WITH OPENER JIM TRICK
“…one of the defining voices of American songwriting.”- Direct Current
Ellis Paul is a songwriter, author, illustrator, and teacher. He has been a constant presence on the American folk circuit for over thirty years. In that time, he has released twenty two albums of original music and performed over 5,000 shows. His songs have made their way into big screen features including blockbuster films such as: Me, Myself & Irene, Shallow Hal and Hall Pass, as well as having been recorded by Grammy award winning country artists.
His work has been described as descriptive narratives of people at a crossroads in their lives. Despite the nature of these stories, the humanity in the writing makes them about all of us.
His stage performance is a combination of humor, improv, and poignant story songs. He has performed on stages at the Newport Folk Festival, Carnegie Hall, clubs and coffeehouses all over the world, and was awarded an Honorary Degree from the University of Maine and inducted into the Maine Music Hall of Fame. He has received numerous award including fifteen Boston Music Awards and the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Award. His album released in 2019, The Storyteller’s Suitcase, was named NERFA album of the year and he was named IAMA International Acoustic Artist of the Year. His most recent album “55”, further deepens his reputation as one of folk music’s finest touring artists.
“Despite his success and sense of history, [Ellis] remains an artist with his eye on the future and an interest in discovering the transformative potential of his music.” – The New York Times
JIM TRICK
Imagine an experience where an entire audience feels like they are connected to a conversation; whether thru his music or his words, Jim brings a real life perspective, with an engaging and entertaining presence to the room. Joyful, sincere and magnetic are just a few of the words to describe Jim Trick.
As a child, he was bullied for choosing music over sports, for having a funny last name and for struggling with obesity. Through his experiences he delivers a blend of alternative folk, thoughtful pop, and spoken word. Influenced by Neil Finn, Bruce Cockburn, John Gorka and Charles Bukowski; Trick takes the acoustic guitar down a path of percussive, intricate, and ethereal ranges creating well thought out melodic support for carefully crafted lyrics.
Boston has welcomed Jim with open arms, as a frequent guest lecturer at The Berklee College of Music and as a solo artist. Jim was featured along side American Idol’s Alex Preston, by Berklee College of Music for a performance entitled “An Evening With New England’s top songwriters”.
Jim performs rgularly at iconic venues such as Club Passim, Godfrey Daniels, Cafe Lena, The Me&Thee Coffeehouse, Berklee’s Cafe 939 and the New Moon Coffeehouse, just to name a few. He has shared the stage with Ellis Paul, Brooks Williams, Susan Werner, Martyn Joseph, Christopher Williams, Antje Duvekot, Vance Gilbert and John Gorka.
Everything you need”, co-written with Christopher Williams, was recently released on Christopher’s album “The City Makes the Man”. Trick and Rachel Taylor co-wrote, “You Might Be Surprised”, a song released on the album “Heartbreak is for Everyone”, which was produced by Peter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
His most recent release, Further From the Tree, produced by Michael Pritzl of The Violet Burning, was fully funded by his loyal fan base during a four week “Trick-Starter” campaign. The album features the song “A road called home” co-written with Nashville’s Rachel Taylor. It depicts a recent trip in which Jim traveled 10,500 miles all over the United States, not knowing from night to night where he would sleep.
“I needed an epic adventure. In many ways, the song and trip were a line we drew in the sand in terms of how we want to live our lives going forward. In some crazy way, this album is propelling me into a truer version of life, steeped in freedom and satisfying a wild curiosity.” – Jim Trick
As a touring member of Banding People Together, Jim also travels all over the United States using music and behavioral science to help companies create collaborative strategies and improve leadership.
