(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Outpost in the Burbs presents Texas-born singersongwriter Robert Ellis in a “New Voices” show on Saturday, February 25th, 2017 at 8:00pm. He is touring in support of his latest album, one that is his most personal statement yet and a summation of his career thus far. The concert will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 67 Church Street in Montclair. Opening the show is Courtney Hartman.
Robert Ellis has named his new album after himself and the reason is clear. He opens with "Perfect Strangers," a meditation on what brings people together (and how tenuous that connection can be), and ends with "It's Not OK," a raw look at emotional compromise. Between those two powerful bookends are nine other songs that set Ellis's soaring vocals and knowing melodies against his sharp, dark observations, and that show him in full command of a vibrant set of songwriting skills-irony, distance, character, narrative, a thoughtful relationship between sound and sense.
“New Voices” presents emerging or “indie” musicians to the Outpost stage, exposing audiences to exciting new or unfamiliar artists.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $28 at the door and are available at Keil’s Pharmacy, 732 Valley Rd., Upper Montclair, 973-744-2113; Studio 042 – Super Business Printer, 423 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair, 973-509-7591; and on TicketLeap.
With just six songs, it’s astonishing how Courtney Hartman’s debut solo recording tells such a vivid story. 'Nothing We Say' is flush with intimate ruminations on her life as a traveling musician and a deep curiosity about the world around her. The luminous EP, delivers on the promise always apparent in her work as a guitarist and songwriter for Della Mae, the Grammy-nominated string band, along with her collaborations with Bryan Sutton, Jim Lauderdale, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell, among others. Acoustic Guitar Magazine lauds Courtney as a “distinctive guitar stylist...and a songwriter that delights and disturbs.”
The all-volunteer Outpost in the Burbs is a nonprofit outreach organization in Montclair dedicated to building community through music, community service, and cultural events. The Outpost has presented more than 350 concerts by internationally known artists such as Judy Collins, Roger McGuinn, Dave Mason, Jorma Kaukonen, Jimmy Webb, Richie Havens, J.D. Souther, and Dar Williams. In addition to promoting and staffing concerts, Outpost volunteers have donated many hours of their time through programs affiliated with Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots, the Human Needs Food Pantry of Montclair, the Community Food Bank of N.J., Dress for Success and a soup kitchen run by Outpost volunteers in East Orange, NJ.
