Joe Pug & Robert Ellis

“[Pug’s] songwriting could stand beside legends.” – No Depression

“[Ellis’s] soft rock with a singer-songwriter edge.” – Pop Matters

Joe Pug is a singer-songwriter known for his lyrical acumen and plaintive harmonica style. Pug dropped out of college and moved to Chicago, working as a carpenter before he broke into the city’s music scene. Since 2008 he has released a string of critically acclaimed albums and toured heavily in the U.S. and abroad. Paste Magazine wrote of his music: “Unless your surname is Dylan, Waits, Ritter or Prine, you could face-palm yourself to death trying to pen songs half as inspired.”

He has toured with Steve Earle, Levon Helm, The Killers, Justin Townes Earle, Sturgill Simpson and many others. Also, he has appeared at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and The Newport Folk Festival. Further, his music has appeared on NPR’s Prairie Home Companion and Mountain Stage. 

Additionally, he is the creator and host of the popular podcast The Working Songwriter.

Recorded live to tape in two days, Robert Ellis’s exquisite new album, Yesterday’s News, is as stripped-down as it gets. The celebrated songwriter’s delicate, reedy tenor accompanies only nylon string guitar, upright bass and handheld percussion. Moreover, Ellis arranged the music with harmonic sophistication here. They draw on open tunings and intricate fingerpicking à la Nick Drake or Richard Thompson. Further, Ellis’s performances subtly tap into the bittersweet longing of Chet Baker and the playful poignancy of Bill Evans and Jim Hall.

Ellis gained early acclaim for his piercing introspection and absorbing narratives. NPR hailed his “musical daring and impeccable songcraft,” while Rolling Stone praised his “sharp eye for storytelling”. Furthermore, the New York Times lauded his writing as an emotional “gut punch.”

Recommended for Fans of Robert Ellis are Jason Isbell, John Fullbright, Hayes Carll and Ryan Bingham.

LEARN MORE: https://joepugmusic.com/
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