Ellis Paul

Hello Lovely Folks—

I’m looking out my sliding glass doors at the rising Blue Ridge Mountains and feeling the optimism of myself again after a few weeks of being challenged by the Coronavirus. Somewhere along the way I picked it up— likely in Chicago or at the Woody Guthrie Festival where hugs abounded and masks were few. When I got home I knew something was feeling off, and so I swabbed my way through a home test which immediately registered my need for isolation.

So down I went. I cancelled four shows and my appearance at the Swannanoa Gathering retreat. This wreaked havoc on my income of course, and I got to thinking that if a million people (or more) who have Covid are individually cancelling things and losing income, or opportunities, vacations etc— we still have both a constant threat to our health and an economic problem that will remain for the foreseeable future.

I was isolated for ten days, and pretty sick for three of them. But the downtime enabled me to work some on the new album “55” which continues to bring surprises.

I bring songs into the studio— usually just a guitar and a vocal piece. And then I dabble, throwing instruments on them one by one as they take shape like a hot air balloon rising into form from the ground. Sometimes after I’ve thrown everything at it, I peel back the layers of instrumentation to find the song within the wall of noise. That feels like finding a statue in the stone. It’s so fun! I keep track of the progress on each song by placing stickers on a chart. (See photo above!)

This weekend we will be sharing a download link to the new song "Everyone Knows It Now" with contributors to the new album fundraiser and to Patreon supporters! If you’re interested in supporting the new album fundraiser visit the link below.

https://ellispaul.com/fundraiser/

ALSO....for the month of August if you become a PATREON supporter at the $5/month or above level, I will send you a complimentary CD of The Storyteller’s Suitcase!

You can become a Patreon supporter at this link: www.patreon.com/ellispaul.

In-Person Shows this Month:

• Thursday, August 11, Kennett Flash, Kennett Square, PA
• Friday, August 12, The Atlantic BKLN, Brooklyn, NY
• Saturday, August 13, Passim, Cambridge, MA
• Sunday, August 14, The KATE, Old Saybrook, CT
• Saturday, August 27, Sterrett Center, Lawrence, IN (with Vance Gilbert)

Details and ticket info at  www.ellispaul.com/calendar

Vacation Trips:

Two seats just opened up for my trip to Ireland next month: September 11-21, 2022. Click below if you’d like a music vacation through the glorious coast of Ireland with music and concerts and beautiful meals!

https://www.inishfreetours.com/tour_leaders/ellis-paul/

30th Anniversary Cruise to Alaska:

Ellis Paul, Don Conoscenti, Darryl Purpose and More! May 26 - June 2, 2023

We are going to have an extraordinary trip next year to Alaska with several of my musical friends along for the ride! Join me, Darryl Purpose, Don Conoscenti and more for nights of music, beauty and exploration in a trip from Vancouver to Seward, Alaska with a side trip to Homer for shows at Alice’s Champagne Palace!

Click this link for details and pricing: Ellis Paul Cruise to Alaska!

Be safe out there!

Ellis