes professionally. Jacob was influenced by his mother at a young age, but has always had his own style, much of which is featured in his newest album, “When I’m Gone,” available on Amazon.com.

Tonight, the two will play their first live show together. Recently, as they sat in the Summit Canyon Coffee Shop, they spoke about their influences and styles. Talking about her son, it seemed that Lesa couldn’t have been more proud.

Q: Why music? Lesa: “I grew up in a family of music, where the whole family would play, and the neighbors would come over and play music.”

Jacob: “It just makes me feel better all the time. It’s how I express myself. I put all my feelings into it.”

Lesa: “I feel like I don’t even need to play anymore. I just love watching him play.”

Q: (To Jacob) How does it feel to be playing alongside your mom? Jacob: “It’s good. It’s just really fun to have someone to harmonize with.”

Q: (To Lesa) Did you foresee that he would get into music? Did you try to encourage it? It all started, she said, when he was about 5 and started to show interest in learning the piano. From then on, she felt that his path was set.

Lesa: “He gets up in the morning and he goes to bed at night playing music.”

Q: Describe your sound. What are you trying to say?

Jacob: “When I write songs, I just write tunes on the guitar, and the words just end up forming with it. And it usually ends up being a pretty powerful theme, just about life and death and just being happy.”

Lesa: “I usually try to steer clear of a lot of political-type stuff.”

(She leaned over to Jacob and urged him to mention all of his different styles, from folk to rock to reggae)

Lesa: “Mine (her style) is more folk. I do a lot of fingerpicking. Whenever I play in a place like this (the coffee shop), I can play music that means something to me, that invokes meaning. To me, music is therapeutic now that I don’t have to do it as a job or as a living.”

Q: (To Lesa) Was it hard to let Jacob go on his own path musically?

Lesa: “I just let him go. He’s always been diverse. He’s never been stuck in one genre.”

“It’s fun to hear someone his age playing the Beatles or Bob Dylan.”

Q: What do you hope for your future, music-wise?

Lesa: “At this point, I play music just for my own piece of mind.”

“What I’m excited about is watching him grow musically and watch him grow in his musical endeavors.”

Jacob: “Pretty much keep writing songs. To get my music out there more.”

Q: What’s the most important thing in your life? Lesa: “The most important thing in my life is family and making sure everyone is happy and together as long as possible, and we can still play together under the same roof.”

Jacob: “Probably, I’d say music.”

(They looked at each other and laughed.)

“It’s like the only thing I’ve ever stuck with.”

Contact Stina Sieg: 384-9111

ssieg@postindependent.com

First public performance WHAT: Lesa Russo and her son, Jacob, 16, playing a combination of acoustic duets and solo songs WHEN: 7-9 tonight WHERE: Summit Canyon Coffee Shop, 732 Grand Ave. in Glenwood Springs WHY? Because it’s the first performance for this local mother-and-son duo — and that only happens once.