New York, NY (Top40 Charts) A 'Modern-Day Woody Guthrie', Ellis Paul Chronicles '26 Years on the Highway' with Crackling "Chasing Beauty" - Produced by Kristian Bush of Sugarland, and
Brandon Bush (Train)
Parallel Children's Book/CD The Hero In You is Set for Simultaneous 9/1 Release
'Chasing Beauty' is a story teller's record, inspired by Ellis Paul's heroes: The legendary Johnny Cash, Jimmie
Angel (a barn storming pilot in the 1930's who discovered the world's largest waterfall,) a blue collar musician inspired by
Boston legend
Dennis Brennan, the
Boston Red Sox, Shakespeare and the men and women who built the
Empire State Building
Ellis Paul returns
September 1st with a rich, invigorating 14-song collection, 'Chasing Beauty'. A year and a half in the making, and Produced by Kristian Bush of
Sugarland and
Brandon Bush of Train, the fan-sourced 'Chasing Beauty' has a crackling energy beneath its surface that suits the eclectic, nearly epic range of inspirations that fueled Paul's songwriting. It's a literate album that shines a light on intimate victories as well as larger-than-life accomplishments -- Ellis Paul reveals a bit of his own leathery story, summing up who he is a person even as he chronicles who we are as an American people. Paul considers this an 'adult-centered' album, and describes it as follows:
"This is a story teller's record. Songs inspired by heroes of mine--- the legendary Johnny Cash, Jimmie Angel-- (a barn storming pilot in the 1930s who discovered the world largest waterfall that now carries his name,) a soldier coming home from war in Afghanistan, a blue collar musician inspired by
Boston legend
Dennis Brennan in the "Waiting on a Break", the
Boston Red Sox in "UK Girl/
Boston Calling", even Shakespeare in the 'Romeo and Juliet' remake "Rose in a Cage" and lastly, the men and women who built the
Empire State Building in "Empire State". "Chasing Beauty" also has a couple of love songs, road songs, drinking songs and one inspired by my daughter."
Like the great folk singers of years gone by, Ellis Paul travels the country and takes pride in delivering his message to listeners of all ages. In fact, on
September 1st, he will release a parallel children's book/cd, also focusing on the subject of 'Heroes', but presented in an age-appropriate manner (and highlighting different historical figures). Published by the Albert Whitman Company, 'The Hero in You' is based on Paul's children's album of the same name, which received a Gold Medal Award from the Parents Choice Foundation. The upcoming picture book/cd features songs describing the lives of the famous, such as Ben Franklin, Rosa Parks,
Thomas Edison. And also the not-so-famous, including Tee Tot, Nellie Bly and Chief Joseph. These are songs written for parents and families.
Ellis Paul has been living on the highway for 26 years, touring all corners of America, and as a result, his songwriting is broader than just one town. He is chronicling an American story, a varied regional history. From his biography (full text below): …these stories are a continuation of tales Paul has told for more than a quarter century, over the expanse of nineteen albums, numerous critical kudos (15
Boston Music Awards alone), inclusion in several movie soundtracks, and stages he's headlined both near and far. "I've got a car with over 475,000 miles on it, and it's my third road vehicle," Paul declares. "I've been doing 200 shows a year for over twenty years. There isn't a town in the country where I won't find a friend. I'm a nomad. And I'm gonna write and play until I'm gone."
'Chasing Beauty' will be supported by a major U.S. tour and radio campaign. A vinyl double album version will be available as well, featuring additional songs. As referenced above, it was produced by Kristian and
Brandon Bush and primarily engineered and mixed by Tom Tapley (Bruce Springsteen,
Pearl Jam, more). Red Molly, Kristian and Rebecca Loebe provide backing vocals and a slew of instrumental gurus come thru on various instruments including
Travis McNabb on drums (Better than Ezra, Sugarland) Tim Smith on bass and guitar (Sheryl Crow) and Megan Lovell (the Lovell Sisters) on slide and dobro.
