Ellsworth and Hicks
New York City, New York, United States
Music
Press
"...what sets this pair apart is the casual way they come across as throwbacks to a time when songwriters sought to make some sense of the world, rather than settle for vocal acrobatics." - Mike Wolf, Music Editor
“These guys are a must hear! And musical soulmates too. Listening to them reminds me of all the reasons that I went into radio." - Ruth Eddy
“A class act from start to finish.” - Bill Hay
"This song (The Things I Gotta Do To Stay Alive - Are Killing Me) is a minimalist's dream. It starts with out a couple of guitar chords and a low baritone voice doing a doo-wop-scat sort of thing. At first, I was not sure if I liked it; I haven’t heard anything like this since I was a kid...This is a prime example of the magic of music. By the time the song was over I wanted more... I can’t really describe this song. You’ve gotta listen to it. I look forward to hearing other E and H songs... especially ones that feature their unique clarinet and guitar sound more prominently." - Geanine Towers
“...Whether harmonizing, trading instrumental licks, or just exchanging onstage banter (earning their reputation as the coffeehouse Cosby and Culp), these two settle into their repertoire like a pair of old cats on a windowsill. Their music is cool, observant, and delivered with a baggy-pants soul that sounds like it’s seen the country from the door of a boxcar. - Mark Keating
Discography
CD - "Ask Around" - Ellsworth and Hicks - 1999 Twilight's Own Publishing (ASCAP)
Photos
Bio
In 1999, after almost 20 years of playing their original songs in bars, cafes, coffeehouses, gyms, backyards, frontyards, libraries, bookstores, loading docks, cruise ships & barges all around the New York & New England area, Ellsworth and Hicks released their first CD, “Ask Around”. In 2000 it was picked as a finalist in the Crossroads Music Awards for Contemporary Folk. Some of the tunes such as “Moonlight Over the Factories” and “But I’m Not” were already considered classics among their loyal fans. Others found their way to radio, internet and feature films. “The Moon is a Faithless Lover” was in the film "Ghetto Dawg" with Drena DeNiro and Gianna Palminteri. “The Things I Gotta Do to Stay Alive - Are Killing Me” was in "The Clinic," an independent film that won Best Screenplay in the NYII Film Festival. And “Up Above the World” was picked for the 2004 UMO Music: The 14 Best Singer/Songwriters of Greenwich Village compilation CD. Over the years they’ve shared stages with Leon Russell, Levon Helm, Maria Muldaur, Bill Kirchen, “Spider” John Koerner, Mary McCaslin, Jonathan Richman, David Massengill, Ronnie Earl, Bill Morrisey, Five Chinese Brothers and Pete Seeger. And now, in 2007, E & H are still evolving their unique style, blending vocal harmonies with acoustic guitar and clarinet. With a repertoire that resists easy categorization and original songs strong enough to withstand the merely trendy, they continue to clear their own path, oblivious to the familiar roadsigns; Alternative, Mainstream, Modern, Post-Modern...whatever. Just two fine songwriters who chanced to meet & found that their styles perfectly complement each other.
Besides songwriting and performing, Ellsworth began producing music shows around the New York and New England area. His summertime Sunset Music Series on "the barge" in Brooklyn's Redhook has become one of the coolest, sought after gigs in NYC. He also produces the Bull Run Concert Series at the Bull Run Restaurant in Massachusetts where he brings in "All the great performers I admired growing up."
Ellsworth hails from the factory town of Leominster, MA where he spent most of his early years “wandering around empty lots & collecting stuff no one else wanted."
Phil Hicks was born & raised in Cincinnati, OH, where “the style of music you heard depended on which part of town you happened to be in."
And so, in October of 1980 these two met at a pretentious little dinner party in the suburbs of Massachusetts. Neither of them had much in common with the gourmet-minded guests. Both of them couldn’t wait for the chance to duck outside for some fresh air. But little did they know that their conversation that night would be the start of a musical relationship that would last so long. After all, what would a white guy from central Mass have in common with a black guy from southern Ohio anyway? One listened to Bob Dylan while the other dug George Clinton. What they soon discovered was that they liked many of the same artists; Rolling Stones, Fats Waller, James Taylor and Jimi Hendrix to name a few. They also shared an affinity for sweet melodies, tight harmonies and a straight-forward approach to songwriting which incorporated diverse styles and influences. The result of this musical marriage is an acoustic duo whose sound is both fresh and familiar; certainly heartfelt, but not unwilling to poke fun at itself.
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