Russ & Eli.
Russ Dembin and Eli Maniscalco have been performing as a comedy and folk music duo since 2003. The two met in high school and discovered a mutual enjoyment of music and comedy. Their debut performance was in a school talent show, singing "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" with Eli playing the double bass and Russ playing the guitar. Soon afterward, they began calling the duo Russ & Eli, learning more songs, and writing their own material. Russ & Eli's recording of Prof Walter F. Smith's "The Snell's Law Song" is featured on physicssongs.org, and they are internationally famous in Scotland.
Venues played: New Paltz Cultural Collective at 60 Main, Freddy's Backroom, The Cup, Santosha Center for the Arts. They have also performed live on "Beggars Can Be Choosers," a weekly radio program on WFNP The Edge, SUNY New Paltz radio.
Eli Maniscalco is the double bass-playing half of Russ & Eli. He is a songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist based in New York City.
Russ Dembin, a lover of comedic, folk, older rock music, as well as various other genres, enjoys composing parodies in addition to writing his own comic songs. Russ is an award-winning actor and is known for his impressions and talent as a dialectician; he plays guitar and banjo and dabbles in other stringed instruments as well. Visit Russ on MySpace.
"A comic folk duo, that sounds great! Where can I hear some of your music?"
Glad you asked! Here you can listen to an mp3 of "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)". You can also visit R&E on MySpace. Hear more songs and be our friend!