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THE DRAGONFLY RACES IS ON SALE!

The Dragonfly Races CD is ready for pre-order! I am so proud of this project! I hope you have as much fun listening to the album as I had making it!

The CD includes a 24 page booklet filled with the artwork and lyrics for each song, all sketched and painted by me=2E CD's are currently being sold exclusively through CDfreedom=2Ecom go to www=2Ecdfreedom=2Ecom/artists/ellispaulsthedragonflyraces or my website www=2Eellispaul=2Ecom

You can also check out the new Dragonfly Races Myspace page www=2Emyspace=2Ecom/dragonflyraces and there are more songs to listen to at www=2Emyspace=2Ecom/ellispaul or check out more stuff at www=2Eellispaul=2Ecom



Below is a re-post of my blog which tells a bit about the project=2E=2E=2E



This is my first recording project focusing on children and families=2E After the birth of my daughter Sofi and a six week stay at home helping with her arrival, I realized my oldest daughter, Ella, closing in on three at the time, was spending hours listening to the music of a strange cast of characters, right beneath my nose=2E The likes of Barney, Elmo, Dan Zanes, Robbie Schaefer, Billy Jonas, and others had snuck into our house and stolen her ears with the clang of their joyful music=2E My music was lost somehow as an after thought=2E



And so, I began writing these tunes, gathering ideas with my wife and friends, songs I could add to Ella's (and soon, Sofi's) already wonderful knowledge of music, but with the ideas and notions that I wanted her to hear coming straight from me, her Mom, and the gifted community of friends I have gathered around me=2E



Suddenly, Ella was singing my songs around the house again=2E Her voice was carrying our words, and what a joy that was to hear=2E Collaborating with Flynn, Antje, Billy Jonas, and Vance Gilbert brought even a greater sense of community into the process=2E



I've also been a visual artist for most of my life, and was thrilled to finally have an opportunity to join my music with my illustrations=2E We hope to further this project with actual books of many of the songs=2E To see the fulfillment of such a complete concept coming to fruition has been the most thrilling album birth for me since Stories came out some fifteen years ago



Since it's my first attempt at a children's/family CD, I am hoping that the broad sweep of songs, stories, and characters will manage to entertain a very broad age group including parents and grandparents=2E I know one three year old who loves the songs already, and she was the target audience=2E



I've always considered myself a folk singer, despite the fact that I am clearly

not putting out folk albums=2E They have always been singer-songwriter records

with pop, rock, country, jazz, folk-rock over tones, but many of them include folk themes, social commentary, story songs of people struggling with the day to day issues of being a human being=2E



I am in love with great songwriting=2E Cole Porter, Willie Nelson, Cash, Dylan, Mozart, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, John Prine=2E I love a good jingle=2E I'm serious=2E If it captures its intention, and was written with any kind of Zen clarity and thoughtfulness, then I am a fan=2E I love listening to School House Rock, and some of the brilliant writing on Sesame Street and the Muppets=2E



But in my work, I've always written for myself, and taken my perspective, using my writing as a personal process to understand my world better, my friends experiences, etc=2E I've never written purely for a target audience as a goal, I've really only written for myself with the hopes that people would enjoy it=2E The result with this CD is that the songs waste no time meandering through my arguments of what, and where and why=2E They were written to hook the person listening and entertain them, not to explain myself, not present an argument, or the song to someone as my adult work has been over the years=2E



These songs are for my kids=2E What does Ella like? So I wrote a song about swinging=2E What themes should this generation of kids grow up with? Peace is all over the album=2E

This is also an independent recording=2E The best way to spread this music is through you, and your friends and family=2E Please spread the gift of this music! Please sample some of the songs and a sneak peak of some of my artwork on the new Dragonfly Races Myspace  www=2Emyspace=2Ecom/dragonflyraces

Many thanks to you all,

Ellis



Here are some brief song descriptions:





1) Wabi-Sabi

Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese concept of beauty and fragility=2E I have an adult song regarding this as well=2E Sharon spent a year in Japan and studied Japanese culture, and has always been pushing me to write about this concept=2E We shared in the writing of this song, with Mary Lu Toren out in Big Sur, California who helped me finish the last verse on her kitchen table beneath the giant red woods=2E It's about taking care of things that bring soul to your life, despite the fact that they've lost the shiny luster of newness=2E



2) Because It's There

I think it was the famous Everest explorer Edwin Mallory who was credited with saying this when asked why he climbed Everest=2E I always thought that comment summed up the brilliance and the stupidity of exploration of any kind=2E Every hero must combine courage, faith, fearlessness, and a nearly perilous amount of recklessness to take on the kind of adventures that lead us to the fringes=2E I admire them=2E I like the simplicity of the concept=2E