ELLIS PAUL 'CHASING BEAUTY' TOUR:
Aug 8 St. Augustine, FL Café Eleven
Aug 9 St. Petersburg, FL The Hideaway Café
Aug 10 Dunedin, FL Painted Fish Gallery
Aug 12-14 Arlington, VT
Aug 15 Worcester, MA Mechanics Hall
Aug 16 Martha's Vineyard, MA Alex's Place - Martha's Vineyard YMCA
Aug 23 Winchester, VA Bright Box Theatre
Sep 4 Cincinnati, OH
20th Century Theatre
Sep 6 Chicago, IL Old Town School
Sep 7 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
Sep 8 Lexington, KY Lyric Theatre - Woodsongs
Sep 11 New London, NH Flying
Goose Brewpub
Sep 12 Rockport, MA Old Sloop Coffeehouse
Sep 13 Cambridge, MA First Parish Church
Sep 19 Harrisonburg, VA Court
Square Theatre
Sep 25 Shadyside, PA Calliope House
Sep 26 Kennett Square, PA Kennett Flash
Sep 27 Ashland, VA Ashland Coffee and Tea
Oct 3 Montclair, NJ Outpost in the Burbs
Oct 4 Kingston, MA Beal House
Oct 9 Houston, TX McGonigel's Mucky Duck
Oct 11 La Grange, TX The Bugle Boy
Oct 12 Austin, TX Cactus Cafe
Oct 17 Vancouver, BC The Rogue in Saint
James Hall
Oct 18 Half Moon Bay, BC The Heritage Playhouse
Oct 19 Vancouver, BC Old Crow
Oct 24
Santa Barbara, CA Soho Restaurant &
Music Club
Oct 25
Santa Monica, CA McCabe's
Oct 26 San Diego, CA AMSDconcerts
Nov 1 Denver, CO Swallow Hill Music
Nov 2 Fort Collins, CO The Showcase Room
Nov 7 Ogunquit, ME Jonathan's Ogunquit
Nov 8 Franklin, MA Circle of
Friends Coffeehouse
Nov 12, 13 Northern CA TBA
Nov 14 Berkeley, CA Freight & Salvage
Nov 15, 16 Northern CA TBA
Nov 20 Nashville, TN Bluebird Cafe
Nov 21 Winston-Salem, NC Community Arts Café
Nov 22 Cary, NC The Cary Arts Center
Nov 23 Skidaway Island, GA The Plantation Club
Nov 28 Decatur, GA Eddie's
Attic - TWO SHOWS
Nov 29 Decatur, GA Eddie's
Attic - FAMILY SHOW
Nov 30 Birmingham, AL Moonlight on the Mountain
Dec 4 Skyesville, MD Baldwin's Station
Dec 5 Blairstown, NJ Historic Blairstown Theatre
Dec 6 Doylestown, PA Puck
Dec 7 Stony Brook, NY University Café
Dec 12 New York, NY TBA
Dec 13 Washington DC Sixth and I
Dec 14 New York, NY SubCulture
Dec 27 Portland, ME One Longfellow Square
Dec 30 Cambridge, MA Club Passim - 2 NYE SHOWS
Dec 31 Boston, MA First Night - Hynes Convention Center - FAMILY SHOW
Dec 31 Cambridge, MA Club Passim - 2 NYE SHOWS
Visit Ellis Paul's Tour Page for more details and new shows:
https://www.ellispaul.com/index.php?page=calendar
ELLIS PAUL BIOGRAPHY 2014:
"Despite his success and sense of history, Mr. Paul remains an artist with his eye on the future and an interest in discovering the transformative potential in his music." - The New York Times
Some artists document their lives through their music.
Others chronicle their times. It's a rare artist who can do both, telling their own story through songs that also encapsulate the essence of people and places who have helped define their era overall. Woody Guthrie comes to mind, and so does Bob Dylan.
Bruce Springsteen certainly as well. Yet few others, for whatever genius they may possess, can relate their own history to the history experienced by those who find that common bond, be it in a coming of age, living through the same realities or sharing similar experiences.
Ellis Paul is one of those gifted singer/songwriters. Though some may refer to him as a folksinger, he is more, for lack of a better word, a singular storyteller, a musician whose words reach out from inside and yet also express the feelings, thoughts and sensibilities that most people can relate to in one way or another, regardless of age or upbringing. The exhilaration of the open road. A celebration of heroes. The hope for redemption. Descriptions of those things that are both near and dear. The sharing of love..., intimate, passionate and enduring.
These are the scenarios that emerge from Ellis Paul's new album, Chasing Beauty, a set of songs which detail, in typical Paul fashion, stories of people and places that reflect larger truths about us all. "Kick Out the
Lights (Johnny Cash)" pays tribute to that fearless American icon name-checked in its title. "Plastic Soldier" offers homage to a wounded soldier returning from Afghanistan. A real-life barnstorming pilot takes the spotlight in "Jimmie Angel's Flying Circus," while iconic
Boston blue collar musician
Dennis Brennan takes the focus in "Waiting on a Break." Even the
Empire State Building and the
Boston Red Sox get their due, via "Empire State" and "UK Girl (Boston Calling)," respectively.
