× Robert Ellis tours Europe with "Texas Piano Man" starting this month

Robert Ellis tours Europe with "Texas Piano Man" starting this month

08-10-2019

A change of outfit can do wonders for one’s outlook on life. Just ask Robert Ellis. Never one to be bashful about the pleasures of a good suit — witness his specially made space cowboy threads from recent years — he wears that flair firmly on the sleeve of his new LP, Texas Piano Man. Donning a sharp white tuxedo that gleams like a blank slate against the blue skies and rolling hills of Marfa, Texas, it’s a turn that Ellis comes by honestly.

Texas Piano Man is a suitably bold, rollicking, playful collection that hearkens back to freewheeling singer-songwriters and over-the-top showmen like Elton John, Harry Nilsson or Leon Russell. Ellis loses none of his sharp eye for storytelling or emotional nuance on this new release. But he adds a wisecracking edge that allows his airy tenor to become richer and more expressive with his newfound penchant for humor. In other words, it’s a lot of fun.

Should the feelings come across as too intimate on paper, the presentation by the Texas Piano Man sells it with feral abandon and pop majesty, “screaming like an animal and rattling your cage,” as he puts it in one song before bringing in some pretty cooing vocals that remind of Brian Wilson’s work. Putting down his guitar and sitting at the piano awakened something, and Ellis likens the musical experience to being behind the wheel of “a rock solid fucking muscle car.” It’s a heavy thing, with beautiful lines.

Ellis describes the Texas Piano Man as the guy who wears the tuxedo everywhere. If there’s a ribbon to be cut, he’s there. A groundbreaking? He’ll hold the shovel and deal with the dirty suit later. He’ll christen your ship, and he won’t judge your yacht rock. After a run supporting EELS throughout Europe, Robert Ellis will be back starting this month - with his band this time:

19/10: Utrecht, NL - Ramblin' Roots
21/10: Shipley, UK - Caroline Social Club
22/10: Liverpool, UK - Phase One
23/10: Glasgow, UK - The Blue Arrow
24/10: Newcastle, UK - The Cluny 2
25/10: London, UK - The Lexington
27/10: Amsterdam, NL - Bitterzoet
28/10: Copenhagen, DK - Ideal Bar
29/10: Oslo, NO - John Dee
30/10: Göteborg, SWE - Pustervik/Oceanen
31/10: Stockholm, SWE - Bryggarsalen
01/11: Malmö, SWE - Folk å Rock
02/11: Groningen, NL - Take Root
03/11: Leuven, BE - 30CC

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