By TRINA “INDI” JOHNSON
Special to the PRESS
Russ Baum rolled into South Padre Island to step onto the stage at Coral Reef Lounge May 4 with guitar and heart in hand. For this singer-songwriter, music is more than notes and chords; it is life’s story, played out across lyrics documenting his days and the poignant moments that make up his life.
Baum’s journey began in Martinsville, Indiana, where, as a kid, he’d sneak into his truck-driving father’s closet to strum a guitar, getting lost in the lonesome twang of Willie Nelson. By age 8, he was hammering out Hank Williams’ “There’s a Tear in My Beer” on the piano. Not long after, he was slipping into karaoke bars underage, undeterred and determined, stealing the spotlight with a spark that refused to fade. In 2009, Russ Baum and Huck Finn started turning heads in Indianapolis, earning NUVO magazine’s Best Folk/Country Artist award three years in a row. Fast forward to 2024, his band Meager Kings had racked up over 500,000 streams and played open-air venues across Honduras and Mexico. But it was their performance on the 311 Sixthman Cruise — a festival curated by Lee Diegl — that opened the door to the BMI Key West Songwriters Festival, ultimately creating the connection that brought Baum to the shores of South Padre Island.
The Coral Reef gig was ten years in the making, sparked by a promise between friends. After a personal tragedy, Corey Fleener moved to South Padre Island and told Baum, “One day, you’ll play this island.” Baum chuckled at the thought—touring Texas wasn’t cheap, and there was no plan to head that far south. But that changed during the 311 Cruise, where Baum crossed paths with Lee Diegl, who was booking acts for the Kickin’ It In The Stix festival in Stockdale, Texas. Struck by Baum’s raw energy and distinctive sound, Diegl knew he had to help bring him to the Lone Star State. That moment gave Baum the chance to finally make the call he’d once joked about: “Hey man, I’m coming.”
Baum’s distinctive style, a place where gritty grind meets soulfully smooth, synced effortlessly with Coral Reef’s raw edge. “I felt so comfortable there, like it was a great experience,” Baum said.
Amongst his highlights here on the island, meeting “Ya Ya,” Chris Kobel, the 92-year-old martini sipper with a zest for life, left him floored. “That’s the person I’m hanging out with,” Baum said, grinning and going on to talk about the wisdom and positivity he’s gleaned from those generations ahead of him.
Baum’s music is his lifeline, a mesh of memories that make up moments. Self-taught, he shrugs off music theory. “I just feel the chords,” he said. His songs are his journal, born from experiences over the years, from fun times with friends to deeper notes, like a 2023 brutal assault and his mother’s unexpected passing. “Music is healing,” he said. “It gives us freedom, speaks to us, gives us wisdom.”
His performance Sunday at Coral Reef was the perfect stage for that wisdom to meet memories. His song “Don’t Let Your Heart Say Goodbye,” inspired by Corey’s deeply personal move to South Padre, carried across a full audience and landing there with “Ya Ya.” This emotion-laden song was written after a tense band trip where the phrase looped in his mind: it’s about resilience.
“There were tears on people’s faces,” Baum said, “I sang about this place.” The song’s roots run deep. “It’s about never giving up.” Singing it in, as he called it, “Corey’s room” at Coral Reef, felt like closing a circle. “I sang about this place for a couple years,” he said. “It’s neat to participate in the dream.”
Fans felt Baum’s highly relatable music too, some weeping as his unmistakable voice carried Corey’s story and possibly notes of their own personal stories. Baum’s path wasn’t easy, but he was undaunted. He bet everything on music, even sleeping in bar parking lots. Now he’s packing venues across the globe, he’s proof of his own mantra: “Life pays you back.” Coral Reef was more than a stage; it was a mirror, reflecting his roots, his losses, and his unbreakable spirit. “I sing ‘til I’m strong,” he said. And that he did, Baum’s soul sang loud, floating out, and settling as Baum calls it, “a remedy” and balmy wisdom for all who listened.