In reality, these stories are a continuation of tales Paul has told for more than a quarter century, over the expanse of nineteen albums, numerous critical kudos (15
Boston Music Awards alone), inclusion in several movie soundtracks, and stages he's headlined both near and far. "I've got a car with over 475,000 miles on it, and it's my third road vehicle," Paul declares. "I've been doing 200 shows a year for over twenty years. There isn't a town in the country where I won't find a friend. I'm a nomad. And I'm gonna write and play until I'm gone."
No doubt he will. Still, it's somewhat ironic that Paul gravitated towards this bigger world of intent and expression given that the place Paul considers his hometown these days isn't New York or Nashville, or
Boston or Austin or Charlottesville, VA. where he lives, but rather Presque Isle, Maine, a tiny enclave surrounded by three rivers. Not surprisingly, the name translates to "almost an island." Presque Isle shares a vanishing tradition with many small towns these days, where family farms are giving way to industrialization and giant corporations, and earning a livelihood from the land is no longer the simple option it once was. Nevertheless, it's still a haven for traditional values and for people as real and authentic as the soil they once tilled. If there's one grace left to cling to, it's the grace of nature's beauty, sealed off by the surrounding mountains and fields.
Likewise, his geographical origins also couldn't have been further from the world at large. He was born in the dead of winter in the small town of Fort Kent, Maine, a place nestled right up next to the Canadian border. He came from humble origins, a family of potato farmers who could count among their forebears a veteran of the battle of Gettysburg, whose heroism on that field of honor earned him the 140 acres of
Maine farmland that his descendants would continue to sow. It was the place that taught Paul the meaning of hard work and self-reliance, and the values that accompany as much drive and determination any individual could muster.
As a boy, Paul found his escape in athletics, working out as a runner and testing his mettle in the open spaces near his home. He became a star competitor, and enjoyed the advantage of traveling throughout the nation after being given opportunities to compete. Along the way, he saw more of the country than most people do in a lifetime. "I was lucky to be able to travel for competitions all over the U.S. and to see places I once could only dream of," he recalls. "The Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles, the endless plains of Texas, the Kansas prairie, the Rocky Mountain in Wyoming. Every trip was funded by a hat the town passed around on my behalf, and it never came back empty." When Paul finished second in a nationwide track competition, he was met at the airport by the high school marching band and a fire engine with spinning lights that drove him in triumph through town. In an expression of hometown pride, the mayor handed him the key to the city.
No one ever told Paul he had to follow in his family's tradition. He was a dreamer after all, and he had seen enough of
America to know there was more out there than his little town could ever offer. Consequently, his ambitions were never destined to stay bottled up for long. He would write, paint, play trumpet and sing in the school choir. "I never had anyone tell me I had to be a farmer," Paul insists. "I had plenty of people telling me how my hard work and talent could take me places. That's enough to get you dreaming, And enough to make you believe those dreams are within reach."
Indeed, Paul found those dreams were within his reach, at least in terms of his imagination. However their pursuit would take him far from home. His first destination was
Boston College, courtesy of a track scholarship. Yet as Paul describes it, his athletic endeavors, combined with his academic responsibilities, served to rob him of his creativity. It was only after he suffered a knee injury which forced him to take a year off that he rebounded with a new form of expression, made possible when his girlfriend's sister gave him a secondhand guitar. "A mysterious, lustful partnership with the instrument followed," Paul concedes. "It became a marriage, a friendship, a lifelong bond that only comes when you find that one thing that becomes an extension of yourself. I played for hours, choosing to write my own original songs and sing instead of studying, socializing or exploring what the
Boston streets could offer after hours."
After graduation, Paul did find time to explore those paths, while taking opportunities to indulge his creative ambitions. Working as a teacher and social worker with inner city children by day and pursuing the possibilities offered by Boston's fertile music scene at night, he gained prominence in local coffeehouses and open mic nights. It was the same circuit that opened the door for other like-minded artists of the day, and in turn, gave Paul exposure to such creative contemporaries as Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams, Patty Larkin, John Gorka, Catie Curtis, and Bill Morrissey. It also helped him win a
Boston Underground Songwriting competition and placement on a Windham Hill Records singer/songwriter compilation, bringing him his first hint of national exposure at the same time.
Website:https://www.ellispaul.com/
