In The Spotlight: Alternative Rock Group Reverse Order

A new feature for the week (probably our last for 2015)! As always, if you or your client is interested in a feature on The Spotlight, please visit our Features/Submissions page for more information!

Today, we have alternative rock group, Reverse Order! The group was formed in 2008 by brothers John and Cruise Russo, who credit their parents for consistently surrounding them with music since they were little. After the film, School of Rock, was released, the two signed up for the Paul Green School of Rock, which began their journey as musicians. “We learned the music of all the great rock legends and got to perform at some major venues,” John said of the experience. “After performing a few shows, we knew this was something we wanted to do the rest of our lives and started to write our own music and Reverse Order was born!” Guitarist Drew Katsock was added to the group in 2010, after John and Cruise put out an ad looking for a new member. With John on guitar as well and providing lead vocals, and Cruise on drums with backing vocals, the group was finally complete.

Honing their skills and finding a great rhythm together, John, Cruise and Drew were able to bring their abilities as a group to the forefront on the seventh season of America’s Got Talent in 2012! They were able to work with a variety of top producers, vocal coaches, directors, stylists, and set designers who gave them great feedback and encouragement. “The feeling of going from a band who does everything themselves to having a team working with us was indescribable,” John admitted. “No matter what the outcome would be, we were having fun and the audience was too. That’s what it’s all about.” Though Reverse Order was eliminated in the quarterfinals, being on the show was an experience that they will never forget.

Inspired by bands like One Republic, Fall Out Boy, and The Killers, the band also believes that their travel experiences on tour has influenced their sound and lyrics as well. “Being on the road we’ve met so many incredible people, experienced so many incredible things, and have immersed ourselves in so many different cultures,” John stated. “It’s through those experiences we’ve grown and developed both individually, and as a band.” In their career thus far, they have performed internationally as a group in multiple countries, supported Third Eye Blind and Avril Lavigne, as well as performed on The Van’s Warped Tour and The Bamboozle Festival. They have also released a bunch of great music, including their Right Now and Made In America EPs!

Most recently, Reverse Order has released a new track entitled, “Erase You,” which was produced by multi-platinum producer and writer Matt Squire. As the group worked with Matt, their goal was to pick two songs that were already written to record, and then write a third song from scratch. John himself had been struggling to finish a specific song for over a year. When Matt heard a specific electronic demo, he immediately loved it, and sent John a few vocal clips of Matt’s humming different parts to the song. After Matt challenged John to write lyrics for the track overnight to record the next day, John somehow pulled the song out, and together, the group and Matt developed a great track. Check out "Erase You" below!


Balancing creating music and performing, Reverse Order also developed a non-profit called Reverse the Trend, which is an anti-bullying program that has been brought to over 400 schools and teen centers around the world. “What we do with Reverse the Trend is we perform a concert for the students, some of which have never and will never see a rock show, and then we speak to them about overcoming bullying and following their dreams in a safe and positive way,” John stated about the program. The group began tinkering with the idea shortly after their time on America’s Got Talent. As they were doing some performances at different high schools in the U.S., students would open up to them about their issues at school, and the group was able to relate. “Realizing how big of an issue bullying was we created the program, and started bringing it to as many schools as possible,” John said. In addition to this amazing program, Reverse Order is currently touring the States through May 2016, though they will be taking a break in January to work on new material. They are also looking into tours for the summer and fall of next year as well.


Reverse Order believes that it is their desire to make a positive impact on people’s lives that sets them apart from other artists and groups. We want people to leave our concerts feeling better then when they arrived,” John stated. “We support our fans just as much they support us by keeping in touch with them, and making ourselves available for them when they are going through a hard time and need someone to talk to.” It’s great to see that this group stands beside their fans, and has no problem giving time and energy to be there for them! Reverse Order’s goal as a group is to impact the world, garnering “that U2 level of success,” where they can sell out arenas but use their platform to continue to give back and make a difference!

You can check out more from Reverse Order on their official website, SoundCloud, and YouTube. You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!