He calls his music “a mix of gypsy, folk, and punk,” though in truth his sound spreads even wider. His most recent album “The Cost of Living” has a more polished rock feel, though his introspective and often dark lyrics live on.

In concert, where Webley truly comes into his own, he still roars road-worn hits with the same gusto that got him his first gigs more than a decade ago. He stomps and sings and shouts his audience into a frenzy – particularly in Russia.

Taking a special liking to the world’s biggest country, Webley has added a number of Russian folk tunes to his repertoire and speaks tidbits of Russian onstage. Crowds bellow along as he moves seamlessly from an original song to a traditional favorite. He’s even assembled a quartet of Russian musicians that flesh out his live sound, and now join him on tour in other European countries.

His records have been released on the Russian record label Bad Taste, and his fame has spread outside the country’s two “capitals” – Moscow and St. Petersburg. His tours have brought him back to Russia 10 times since his first Moscow show in 2002, and he’s even played in the far reaches of Siberia. Webley had such a positive experience headlining a May 2008 festival in the remote Arctic city of Norilsk that he wrote in his blog that he felt “like my songs were written to be sung to these people.”

For Jason Webley’s fans in Moscow – some 8000 kilometers from his roots in Seattle – his music and their ears seem just as good a match.

Nicholas Levy, RT