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Official Site: www.jeffellismusic.com
iSound Site: www.isound.com/jeff_ellis
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| In early 2005, Huntington, WV native Jeff Ellis, front man for the both the acoustic / alt-rock band Guinness Clarke's Wine and the indie rock side-project, Frauenfeld (featuring members of the Carrie Crash and the Evan Anthem), set out on his own to write, record, and produ |
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In early 2005, Huntington, WV native Jeff Ellis, front man for the both the acoustic / alt-rock band Guinness Clarke's Wine and the indie rock side-project, Frauenfeld (featuring members of the Carrie Crash and the Evan Anthem), set out on his own to write, record, and produce his own solo record of uncompromised original material. The result is "The Enemy", a 10-song radio-ready rock album of dynamic proportions.
The first single, "Stick to Your Guns", is a loud, guitar driven anthem dedicated to the do-it-yourself theory behind the record. Other cuts, such as the album's title track, as well as the piano laden "Won't Stay Long", deal with the personal struggles of relationships. Perhaps the most important song on the record is "Better This Way", a three-minute ballad emphasizing the heartache in knowing when it's time to call it quits and say goodbye to someone you love. In this song in particular, the emotion behind the lyrics come through with each articulate phrase. Lyrics such as "We'll have this moment for the rest of our lives...", resonate from within and there is no doubt of the passion with which this song was written. In its first few weeks, the album received rave reviews from even the most jaded of music critics. Graffiti magazine stated that "This is some finely crafted alterna-pop...everything from the production to the musicianship to the songwriting screams well honed." Shawn Beckner, of Huntington's Herald Dispatch, called it "a great rock and roll record." Editor Jen Grover of the online publication, Tone and Groove magazine, called the record "engaging and beautiful", and said that "Jeff is at his best when he rocks out."
Shortly after the record's release, Jeff inked a trial partnership with Tinderbox Music, an independent marketing agency who pushed "The Enemy" to the college radio market. The 8-week run put Jeff in the charts, reaching as high as number seven. After playing the first few shows solo on an acoustic guitar and an array of harmonicas and percussion, Jeff decided that the songs had to be presented as they were intended and he formed a group of talented local musicians to perform the new material. He recruited long-time friends and GCW alumni Joe Bailey (drums), and Phil James (keyboards, guitar). Russ Fox of Broadmoor Studios in Huntington, who recorded and mixed the album, supplied rhythm guitar. Chris Tackett of the area metal band, Hyatari, filled the bass position, and Matt Gingerich of the Carrie Crash and John Lancaster of Chum and Semi-Automatic alternated on lead guitar. The two shows with this line up were both huge successes; however the tour plans were cut short due to Jeff's mobilization in the war in Iraq.
In July 2005, Jeff's Reserve Unit, the 261st Ordnance Company, was called to active duty to be sent to the Middle East. With less than a week to go before he was to depart, he re-entered the studio to record a live demo collection of material he�d been working on. Within this recording were several captivating performances of brand new songs that seemed to fit the mood of current events taking place around him. Seven of these songs were chosen by Jeff to release through Caustic Eye Productions, a local independent promoter / distributer, in conjunction with a 2003 demo (also containing seven songs) for the holiday season. Only 50 copies of each were pressed, and they are only available for order through the website (www.jeffellismusic.com). Pre-orders began in October and they will remain available through the holidays. Once these these CDs sell out , they will be not be issued again.
Currently, Jeff is stationed on the southern border of Iraq. In his spare time, he is working on the follow up to "The Enemy", tentatively scheduled to be released in late 2006. Contact Jeff at jeff.ellis@earthlink.net, or visit www.jeffellismusic.com. |
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