Ellis Paul live
Chuck deVarennes
Attic in Decatur, GA. For those not familiar with the storyteller from
Boston, Ellis Paul will be a delightful discovery. Ellis has a high
strong voice, like Art Garfunkle with more body and soul. His two indie
CDs, on Black Wolf Records, highlight his range. * Jumpin' a Train*
rolls with locomotive energy. *Look at the Wind Blow* gives his voice
the opportunity to uncoil, the frustrated restlessness of a teenage girl
in a small town comes home convincingly. *Say Something*, his first
release, also features soft ballads. Ellis skillfully captures the
emotional nuances of his characters in songs like* Conversation with a
Ghost*, *Washington D.C. 5/91*, and *Friday Night* On the title cut,
Paul serves a vocal banquet, finishing off the album with incredible
force.
*Stories*, his newest release, continues and expands his creative
journey. Ellis is a superb storyteller. He is a literate songwriter
whose poetically solid lyrics often speak in the voices of his
characters. *King of Seventh Ave.* is a man on a building ledge. Ellis
conveys his lonliness with subtle power *Autobiography of a Pistol*
speaks from the gun's point of view, the pistol, ironically mocking the
NRA slogan, sings -Guns don't kill people, it's the bullets that do-.
*Three Thousand Miles* is an anthem for discovering others and oneself.
*Here She Is* and *Last Call* Give different stories of romantic
relationships. Ellis is as artful with a phrase as anyone writing songs.
The woman barfly in *All things Being the Same* -she gets up, falls
down, breaks even, gets caught by the wrong mister right-. Ellis makes
his points through his stories, rather than sermonizing. *Who Killed
John Lennon* shows us the mass media cashing in on tragedy. *Last at the
Table* is all the more effective with Ellis singing to us as a homeless
man talking with a street preacher.
In concert, when away from his New England home base, Ellis accompanies
himself on guitar and harmonica. He weaves the different stories and
tempos through the set, quickly winning the rapt attention of the most
crowded venues. Last night at Eddie's he included two fine poems and
delivered a powerful acupella version of *Say Something*. You could here
a pin drop in the audience, until it was time to applaud. Ellis can
connect personally with an audience in ways few performers ever achieve.
No wonder he won best new artist at the Kerrville folk Festival last
year. He'll be back this year.
You can find Ellis Paul's music at:
BLACK WOLF RECORDS/Ellis Paul
PO BOX 2692
CAMBRIDGE, MA 02238
(617) 441-3808 for info
Chuck deVarennes
Atlanta, GA
Folkstone
Have you heard his version of All Along The Watchtower; its different
but good. Its on the Tribute to Dylan, vol. 2 (Sister Ruby/Long Play
Records).
Lonny Smith/Folkstone
Peter Lee
<chuc...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> Saturday night, 3/25, Ellis played two shows to full houses at Eddie's
> Attic in Decatur, GA......Last night at Eddie's he included two fine poems and
> delivered a powerful acupella version of *Say Something*. You could here
> a pin drop in the audience, until it was time to applaud. Ellis can
> connect personally with an audience in ways few performers ever achieve.
>
> Chuck deVarennes
>
Atlanta, GA
I heard Ellis on WRFG Sunday night with Kristian Bush, Michelle Penn and
Barbara Kessler. He played a song called "3000 Miles" which was
wonderful, but I think it was in a dropped tuning. Anyone have any
chords/tab for this, or seen him play it live? Thanks.
Peter Lee
dhr...@atlanta.com