Submit a video for any song on the new album, and you could win $1,000 and the chance to have your video featured on the Ellis Paul website! To enter, simply upload your video to your YouTube channel, then send us the link at ellispaulproductions@gmail.com. You can check out all videos submitted on the EllisPVideoContest YouTube channel under "Favorites". (Full rules below.) One grand prize winner will be chosen from submissions by Ellis and a team of Celebrity Judges, and will receive $1,000, 3 pairs of tickets to any Ellis Paul shows of their choice, and an exclusive Ellis Paul Prize Package (CDs, Books, DVDs). Second and third place winners will also be chosen, with 2nd place receiving $300, an Ellis Paul Prize Pack and 2 pairs of tickets to any Ellis Paul show of their choice, and 3rd place receiving $200, and a pair of tickets to an Ellis Paul show of their choice. Submissions must be received by July 30, 2010. The judges will review the top 10 videos and announce the winners at the beginning of August. Rules include the following: - The video must be for a song from the most recent release, "The Day After Everything Changed" - It must include a link within the video to purchase the song on iTunes or EP web store - You must confirm submission by sending an email to ellispaulproductions@gmail.com. Submission email MUST include video link to a YouTube channel entry, full name, phone # and email Good luck! Ellis and team are very excited about this contest and can't wait to see what you come up with. Please pass this on to your video-talented friends as well.

Spring is officially warming all of us here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The blossoms are out and the trees have filled out and I've been taking drives out in horse country to clear my mind.

Lots of good news happening!

Next week on May 7th, I debut a new band at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville, VA.  They are an incredibly talented group of local guys including Michael Clem of Eddie from Ohio (www.eddiefromohio.com), and Rusty Speidel from SGGL (www.sggl.net). My songs have been waiting for these guys to show up! The show has local favorite Mariana Bell opening and is a benefit show for the Haven, a multi-service center for the homeless in Charlottesville.

I am also thrilled to announce that we just booked a "20th Anniversary Weekend" at Club Passim on July 9th and 10th. I will be performing all of my CDs, every song, in consecutive order over the course of four shows (more details below).

We are designing special swag for the event and will likely be recording the shows for consumption as well! Hope you can make it!

We are also very excited about our LONG awaited video competition, check that out in the biz section!

See you out there!
Ellis

Ellis Paul's 20th Anniversary Shows – July 9th & 10th

Four shows.. eight albums.. chronological song order.

Ellis Paul will celebrate 20 YEARS of making music at his home club, Passim in Cambridge, Ma. on July 9th and 10th. Both evenings will host 7 & 10pm performances, at which time Ellis will work through his catalog of songs from the past 20 years by playing two albums a show, four albums a night, eight albums total – all in chronological order.  Songs that haven't been performed in over a decade will once again fill the room, with the album list as follows:

Fri, July 9th 7pm:   "Say Something"/ "Stories"
Fri, July 9th 10pm: "Carnival of Voices"/ "Translucent Soul"

Sat, July 10th 7pm: "Sweet Mistakes"/ "The Speed of Trees"
Sat, July 11th 10pm: "American Jukebox Fables"/ "The Day After Everything Changed"

(Also, PARENTS - Sat July 10th – Special Family Show! 3:30pm, Songs from "The Dragonfly Races")

In addition, as a small thank you to all EP fans for 20 years of support, if you purchase a ticket to three of the four evening shows you will receive a ticket to the fourth show, free. (While tickets last.)  Tickets go on sale on May 5th for Club Passim members, May 12th for non-members.  You'll want to get your tickets early.. come celebrate with Ellis.

Team EP is proud to present the "Day After Everything Changed" Video Contest!

Submit a video to any song on the new album, and you may win $1,000 and the chance to have your video featured on the Ellis Paul website!  

To enter, send your video to ellispaulproductions@gmail.com and check out all videos submitted on the EllisPVideoContest YouTube channel.

One grand prize winner will be chosen from submissions by Ellis and a team of Celebrity Judges, and will receive $1,000, 3 pairs of tickets to any Ellis Paul shows of their choice, and an exclusive Ellis Paul Prize Package (CDs, Books, DVDs).  Second and third place winners will also be chosen, with 2nd place receiving $300, an Ellis Paul Prize Pack and 2 pairs of tickets to any Ellis Paul show of their choice, and 3rd place receiving $200, and a pair of tickets to an Ellis Paul show of their choice.  

Submissions must be received by July 30, 2010.  The judges will review the top 10 videos and announce the winners at the beginning of August.

Rules include the following:

- The video must be for a song from the most recent release, "The Day After Everything Changed"
- It must include a link within the video to purchase the song on iTunes or EP web store
- Submission email MUST include full name, phone # and email

Good luck!  Ellis and team are very excited about this contest and can't wait to see what you come up with.  Please pass on to your video talented friends as well.

