Yesterday, we went to see Ellis at a house concert! She was amazing, as expected! Lonnie even agreed to go along (the only guy in attendance, ha), and had to admit he enjoyed it and noted that she has incredible stage presence. The last time she was in town it was to open for a no-boys-allowed dance party, not quite his type of event...
I knew about her stage presence (life presence!) and remembered it from our very first meeting in Northfield, MN. I was a freshman, in charge of organizing all the music for a campus Earth Day concert (don't ask how that happened...though it had to do me being one of only 3 people in the club that put it on. My advice...on a college campus, don't schedule anything you want people to actually show up for before 2 pm on a Saturday). That is also where I met The Big Wu, another group of fine Minnesota musicians (also, like Ellis, from St. Olaf College) whom I also continue to support (somewhat rabidly). I hadn't kept up with Ellis for awhile, but rediscovered her in the past year or so and have been listening to her a LOT.
So Ellis' show last night was great, and it was only 2 miles from our house, in West Seattle! No driving downtown, no having to pay for parking! We were running late, but still made it with plenty of time to spare! It was hosted by Ellis fans in their home (which, oddly enough, was a "house twin" of ours, only with one large room ideal for a concert where our dining room and my studio would be). There were about 20 or so folks in attendance, and lots of food. House concerts seem to be a pretty cool, relaxed setting for artists, particularly of the solo folk type. The artist gets all the profits from the door and of course any merch they sell (I got one cd, to round out my collection). Ellis was a joy to listen to, played a lot of the songs I love (she is a very talented songwriter) and explained the background/history behind them, which was very fun to hear. We were very lucky that her friend and fellow musician, Erika Luckett, was also in attendance, and was able to join her on several of the songs from one of Ellis' newer albums, which she also plays on.
Today and tomorrow, Ellis and Erika will be playing at The Juan de Fuca Festival in Port Angeles. We were hoping to go, but got lazy with arranging dog care. Ellis will also be playing a benefit with some other singer/songwriters at the Madison Cafe here in West Seattle on Weds, June 1st, and has several other shows in the Northwest in the next week or so. We hope to see you back in these parts again soon, Ellis!