3) Abiola

Sue Ellen, a fan of mine who frequently posts to the discussion board, started a one woman lobbying campaign to turn Dusty from the Dragonfly Races into a girl=2E "There are no female heroines in children's music!" She said, "They are always damsels in distress!"

and she insisted in repeated e-mails that I should castrate poor Dusty and have the new female Dusty win the race, save the day, and promote the woman's movement in the same three minute song=2E

I have some identity ties to Dusty, though I don't literally picture him as me, he is enough of a part of me and gets involved in the kind of racing I used to do that I felt the sex change to be a challenge for me conceptually=2E Castration was denied=2E

Sue Ellen would not stop lobbying, heckling from the crowd=2E



Then, one day Antje Duvekot brought a wonderful new song idea to me about a girl and a monster, it had great potential, and she invited me to help her finish it, and that we did, as we were driving along the coast of Florida on tour together=2E



Suddenly, the album had its female heroine! And we named her Abiola after Sue Ellen's daughter, as a surprise to Sue Ellen and a gift for Abiola and for my girls as well=2E And fortunately Abiola is a beautiful name for a song and a protagonist=2E

And I would like to thank Sue Ellen for not naming her daughter Gertrude=2E



The song has some very present political over tones=2E Flynn really came to the rescue production-wise, as this is a quick but rambling story song with no chorus or bridge, other than a LA, LA, LA here or there=2E It was my first LA, LA, LA chorus,

It was also my first chance to write with Antje, and sing with her on a recording=2E



4) Road Trip

I wrote this with Sharon, and Flynn added a bridge to a very fun buddy road trip song of landmark stops across the United States=2E I really enjoyed Flynn's production here, especially the drum beat, and the visual bell tones that sound like wind on the bridge=2E

This song sounds outrageously catchy to me, much to my chagrin, and sticks in my head at the most inconvenient of times=2E I couldn't shake it this morning at 5am driving to the airport, and had to throw on some news to clear my head=2E

5) Dragonfly Races

The Challenge of Dragonfly Races was to make it believable=2E It is so clearly a fantasy piece that we wanted the listener to feel like he's there in the crowd in the forest with the creatures and the Great horned Owl watching the race unfold=2E Dusty, the hero of the race, is a major theme in the artwork and the title track, so it was important to me that the song has special magic cast upon it=2E Flynn and I were throwing ideas and horn parts and sha-la-la's all over this one to try and create a real three dimensional scene for people listening=2E



6) The Bed Song

This was the first song I wrote of this batch for Ella and Sofi, and it convinced me to do a whole album=2E It's my first whistling solo=2E



7) The Little Red Rose

My Dad is in Barber Shop quartet, and I decided to honor him with this one=2E It's got three of me and one extra me trying to be Barry White=2E It's a metaphorical argument

for nurturing peace=2E Though Ella thinks it's about Sofi, who we often call by her middle name Rosie=2E



8) Pinwheel

I tried writing two versions of this, one an up tempo story song tale of a boy blown across

the world with a pinwheel, and the other more of a dream state lullaby=2E The lullaby won out=2E



9) The Star Inside the Apple

This is a brief poem, about the universe inside an apple when you cut it side to side=2E



10) I Like to Swing

This is a song I wrote for Ella, whose favorite children's artist is the wonderful Billy Jonas=2E Billy was kind enough to play his recycled percussion kit on this for us, and Ella was thrilled to have him playing on one of her Daddy's songs=2E Thanks Billy!



11) The Million Chameleon March

Consider this your kid's first protest song=2E Vance Gilbert sings with me on this song about a Million Chameleons Marching on Washington, demanding change=2E



12) 9 Months to fix this World

This is clearly a song for parents, my manager lobbied hard to include it here, and hopefully it will be a centerpiece in discussions between parents and kids=2E I wrote this when Sharon told me Ella was coming, and it gets requested frequently at shows=2E I didn't know what CD would be right to record it for, but this seemed like a good opportunity to share it with people who need to hear it-- parents=2E Hopefully the kids will hang in there for it as well!



13) I Lost a Day to the Rain

While I was in Colorado I recorded a version of this song which I wrote with Darryl Purpose a few years back, it is a nice addition to the songs, and has a great live feel=2E



14) a hidden track--

Ella takes a solo here, and argues with me while doing so; And wins the argument=2E You will have a new appreciation for the word "blue" after hearing this one

EVENTS:

October 2007

Thursday, October 18th 7:00 PM

Club Cafe

Pittsburgh PA 15201

website



With special guest Flynn opening!