Behind the Scenes – Meet our Fan Ambassador

After running the Ellis Paul Discussion Board and receiving and answering e-mails from fans with questions, comments, and concerns for years and years, we are thrilled to have you officially meet our Fan Ambassador- Karen Zundel.

Karen Zundel says when Ellis Paul wrote "spread the word" on a copy of Stories that she bought after her first Ellis Paul show in 1997, she took that to be her great commission in life.  Thirteen years and 200  shows later, she is still spreading the word.  In 1999 Karen helped launch a fan-based support group for Ellis, providing an opportunity for her to begin meeting and interacting with other Ellis Paul "Devotees" around the world. Over the next few years Karen started collecting Ellis Paul memorabilia, on her own and from those Devotees.  With her organizational skills – she's a librarian by profession – and her passion for Ellis Paul's music, the collection grew to become the Ellis Paul Archive.  Eventually the next natural extension of the Archive was the development of the Ellis Paul Archives website, launched in 2003. Karen continues to acquire and solicit items for the Archive and maintains the Archives website.  

Over the years that Karen has served as discussion board moderator, her visibility has provided many opportunities to meet and interact with Devotees – both online and in person. Her role as a member of the Ellis Paul Team is now taking on a new dimension, that of Fan Ambassador.  Karen is looking forward to meeting many more fans, encourages fans to write to her with questions and/or suggestions, and will be planning fan activities.  
Do you have an Ellis Paul story you'd like to share?  If so, please e-mail it to Karen at kmzundel@comcast.net.  Stories may be published in a forthcoming newsletter..

Fan Story of the Month

In the Spring of 1996, my friend Mario and I took a birdwatching trip to the Texas Hill country.  While in Lost Maples State Park, we decided, on impulse, to head over to the Kerrville Folk Festival.  Despite the fact that folk music had left the Dark Ages of the 80's, I had not reacquainted myself with a lot of the new artists, with the exception of John Gorka, David Wilcox, and the many Texas singer-songwriters like Eric Taylor and Shake Russell.  Mario and I selected the Saturday night at Kerrville that featured Sarah Hickman, a local artist I had seen live in Houston.  We found a decent seat that evening at the festival to await Sarah's set.  The preceding acts included Lucinda Williams.  After her set, we staggered to one of the picnic tables in the back to contemplate suicide (her music can be a little depressing).  Shortly afterward, a lonely figure took the stage – jeans, flannel shirt, and acoustic guitar.  'Ellis Paul – never heard of him.'  I didn't pay much attention at first (although my depression was starting to lift), but gradually I began to listen more closely in between snippets of conversation about the great birds we saw that day.  I heard catchy melodies, interesting lyrics, and a wonderful voice.. but it was the song "Paris in a Day" that really caught my attention.  What an unusual story in a song.  Very different.  Very clever.  After the set, I went to the CD tent and bought all of his CDs ("Say Something", "Stories", and the newly released "Carnival of Voices"), and listened to them all the way back to Houston.  I was now officially a "fan".  Coincidentally, I went to a show at the Mucky Duck in Houston that Fall (can't remember who I went to see), and Ellis showed up unannounced as the opening act.  Yes, I requested and got "Paris in a Day" - up close this time! I've traveled many miles to hear Ellis Paul perform. I participated in the Ellis Paul/Don Conoscenti cruise to the Bahamas in 2002, have been to the New Year's Eve shows at Passim, and have also traveled to Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Lyons, CO, as well as other destinations to hear Ellis perform. He continues to be one of my favorite singer-songwriters.  
Thanks for letting me tell my story!

Bill Eley
Pearland, TX

[Karen adds: Bill eventually became an original member of Ellis Paul's Fan Out group and was instrumental in helping launch the Ellis Paul Archives website in 2003.  He prodded me into attended my very first WoodyFest in 2001 - because Ellis Paul would be performing – and we have continued to attend WoodyFest every year since. ]

For contributing his story and being selected, Bill is receiving 2 tickets to the Ellis Mucky Duck show in October.  Submit your EP fan stories to Karen now for a chance to win tickets to a show!

SPRING SALE!

Finally, we're Spring Cleanin' Ellis' store to make room for new merch (including a re-print of "Stories", for the first time in years!), so visit the merch store to check out all the discounts.  Along with a great price, with each purchase for the entire month of May you'll receive an exclusive copy of the album "Live at WERS", with the best of Ellis' WERS moments and an unreleased EP track "If I Could Catch the Rain"- free!

Who's ready for May?

- Ralph Jaccodine and the EP Management Team