Although I've been playing the guitar since I was 15 years old,
It took me quite a while to get up the courage and experience to perform in public. I honed my skills at several campgrounds across New York State. After learning
how to play and sing everyone's requests, I realized I had
quite a popular selection of songs to perform. With the encouragement of family and friends (Sandy Hogan for example) I decided to test the public performace waters. The next step was to invest in some sound equipment. In my early days I volunteered to play at fundraisers for the Cazenovia Hockey Teams that my two sons were playing for at the time. I also would bring my guitar to out of town road trips and play for the parents in hotel hospitality rooms. I finally graduated to actually getting paid to sing and play the guitar. To start out, I played at a few taverns in my old neighborhood (The OLD FIRST WARD in So. Buffalo) My payment was in beer. I think they may have lost money a few times. I enjoy the support I get from all of my family and friends and they love to keep me busy. Especially playing parties in the summer. I 'm really having fun doing what I've loved to do since I was a teenager. My full-time job is protecting the citizens of Buffalo,NY as a Professional Firefighter/EMT. My schedule there doesn't allow me to play the same night every week so my bookings vary from time to time. Visit my sight for the latest updates to my schedule and come out and join some of my friends, family, and co-workers for a night of no-holds barred fun. Thanks, Billy LaRusch
Update 2011
2010 is gone and once again I had a great time performing at a wide variety of events. Including; graduation party's, races, benefits, retirements, weddings, and patios. Tim Lalley, Ron Leisten, and I along with many other local talents worked hard on a CD titled "Play Me A Jingle" Proceeds benefit the KPL Society set up to honor the memory of Kevin Lalley. Get your copy in time for the March Madness and listen to all your favorite Irish Sing-a-long songs. I hope everyone is still enjoying nights out listening to me as much as I enjoy playing. If you have an event planned for this year and you know the date, please call early because the summer dates fill up fast. Thanks for all your support .
Peace, Billy L.
