Vive Ellis

I was glowing last night.

No, this isn't one of THOSE blogs. But it's how my guy described me as we walked out of my fourth Ellis Paul show last night.

I was first introduced to Ellis as a wee intern on Capitol Hill in the summer of '99. I had just returned from a semester in London, only to have two weeks at home before I made my way, all by my lonesome, to Washington, DC. I had applied for an internship with a Congressman from my home state of Maine and earned the honor. It was one I could not pass up.

My fellow intern, Lance, told me about some free concerts going on at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. Ellis Paul, a folk musician from Maine, was playing that night, and he was going with our scheduler, Susan. Did I want to join them? Such was my introduction to my favorite songwriter of all time.

There's a lot to love about Ellis. As a musician and a personality, he's completely accessible. His shows are still very much about pleasing his audience, and his banter back and forth with his crowds throughout his shows demonstrate not only his sincerity, but also hammer home the fact that you just can't take the small town out of the boy. Granted, the success he has experienced has not been mainstream, and perhaps that alone has kept him a little more pure. He joked at last night's show, a celebration of the release of his new "Essentials" CD, that under typical circumstances it would be a Greatest Hits CD, but that would require him to have had at least one, well, "hit".

Despite the fact that you've yet to hear Ellis on the Top 40, he has experienced tremendous success within his own community, featured at a variety of folk festivals (including those dedicated to his hero, Woody Guthrie - whom he sports a tattoo of on his right shoulder - he showed it off last night) and showcased at songwriting retreats across the country. His tours are worldwide and his music has been featured in television (Ed) and film (if only Me, Myself and Irene had been a better movie!). Perhaps even more importantly, however, is the loyalty of his audience. Ellis enjoys a dedicated following of all ages, demonstrated in the range of ages in attendance last night - age 2 to age 70-ish, who regard him with the revelry of a rock star but also the intimacy of a next door neighbor.

Of course, this is all fluff. What matters is his music. I'm hard pressed to find a musician whose lyrics alone move me in such a consistent and emotional manner. He is a poet without pretension. His songs have earned my personal "theme song" status at various points in my life. "The World Ain't Slowin' Down" saw me through a couple of journeys encompassing many miles, both literally and emotionally. "Maria's Beautiful Mess" assures me of the normalcy of madness and passion. "Take All the Sky You Need" has guided me throughout my most recent relationship and "Sweet Mistakes" reminds me that things, perhaps, truly do happen for a reason. Or, if they don't, maybe I'm making the most of them and doing it better than I thought I was. "Home" puts its arm around me swears to the fact that men can be humbled by the love of the right woman. He is a storyteller fascinated by the human subject, and if the music does not apply to you personally, it applies to someone you know, or, at the very least, someone you want to know.

And then there's the voice. It ranges from a whisper to a proclamation, and the sound is all his own. Its unique tone almost defies the wisdom from which his lyrics are born. Despite his 42 years, it brings about an atmosphere of discovery. His recounts of first love in Summertime sound as if it could have happened last week, rather than 25 or so years ago in Northern Maine.

Finally, it's the stage personality that adds the sparkling ribbon to a package you cannot wait to open. He's just a little funnier than you, just a tad quicker, and perhaps even a little smarter than you. Just enough to want to always have him around, but never too much to feel like you're on different levels.

I recommend you run out and get Ellis Paul Essentials if you're in need of something new and thoughtful. It's unlikely he'll ever make it to your radio station, but it's just as unlikely that you'll encounter many more songwriters like him. I worry perhaps he was born to the wrong generation. Either that, or he's here just in the nick of time.