Stella Ruze

­­­Throughout American music history, a common theme among our most iconic artists is the ability to seamlessly blend divergent musical styles into a sound that is as unique as it is familiar. Philadelphia-based Stella Ruze is poised to become one of these transcendent musical voices, capturing a new signature sound that is steeped in the American musical traditions of folk, jazz and pop.

Stella Ruze is..

Brendan Johnson: Guitar/Lead Vocals/Kick Drum

Katie Burke: Mandolin/Vocals

Mason Wallack: Keyboard/Vocals

Alex Styer: Trumpet/Vocals/Percussion

Charlie DiPuma: Saxophone

Recent Press:

Who’s Next: 16 up-and-coming bands and musicians shaping Philly’s music scene

By Anna Orso, Billy Penn

“Who’s Next Because: Stella Ruze has years of experience performing gigs in bars and parties across Philadelphia while lead vocalist Brendan Johnson sings and trumpet calls linger. Their performances are highlighted by steady guitar grooves and fiery interplay between trumpet and keyboard, and choruses bring the entire band together in four-part harmonies.”

Catch the genre-crossing sounds of Stella Ruze this weekend at the Hidden River Blues Fest

By Joseph Bloss, The Key

“But the band is able to fulfill that self-supplied label with the genre-crossing sound it prides itself so heavily on. Folky vibes line the vocal harmonies of Brendan Johnson and Katie Burke and their string work on mandolin and guitar. The Lumineers tag is prevalent in songs like “Chivalry” and “Windows,” while the similarities to Trombone Shorty are more obviously heard in brass numbers like “Somebody Told Me.” And with keyboard work from Mason Wallack, the sound is completed to occupy something at the intersection of folk, jazz, and pop.”