The Launch

THE BIG NEWS...

Hello Friends,

It's a big day for Ellery!

We've been so excited to tell you.
We can finally say to you, to all of you, the one thing we've been wanting to say for SUCH a long time:

We're making another record.

It's true. And not just someday, but beginning right now. Today.
And with you. (More on that in a minute!)

The recording time is on the books. We've signed on the dotted line. We've blocked several Summer weeks.

It's all begun, and it's feverishly moving ahead.

THE WHAT...

We've had our eyes out on our next full-length since late-2007. We've been compiling songs as they come, tucking them away to see where they lead. We've been enthusiastic, but patient. We didn't want to make another record just to make another record.
We've wanted the recording process to unfold gracefully and authentically -- Whatever that meant. Whatever that means. We'd surely know it when we felt it. :)

THE WHO...

In January, Justin began talking about Malcolm Burn. Malcolm is a Grammy-winning producer who has worked with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Kaki King, Rachel Yamagata, Sarah McLachlan, Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams, and more.

Once Justin mentioned the idea, we began listening more closely:
Emmylou's voice on "Red Dirt Girl." The haunting sound of Rachel Yamagata's "The Reason Why." The clarity of Kaki King's "Open Mouth," the intimacy of Carrie Rodriguez's "Rag Doll," and so much more.
I (Tasha) don't know much about production, and I don't get into gear or studio layouts or anything akin to either of these. But I know something deeply beautiful when I hear it, and the more I heard these samples of Malcolm's work, the more convinced I became that he was exactly what we'd been looking for.

By the time we found out he wanted to work with us, we were sold.

THE WHERE and WHEN...

So we'll be recording in Malcolm's upstate-NY studio this June and July: a glorious time to be in the Hudson Valley! It’s a dream of an opportunity, with the potential to open a lot of doors for us in the future.

Which leads fabulously to the next piece of news...

GET IN ON IT!...

This is definitely our most ambitious project to date. We're setting out to make the best record we've ever made, with what we believe are the best songs we've written.

With that in mind, we've developed the "Ellery Stimulus."
(Ah, the pop-culture reference.)

You the fan have the opportunity to participate in the Ellery story in a much more personal, intimate, and integral way. Through the Stimulus, we're raising funds to complete the next record:

Go now to www.ellerystimulus.com
You can read the story, find ALL KINDS of details and FAQ's and, most importantly...
You’ll find LOTS of options for contributing towards the new record, each with a collection of interesting rewards: from new music, to private shows, to keyboards, to dinner, and more...

You can contribute a little or a lot, whatever works for you. Every dollar counts, and every contribution has a PROFOUND effect. The love adds up!

And there's more to this than "raising funds." Through the process of fundraising, we're creating ways to connect with you beyond the artist/listener realm we love so much. Our hope is that you'll truly be a part of this journey with us.

Get In On It:
www.ellerystimulus.com

(If you'd like, leave comments on the blog. Tell us what songs we should record. What songs to leave off. What songs to write. Anything, really. We love your feedback; go!) :)

CLOSING...

Thank you so much for sharing our news and excitement. We believe we have the most warm, kind, and music-loving fans in the world; it's an honor to make music for you and with you. You make all of this go.

We can't wait to see you on the road,
to tell you how the Ellery Stimulus is doing,
to hear your thoughts and feedback,
to show you how the whole thing unfolds,
and to create something beautiful with you.

More to come soon...

Our very best to you!

--Tasha and Justin // Ellery

Ten minutes in Romulus.

I came down to the lobby of our Romulus MI hotel this morning to do some work and let Justin rest.
An older man, a hotel employee, was moving around the room, gently wiping down tables and countertops from the continental breakfast which had ended about an hour before.

I'm an introvert and particularly so in the mornings; I like being alone with my thoughts and I had already considered shutting off the enormous TV that was shouting ESPN at me.
The cleaning man seemed harmless enough until he came around by my table. He clasped his hands behind his back and leaned over a bit, reading my computer screen over my shoulder.
This did not feel okay.

"What is this?" He asked, and I felt a bit annoyed. But I smiled. "Oh, just doing some work this morning."
I noticed that this didn't quite register. "You- student?"
Then I noticed his accent. Russian, lovely.
"No, just work."
"What you do?"
My computer screen was on a Yoga site, so I answered, "Well, mainly I'm a musician, but I also teach Yoga."
This is when I learned that he speaks very little English.

So we spent some time trying to talk about what I do.
I realized I'm not so good at charades.
After some work, I think we established that I perform music, but I don't teach it... And what I do teach is "Yoga."

He's not sure what Yoga is:
"You teach -- small children?"
"No, it's more-- people who want to lose weight (I hold my belly) or get strong (flex biceps)." (I didn't think I should launch into stress relief.)
"Ooooh. So you teach-- kind of therapy?"
"Kind of. Kind of."
It was a good start.

We talked about children. "No, not yet" I say when he asks if we have any. "That's okay, you young..."
"I have two children," he says after a pause.
He described his daughter and son, 28 and 26, both in University. "It's hard. Very expensive. Very hard on wife and me. We work-- every day. Every day. But my wife, she's um... optimistic? They're good, no smoking, no drinking, good brain."

I noticed that he looked tired.
I thought about his son, in the very expensive dental school, and wondered if he was thinking about his dad, wiping down tables at the Quality Inn. Mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms. I noticed that if I were his son, I'd feel guilty. And then I noticed that this man wouldn't want that.
Appreciation doesn't have to be followed by guilt. This is new & interesting to me. :)

"What about your parents?" He asked.
"My parents? Like what do they do?"
"No, what is their-- ethnicity?"
"Ooh. Mostly British, German, Native American."
"Ah," he says. "I love the Europeans. And I do like the people American. But here, just so many."

This was funny to me at the time, but funnier in retrospect. He's surrounded. I feel for him.

We chatted for a while, a lovely, very real few minutes which he concluded by saying, "You a good girl. Maybe in 3 years, you birth baby."

A little prophecy thrown out with love. :)

He went back to his work, but after a while he came back over again.
"You eat breakfast?"
"No, just having coffee."
"You want doughnut? Cheerios?"
"No, it's okay, I have food in the room." (The continental breakfast was long gone by now.)
"What you like? Cheerios? Apple?"
"Oh, thank you, but I'm alright." [Just to clarify, I was planning on eating. There's some hott Kashi Oatmeal Action in the hotel room. But I digress.]
"No, I serious. I get you something. You like my daughter: she skinny, but I like a bit more. (He gestures around his middle.) For strong brain, need strong body."
"So - you are my daughter," he continues. "Maybe you like that, maybe not? (shrugs) But I am your father. I take care of you. What you like?"

I think I conceded to dry Cheerios and an apple. Off he went.

So. There's now a plate of bananas, apples, an orange, and a large bowl of cheerios on my table, all covered with a carefully folded napkin.

I came down here bristling against social interaction. In ten minutes this man went from nobody to one of the most deeply meaningful random connections I've experienced while touring.

Feels holy.