Raised in a musical household and son of former Academy choral director, Guy Russo ’06 started writing songs at age 12 and has always enjoyed a wide range of music styles. As an Academy senior, he studied music composition with Dr. David Ed, who Guy describes as “one of the first people outside my family to instill confidence in my ability to create music.” Those early influences, along with The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and James Taylor, pointed him to where he is today.

He and Morgan Erina, who together form the indie-folk duo Broken Fences, released their self-titled debut album in June 2012. Their powerful lyrics and spellbinding harmonies captured a sold-out crowd at South Side’s Club Café. “We had a lot of support from the local music scene here in Pittsburgh," he said. "We’ve toured in Europe as well as the United States, and had our songs used on the TV shows Flashpoint, Necessary Roughness, and The Young and the Restless.” 

It wasn’t until after he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University that Guy met his Broken Fences bandmate, Morgan Erina. “I was completely blown away with her voice and songwriting the first time I heard her, and we became prolific writing partners immediately,” he said.

In January 2013, Broken Fences released the five-track album Stormy Clouds, and are back in the studio working on their next album. While Guy continues to perform with classical singing groups and tunes the occasional piano to pay the bills, it won’t be for long because this duo has future stardom written all over it.

To listen to Broken Fences’ music and see tour dates, visit www.brokenfencesband.com.