Flynn's website

Flynn on MySpace



Ellis will be live in the WYEP studio on Oct=2E 18, 2007 at approximately 12pm EST=2E Listen online at WYEP=2E








Friday, October 19th 8:00 PM

The Ark

Ann Arbor MI

website

Call 734-761-1818 for more details

With special guest Flynn opening!

Flynn's website

Flynn on MySpace








Saturday, October 20th 9:30 PM

Canal Street Tavern

Dayton OH 45402

website

Call 937-461-9343 for more details

With special guest Flynn opening!

Flynn's website

Flynn on MySpace








Wednesday, October 24th 8:00 PM

Watercolor Cafe

Larchmont NY 10538

website

Call 914-834-2213 for more details




Wednesday, October 24th 2:00 PM

Songwriting Workshop

Watercolor Cafe

Larchmont NY 10538

website

Call 914-834-2213 for more details

$60 Series Enrollees/$100 non-enrollees




Thursday, October 25th 8:00 PM

Stanhope House

Stanhope NJ 07874

website

Call 973-347-0458 for more details




Friday, October 26th 8:00 PM

Center for the Arts of Homer

Homer NY 13077

Call 607-749-4900 for more details


Link: Center for the Arts





With special guest Flynn!










Saturday, October 27th 8:00 PM

Stone Soup Coffeehouse

St=2E Paul's Episcopal Church

Pawtucket RI 02860

website

Call 401-457-7147 for more details

November 2007

Friday, November 2nd 8:00 PM

The Old Factory Cafe

Sand City CA 93955

website

Call 831-372-6480 for more details




Saturday, November 3rd 8:00 PM

McCabe's

Santa Monica CA 90405

Call 310-828-4497 for more details




Sunday, November 4th TBD

Acoustic Music San Diego

San Diego CA 92101

Call 619-303-8176 for more details




Friday, November 9th 7:30 PM

Tin Angel

Philadelphia PA 19019

website

Call 215-928-0770 for more details




Saturday, November 10th 7:00 & 9:00PM

Godfrey Daniels

Bethlehem PA 18015

website

Call 610-867-2390 for more details




Sunday, November 11th 2:00 PM

Special Family Show

Godfrey Daniels

Bethlehem Pa=2E

website

Call 610-867-2390 for more details

This is a special CD Release show for Ellis' new Family album "The Dragonfly Races"




Monday, November 12th 9:00PM

Private Show

Nevada City CA




Saturday, November 17th 8:00 PM

CD Release show: The Dragonfly Races

Somerville Theatre- in the Boston metro area

Somerville MA 02144

website

This is going to be an amazing night of music celebrating the release of "The Dragonfly Races" , Ellis' new CD for the family=2E

Come see Ellis and his special guests in what will be one of the Boston area's top musical events of the season=2E




Sunday, November 18th 7:00 PM

Joe's Pub

New York NY

website

Call 212-539-8778 for more details

www=2Etelecharge=2Ecom




Friday, November 23rd 7:30 PM

Eddie's Attic

Decatur GA 30030

website

Call 404-377-4976 for more details




Saturday, November 24th

Private Show

Coconut Grove FL




Sunday, November 25th 7:30 PM

Eddie's Attic

Decatur GA 30030

website

Call 404-377-4976 for more details

In The Round with his good friend Kristian Bush from the top country band Sugarland=2E




Thursday, November 29th 10:00 PM

The Rudyard Kipling

Louisville KY 40201

Call 502-636-1311 for more details




Friday, November 30th 7:30 PM

The Southgate House

Newport KY 41071

website

Call 513-779-9462 for more details

December 2007

Saturday, December 8th 8:00 PM

The Blue Door Music Hall

Oklahoma City OK 73101

website

Call 405-524-0738 for more details




Sunday, December 9th 7:00PM

The Depot at The Performing Arts Studio

Norman OK 73069

Call 405-307-9320 for more details




Saturday, December 15th 8:00 PM

Ashland Coffee and Tea

Ashland VA 23005

website

Call 804-798-1702 for more details




Friday, December 28th 7pm

The Maple Room

Lewiston ME 04240

website




Saturday, December 29th 3:00 PM

Special Family Show

Club Passim

Cambridge MA 02138

website

Call 617-492-7679 for more details

This will be a show for families to enjoy music from Ellis' Album "The Dragon Fly Races"

$8 for Passim Members

$10 non-members




Sunday, December 30th 7:00 PM & 10:00 PM

Club Passim

Cambridge MA 02138

Call 617-492-7679 for more details




Monday, December 31st 7:00 PM & 10:00 PM

Club Passim

Cambridge MA 02138

Call 617-492-7679 for more details

January 2008

Saturday, January 5th 8:30 PM

Andy's

Chestertown MD

website

Call 410-778-6779 for more details



more events





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