Matt Ellis (singer songwriter)
Encyclopedia
Matt Ellis is a folk/ rock genre singer-songwriter
who became an indie identity of critical acclaim in his hometown of Sydney, Australia.
, Australia and Wellington
, New Zealand
before his family's relocation to Hong Kong
- where he spent almost all of his teenage years.
Inspired by punk & rock bands of his high school era, Matt Ellis formed Sydney, heavy-rock band Sedgwick Pie. With Matt as their frontman, Sedgwick Pie released two EPs, touring with such prominent 90s acts as Reef (band)
UK, Grinspoon
AUS & Tumbleweed (band)
AUS, before launching his solo career in 2000 with his critically acclaimed debut,"Peel". Release of this album quickly established Ellis on an international stage, with the album sitting in the top 10 on ninemsn
for six weeks. The self-produced music video for the title track "Peel", gained airplay on Foxtel's Country Music Channel
, MTV Australia
, Rage (TV program)
and defunct, late-night TV show on Network Ten
, Ground Zero. The track was added to rotation in South East Asia, but was eventually banned after outraged viewers called in to complain that the clip - which featured Ellis driving around Sydney blindfolded - promoted reckless driving. The banning sparked an invitation from Channel V
Asia for Ellis to interview and perform live at the station in Hong Kong. This performance wrapped the Peel tour which saw Matt Ellis perform at respected rock music venues CBGB
s (RIP) NYC & the Knitting Factory
LA.
In July 2004, Matt Ellis launched his second, self-titled solo effort at the Vanguard in Sydney. The production team on this second album consisted of Ellis himself, long time musical collaborator, Tamlin and ARIA Music Awards
winner, Jonathan Burnside. As a preview to the forthcoming album, a double A-side single of "In This Life/ Where It Starts" was launched in August 2003 at Sydney venue, The Gaelic Club. Along with more critical acclaim the release also attracted a sponsorship from Cole Clark Guitars, Australia. Tracks from the album received airplay on Triple J
, Sydney’s FBi Radio
, Newcastle’s New FM, 2NUR and countless stations Australia wide. The album has also received airplay on College radio in Germany, Canada and the USA.
In 2005 Matt Ellis left Australia with his latest album in hand and embarked upon a tour across Canada and the USA which included shows in and around Vancouver, Hornby & Denman Islands and at the North by Northeast
(NxNE) Festival in Toronto. Ellis stayed on the road through July and August playing a twenty date acoustic tour through New York, Pennsylvania, Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It was while on the road that he began writing his current release, "Tell the People." Writing of the album was completed and a demo recorded while on creative seclusion in a remote, coastal village in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula
.
in 2006, Matt Ellis collaborated with fellow musician, Branden Harper to produce his third solo album, "Tell the People". Recorded at Veneto West Studios in Culver City, California
and engineered by Ronan Chris Murphy, the 11 tracks on "Tell the People" attracted a stellar cast of musicians. The recording sessions included Nels Cline
(Wilco
) and Tim Young (David Sylvian
, The Youngs) on guitar, Greg Leisz
(K.D. Lang
, Beck
, Joni Mitchell
) on lap steel, pedal steel and mandolin, Tim Luntzel, (Bright Eyes (band), Norah Jones
, Emmylou Harris
) on bass, Dave Palmer (Fiona Apple
, Air) on piano and Rhodes and Branden Harper on drums. His wife provides vocals on track 10 & 11.
In promotion of this, well received and critically acclaimed album "Tell the People", Matt Ellis has performed across the USA, with regular shows at such esteemed, LA, music venues as Hotel Cafe and The Troubadour. He has returned to his homeland twice since this album's release playing both Brisbane & Sydney, Australia.
Ellis has taken to the Little Radio stage at South by Southwest
, playing multiple days in 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010.
Matt Ellis' current album, "Births, Deaths & Marriages" was digitally released in March 2010. Vocals and acoustic guitar were recorded in a Venice Beach loft with his then drummer. The laid-back recording environment suited the songs and Ellis, perfectly, sometimes capturing and keeping a song played in full for the first time. Over several months, special guest musicians were brought in, adding layers to the songs note by note. Ellis' 4th solo effort has captured an expanded repertoire of artists. Returning guest, Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris) added his haunting, singature pedal steel, lap steel and Banjo to four tracks while Tim Young (Beck, Daniel Johnston) channeled the desert through his Telecaster on five of them. Calexico's Nick Luca added further electric guitars, piano and Feder Rhodes while his Calexico band mate, Jacob Valenzuela rounded out two songs with trumpet. This album is inspired by Ellis’ travels across the south and his love for the Mississippi Delta
region. There is a surprise performance by gospel great (who sang the duet “Gimme Shelter", with Mick Jagger on the “Let it Bleed” album), Merry Clayton. Ellis mixed the album with Craig Schumacher (Calexico, Devotchka
, Iron & Wine
, Neko Case
, Richard Buckner
) at his WaveLab studios in Tucson, Arizona.
