INFUSED WITH HARDBALL HONESTY AND TELLING DETAILS, Ellis Paul's songs merge big ideas with incidental moments. As a rising star in the songwriting world, Ellis is well known for his passionate, yet literate character sketches that strike at the heart of the human condition. His latest album, LIVE, is a 2-CD set recorded live with stellar solo performances as well as collaborations with friends Patty Griffin, Vance Gilbert, and Chris Trapper of The Push Stars. This release captures the magic of Ellis' live shows--performances that have been perfected by 9 years of 200+ shows annually touring across the country. The recording distills Ellis' best songs to date and suggests what is to come.
Ellis' expanding audience has grown even further with his song, "The World Ain't Slowin' Down" from Translucent Soul, being featured in the Farrelly Brothers' (Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary) blockbuster film--Me, Myself, & Irene--starring Jim Carrey and Renee Zellweger. Peter Farrelly, one of the hottest names in Hollywood, handpicked Ellis' song as the featured song for his film and called Ellis Paul a "national treasure" in a recent interview. Elektra Records released the Me, Myself & Irene soundtrack featuring Ellis Paul with the Foo Fighters, Smash Mouth, The Offspring, Hootie & The Blowfish and others. Due to the extensive use of Ellis' song in the film, Elektra decided to service the track as a single to radio on the week of the film's release. The film topped the box office charts with a first weekend gross of $24.2 million as the #1 film in America.
Ellis was raised in a small town in northern Maine. For generations his family has earned their living from potato farming. This background has greatly influenced his perception of the modern world in which he now travels. After attending college in Boston on a track scholarship, Ellis began playing his music at various open mikes and was soon selling out clubs on his own. Now he is a nationally known songwriter having graced the stages from Carnegie Hall to the Newport Folk Festival.
After years of non-stop touring and writing, Ellis' hard work is paying off. A measure of his success are the 10 Boston Music Awards (in some ways considered the New Hampshire primary of contemporary acoustic music) with which he's been honored over the last 5 years. Winners are notable because they have risen to the top in one of the most competitive and musically sophisticated regions of the country.
While living the troubadour's lifestyle, the applause and accolades have followed him wherever he performs. Ellis won the Kerrville (TX) "Best New Folk" Award and the Acoustic Underground Competition. USA Today tagged him as a "Best Bet for Stardom," and his records have charted in the Top 5 of the CMJ and Gavin Triple-A radio polls. Dirty Linen magazine has called Ellis "one of contemporary folk music's most influential voices."
Prolific writing is one of the hallmarks of Ellis' musical growth. You would need a longer performance than one voice could sustain to cover his catalog. His 200+ shows each year provide a forum for plenty of new music, and his 4-album discography on Black Wolf and Rounder/Philo Records is just a sample of what Ellis has included on his LIVE release, as well as humor, spoken word, and incredible charisma.
Ellis brings a work ethic and a gift for songwriting that is gaining acclaim from coast to coast. Ellis displays a unique talent for performing and is a generous caretaker of the growing audiences he never fails to appreciate. He is thoroughly professional, refreshingly innocent, and has the uncanny ability to reach people in ways that meaningfully affect their lives. This is true artistry.
