Ellis Ashbrook is an American contemporary
experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...
group from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York, United States. The band consists of John Barber (lead guitar, vocals), Alex Major (drum kit), Jonathan Granoff (bass guitar), and Dan Keller (rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals). Barber and Granoff are both graduates of the
Berklee School of Music
Berklee College of Music () is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level ...
and Major is a graduate of
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
.
History
The band was formed in
East Greenwich, Rhode Island
East Greenwich is a New England town, town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island, Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within ...
by John Barber, Alex Major, and Ryan Gildea while attending
East Greenwich High School
East Greenwich High School is a public secondary school located in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, U.S.
The school serves students in grades 9–12 in the East Greenwich Public Schools system. EGHS is the highest-performing public high school in t ...
. Though the band has evolved throughout the years, Barber and Major began collaborating musically at the age of ten. Granoff joined the group in 2003 and the group played rock clubs around
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
(including The Living Room, The Met Cafe, and The Century Lounge) and Boston (including All Asia Cafe and The Middle East). In 2003, the band released an EP entitled ''Seven Exits''.
In April, 2006 the band released their debut, self-titled album while living in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, Massachusetts. Shortly after the release of ''Ellis Ashbrook'', Natalie Lowe joined the group, contributing keyboards and providing vocals. The group played their first show with Lowe at The Middle East Downstairs in
Cambridge, MA
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 U.S. census was 118, ...
. The group's live shows received praise from Boston's rock community. A.J. Wachtel of ''The Noise'' describes the group's shows as "a big sound for such a relatively small group. The tunes are driven by the unpredictability of where the music is heading. The bottom line is they get the feet moving and then get the head thinking.”
''Assemblage'', Ellis Ashbrook's second album, was released in October 2008. Although he contributed heavily to the album, Gildea left the group prior to ''Assemblages release. Gildea is currently a member of the Boston-based band Left Hand Does. The release of ''Assemblage'' saw Ellis Ashbrook gain a loyal following in New York and cemented their place on Brooklyn's rock scene. David Day of ''Weekly Dig'' praises the group as "the complete package, they also had a hand in engineering and mixing their second CD, ''Assemblage''. It's a hell-fueled, spiraling rock record."
Since the release of ''Assemblage'', the group has maintained a regular touring schedule and continues to have a strong presence in the New York, Boston, and Providence rock scenes. ''Time Out New York'' suggests that "local outfit Ellis Ashbrook offers intriguing sounding alt-rock that draws on prog, grunge, and funk-metal in equal measures."
In March 2011, Ellis Ashbrook released a live DVD from their July 3, 2010 show at The Highline Ballroom in New York City. Ellis Ashbrook released their third full-length studio album ''Meridia'' in May 2011. Their fourth and most recent LP, The Space Palace was released in 2017.
Discography
Studio albums
*Ellis Ashbrook (2006)
*Assemblage (2008)
*Meridia (2011)
*The Space Palace (2017)
Extended plays
*Seven Exits (2003)
External links
*http://www.ellisashbrook.com/
Ellis Ashbrook MyspaceEllis Ashbrook Youtube
American experimental musical groups