The lead single, "Heart Of Mine", was featured on Andrew Zimmerns' "Appetite For Life"
and received an Honorable Mention in the International Songwriting Competition
in the Americana category. "Heart Of Mine's" Music Video, directed by Ellis, took home 3rd place for Best Video in 2010. Tracks from "Births, Deaths & Marriages" have received wide AAA radio airplay across the USA, including LA's KCSN
, operating out of Northridge, California.
Ellis currently resides in Venice Beach, California, USA with his wife, Vavine Tahapehi - who has contributed vocals on his past two albums and performs with him on stage.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
who became an indie identity of critical acclaim in his hometown of Sydney, Australia.
Early years
He had an international upbringing spending his childhood between Sydney's northern beaches, BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia and Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
before his family's relocation to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
- where he spent almost all of his teenage years.
Inspired by punk & rock bands of his high school era, Matt Ellis formed Sydney, heavy-rock band Sedgwick Pie. With Matt as their frontman, Sedgwick Pie released two EPs, touring with such prominent 90s acts as Reef (band)
Reef (band)
Reef are an English band from Glastonbury. The band members includes Gary Stringer on vocals, Kenwyn House on guitar, Jack Bessant on bass and Dominic Greensmith on drums.-Early days:...
UK, Grinspoon
Grinspoon
Grinspoon are an Australian rock band from Lismore, New South Wales formed in 1995 and fronted by Phil Jamieson on vocals and guitar with Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass guitar and Kristian Hopes on drums. Also in 1995, they won the Triple J-sponsored Unearthed competition for Lismore,...
AUS & Tumbleweed (band)
Tumbleweed (band)
Tumbleweed are a Wollongong-based rock group in Australia, popular during the grunge years of the 1990s. As an opening band for Nirvana on their 1992 tour of Australia, Tumbleweed reached out into the mainstream with their crunchy-psychedelica...
AUS, before launching his solo career in 2000 with his critically acclaimed debut,"Peel". Release of this album quickly established Ellis on an international stage, with the album sitting in the top 10 on ninemsn
NineMSN
ninemsn is an Australian 50/50 joint venture between Microsoft and Nine Entertainment Co.. It effectively acts as the website for both the Nine Network and MSN, and is one of Australia's most popular websites...
for six weeks. The self-produced music video for the title track "Peel", gained airplay on Foxtel's Country Music Channel
Country Music Channel
Country Music Channel is an Australian cable and satellite music television channel owned and operated by XYZnetworks. It airs on Foxtel and Austar...
, MTV Australia
MTV Australia
MTV Australia is 24 hour general entertainment channel specialising in music and youth culture programming which serves Australia and New Zealand. It is operated by Viacom International Media Networks Australia owned by Viacom and primarily features imported shows as well as locally produced...
, Rage (TV program)
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
and defunct, late-night TV show on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
, Ground Zero. The track was added to rotation in South East Asia, but was eventually banned after outraged viewers called in to complain that the clip - which featured Ellis driving around Sydney blindfolded - promoted reckless driving. The banning sparked an invitation from Channel V
Channel V
Channel [V] is the brand name for multiple international music television networks owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation.-Channel [V] International:...
Asia for Ellis to interview and perform live at the station in Hong Kong. This performance wrapped the Peel tour which saw Matt Ellis perform at respected rock music venues CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
s (RIP) NYC & the Knitting Factory
Knitting Factory
The Knitting Factory is a music venue and concert house with locations in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno, and Spokane. The club originally specialized in jazz and experimental music and has expanded to showcasing all genres of music, performing arts and comedy....
LA.
In July 2004, Matt Ellis launched his second, self-titled solo effort at the Vanguard in Sydney. The production team on this second album consisted of Ellis himself, long time musical collaborator, Tamlin and ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
winner, Jonathan Burnside. As a preview to the forthcoming album, a double A-side single of "In This Life/ Where It Starts" was launched in August 2003 at Sydney venue, The Gaelic Club. Along with more critical acclaim the release also attracted a sponsorship from Cole Clark Guitars, Australia. Tracks from the album received airplay on Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
, Sydney’s FBi Radio
FBi Radio
FBi is an independent, not-for-profit community radio station in Sydney, Australia. FBi places a heavy emphasis on local alternative music: it has a policy that at least 50 per cent of its music content is to be Australian, of which at least half comes from Sydney musicians.FBi began 'test...
, Newcastle’s New FM, 2NUR and countless stations Australia wide. The album has also received airplay on College radio in Germany, Canada and the USA.
