“I wrote the opening line to ‘A Packed Suitcase’ while traveling solo through the PNW [Pacific Northwest]. One of those overnight drives where you suck down cigarettes like they’re necessary to life, and in a sense they are,” Charles said.He continued, “You’ve been driving so long that you can’t quite remember where you started, and all at once it happens: the world around you seems to all collapse into a single moment. A memory you’ve purposely misplaced full knowing that one day you would stumble upon it and have to face it, you tell yourself ‘someday, but not today.’ Hoping that when the time comes, you’ve grown and matured enough to be able to wrestle with it and come away unscathed, at the very least still breathing. The memory starts as something small. The curve of a collarbone. A rose-gold ring wrapped around a freckled finger. A crooked smile.”
This emotional release comes off the heels of a five week west coast tour. Ellsworth is currently fundraising at www.notakickstarter.com for his full length album, which he hopes to begin recording early next year. His EP release show will be October 10 at The State Room in Salt Lake City, UT, and he will also be featured on two CMJ Showcases on October 15 at Arlene’s Grocery (day show) and Kings County Saloon (night show) [details].
Biography: Born and raised in the White Mountains of Arizona, Charles Ellsworth first gained an appreciation for a simple, not so distant past. A recent transplant to Brooklyn and self proclaimed “Wandering Man”, Charles has spent the better part of the past four years crashing couch to couch. Making friends & enemies. Talking his way onto bar stages and out of traffic tickets. He’s taken to heart the advice of one of his most influential writers, Roberto Bolaño, “Make new sensations appear…subvert daily life…give it all up again. Hit the road.” His songs wind down a familiar highway. A road more traveled, but with a perspective less explored. His vivid lyrics and near-familiar melodies weave to tell stories of heartbreak and loneliness while shining a light on the perseverance of the human spirit. Charles has subtle way of exploring the idea that even when all seems lost, there is always a sliver of hope. Declan Ryan of Independent Clauses (www.independentclauses.com) called his and Vincent Draper’s recent release Salt Lake City: A Love Story, “a triumph for american songwriting…blending outlaw grit with a raw streak of self-awareness.” His ability to go from a stomp-your-boots anthem reminiscent of Springsteen, to a simple love song in the vein of Townes Van Zandt assures that it won’t be long before his name, lyrics, and melodies are stuck in music lovers head’s everywhere.
