Matt Ellis is an Australian indie folk singer/songwriter that now resides in Venice, CA. How did I hear about him? No, not from an email submission, publicist or record label. After seeing J. Tillman at Red Eyed Fly, I stepped away from the stage to an outdoor area to drink a refreshing PBR in the sun with Drinking Buddy and friends and we ended up chatting it up with this guy with an Australian accent.
We didn’t know Matt was a musician, but after discussing Tillman’s set, the reasons he left Australia for California and how I wish I had an Australian accent, we discovered that he was a singer-songwriter that happens to share our same taste in music. He passed me a CD sampler, called me “mate” and here we are today.
He’s self-producing his 4th album called Births, Deaths and Marriages which was mixed by Craig Schumacher (Calexico, Neko Case). More about the album:
After recently traveling through the South – including the musically rich Mississippi Delta region, the new album is unequivocally influenced by private moments Ellis had on the road. In it you hear the grit of the old juke joints, the lulling quiet of the desert and the effect the slide has on the soul. Ellis’ sincere, plainspoken lyrics have a foot in the fervent sound of old Bruce Springsteen and Waylon Jennings but fuses a pop sensibility ideal for radio play.
Here are two tracks, including one exclusive mp3:
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who saw wishy washer at sxsw?
i love this heart of mine song! Beautiful. thnks.