In 2005 Matt Ellis left Australia with his latest album in hand and embarked upon a tour across Canada and the USA which included shows in and around Vancouver, Hornby & Denman Islands and at the North by Northeast
North by Northeast
North by Northeast is an annual five-day live music and film festival and music conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, held each June....
(NxNE) Festival in Toronto. Ellis stayed on the road through July and August playing a twenty date acoustic tour through New York, Pennsylvania, Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It was while on the road that he began writing his current release, "Tell the People." Writing of the album was completed and a demo recorded while on creative seclusion in a remote, coastal village in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
.
Recent years
Returning to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 2006, Matt Ellis collaborated with fellow musician, Branden Harper to produce his third solo album, "Tell the People". Recorded at Veneto West Studios in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
and engineered by Ronan Chris Murphy, the 11 tracks on "Tell the People" attracted a stellar cast of musicians. The recording sessions included Nels Cline
Nels Cline
Nels Cline is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr of the New York Times describes Cline as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."-Career:...
(Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
) and Tim Young (David Sylvian
David Sylvian
David Sylvian is an English singer-songwriter and musician who came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and main songwriter in the group Japan...
, The Youngs) on guitar, Greg Leisz
Greg Leisz
Greg Leisz is an American multi-instrumentalist, playing lap and pedal steel guitars, guitar, mandolin, and bass.- Biography :Leisz was influenced early on by the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, especially pedal steel player "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow...
(K.D. Lang
K.D. Lang
Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress...
, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
) on lap steel, pedal steel and mandolin, Tim Luntzel, (Bright Eyes (band), Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
, Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
) on bass, Dave Palmer (Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
, Air) on piano and Rhodes and Branden Harper on drums. His wife provides vocals on track 10 & 11.
In promotion of this, well received and critically acclaimed album "Tell the People", Matt Ellis has performed across the USA, with regular shows at such esteemed, LA, music venues as Hotel Cafe and The Troubadour. He has returned to his homeland twice since this album's release playing both Brisbane & Sydney, Australia.
Ellis has taken to the Little Radio stage at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
, playing multiple days in 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010.
Matt Ellis' current album, "Births, Deaths & Marriages" was digitally released in March 2010. Vocals and acoustic guitar were recorded in a Venice Beach loft with his then drummer. The laid-back recording environment suited the songs and Ellis, perfectly, sometimes capturing and keeping a song played in full for the first time. Over several months, special guest musicians were brought in, adding layers to the songs note by note. Ellis' 4th solo effort has captured an expanded repertoire of artists. Returning guest, Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris) added his haunting, singature pedal steel, lap steel and Banjo to four tracks while Tim Young (Beck, Daniel Johnston) channeled the desert through his Telecaster on five of them. Calexico's Nick Luca added further electric guitars, piano and Feder Rhodes while his Calexico band mate, Jacob Valenzuela rounded out two songs with trumpet. This album is inspired by Ellis’ travels across the south and his love for the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
region. There is a surprise performance by gospel great (who sang the duet “Gimme Shelter", with Mick Jagger on the “Let it Bleed” album), Merry Clayton. Ellis mixed the album with Craig Schumacher (Calexico, Devotchka
DeVotchKa
DeVotchKa is a four-piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble. They take their name from the Russian word devochka , meaning "girl"...
, Iron & Wine
Iron & Wine
Samuel Beam , better known by his stage and recording name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released four studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album...
, Neko Case
Neko Case
Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
, Richard Buckner
Richard Buckner
Richard Buckner is an American singer-songwriter born in California. After living in Edmonton, Alberta for a number of years, he currently resides in Brooklyn, NY...
) at his WaveLab studios in Tucson, Arizona.
The lead single, "Heart Of Mine", was featured on Andrew Zimmerns' "Appetite For Life"
Andrew Zimmern
Andrew Zimmern is a James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, food writer, and teacher. As the co-creator, host, and consulting producer of Travel Channel's series Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern and Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre World, he travels the world exploring food in its own native...
and received an Honorable Mention in the International Songwriting Competition
International Songwriting Competition
The International Songwriting Competition is an annual song contest based in Nashville, TN, whose mission is to provide the opportunity for both aspiring and established songwriters to have their songs heard in a professional, international arena. ISC is designed to nurture the musical talent of...
in the Americana category. "Heart Of Mine's" Music Video, directed by Ellis, took home 3rd place for Best Video in 2010. Tracks from "Births, Deaths & Marriages" have received wide AAA radio airplay across the USA, including LA's KCSN
KCSN
KCSN is an FM radio station licensed to Northridge, Los Angeles, California, and a service of California State University, Northridge. Broadcasting at 88.5 MHz, KCSN previously featured classical music, AAA and Americana music, and in-house news broadcasts by the CSUN broadcast journalism students...
, operating out of Northridge, California.
Ellis currently resides in Venice Beach, California, USA with his wife, Vavine Tahapehi - who has contributed vocals on his past two albums and performs with him on stage.