GOLD HILL — Narratives are the most compelling part of music to Alma Russ. The Florida-born musician spent summers with her family on her great-grandmother’s property in Sylva, North Carolina, and Appalachian folk music inspired her most.
“When I was, like, 12, I got into singing Scotch-Irish murder ballads,” Russ recalls about her musical upbringing. “In high school, I got more into country music, the great songwriters like John Prine and Townes Van Zandt and people like that, and I decided I wanted to write songs.”
However, she cites a very different reason for wanting to perform in the first place. Her transition from music listener to music performer started from a very particular place—the Disneyworld animatronic attraction Country Bear Jamboree.
“They made it into, like, the Grand Ole Opry but with bears,” says Russ. “My family, they love music, but they never played music, so I like to think, other than God, just the gift of music, that’s what made me want to play music, you know?”
For Russ, writing is incredibly personal, and she channels her Appalachian and country influences to create songs that feel like stories and experiences. She says performing her music becomes a separate extension of her career from writing it.
“They say that there’s artists and there’s performers, and they’re not always one and the same,” Russ explains. “You work on perfecting your craft, but then performing is almost learning how to connect what you’ve been doing with people.”
Appalachian folk music’s storytelling emphasis creates songs that rely both on words and structure to carry a compelling tale. Russ writes with both of these elements in mind, writing her songs with the intention of hooking people and allowing them to connect with the stories.
“Attention, I think, is the most valuable thing in our day and age,” says Russ of her hopes to compel people with her work. “We have so many shared experiences, and I think that comes out in songs. It helps me feel less alone, so I hope it makes other people feel less alone, too.”
Alma Russ will be performing at the Gold Hill General Store, located at 531 Main Street in Gold Hill, on Friday, March 6, 2026, starting at 7:30 p.m.
