ETHAN SELLERS MUSIC |
Hey Everyone- I hope that your holidays were both joyful and restful. January 2026 is off to the races, so here we go.... |
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LE TRAVAILLANT CONCERT IN BEVERLY, GUMBO: The backporch-style Cajun acoustic trio version of Le Travaillant will perform a concert at the historic Givins Castle in Beverly. Saturday, January 10th 7-9pm Believe it or not... you (or your organization) can hire us. It's true! Inquire within for booking! Mardi Gras is coming up very soon - February 17th! If you can't make the gigs, we do have an EP - Gumbo De Mon Père - for you to enjoy! The title track to Gumbo De Mon Père is based on a treasured Sellers family tradition that began some 50 years ago with my New Orleans-born father. You can watch a video about the making of that gumbo here:
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BOURBON ARISTOCRACY AT DESPLAINES PUBLIC LIBRARY Bourbon Aristocracy will play its usual mix of classic bluegrass at this quintet concert in late January: Sunday, January 25th, 2026 2-3pm I had a good time playing at this concert series with Le Travaillant a while back, so I expect that this should be a good one to catch. We have a rare opening for a Kentucky Derby Day. We've been booked a year in advance with private gigs for most of the last few years. Feel free to reach out about booking that day - or any other time that you (or your organization) need some bluegrass! |
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CHARACTER FLEADH GUEST SHOT: Members of Character Fleadh will join me for a 2-song guest shot at the annual Robert Burns Supper at Martyrs on January 27th. I'm not sure exactly where in the line-up we'll fall, but we'll play two songs by the Bard of Scotland himself. Tuesday, January 27th, 2026 - 7-10pm On the Irish side of things.... St. Patrick's season bookings are underway, as well as for the rest of the year. We are always looking for opportunities to play for you, so inquire within or recommend us! If you can't make the gig, we have a pair of terrific recordings you can buy! |
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TAUTOLOGIC - 25th ANNIVERSARY OF WEST IS NORTH, EAST IS SOUTH: My rock band Tautologic’s debut album, West Is North, East Is South, turned 25 in June. I'm featuring a song from the album in each month's newsletter. Tautologic drummer Pat Buzby composed this month's feature - "You Know It." Pat also played the piano part. My keyboard chops were still evolving, so - at that time - it was easier for him to play it than wait for me to master it. My keyboard chops have evolved considerably in the 25+ years since those recording sessions, I’m happy to report. I like the vibe and Pat’s instrumental string writing in particular. One doesn’t normally associate the Rickenbacker bass with slapping, but Dan Veidlinger makes it work. Mick Hirsch’s acoustic guitar is used more or less exclusively as a percussion instrument - kind of like DJ record scratching. Pat wrote a bunch of really hard-to-sing vocals after hearing me do an impression of Miss Piggy from the Muppets - which turned out to help the track. If my fuzzy recollection serves, an account of Prince’s creation of the song “1999” served as the inspiration for the harmonies and octave switching. If I recall correctly, the whole of “1999” was written with the whole band singing harmonies throughout. At mixdown, Prince muted his various bandmates so that their parts - which may have been sung as harmonies - then became a lead vocal that was passed around the various members. In any event… whether that was really how the recording of “1999” went down or not… I sang all of the parts on “You Know It,” including a bunch of soprano high Es and Gs. In the run-up to Tautologic’s only (to date) gig at the Empty Bottle, WXRT Local Anesthetic host Richard Milne called me up on the rotary-dial land-line at our rental house. (That’s how you know it was a gazillion years ago.). Richard asked me some questions and told me that he was going to play the song “with the female singer” on the radio show. I was happy for the band, but a bit personally crestfallen, since “The House Song” - which had Jennifer Justice on vocals - didn’t have any performance from me, at all. My fragile ego was dashed. We tuned in to the live radio broadcast (recording it to cassette, I believe) and it turned out that he was talking about “You Know It,” and *I* was the “female singer.” My life is not so rough, and I know it. You can trace my (and Tautologic's) evolution through our albums.
GET TURTLE DOWN MUSIC AND MERCH: Can't make the gigs to buy stuff in person? No worries. As my son says, "I got you." Just head on over to https://turtledownmusic.bandcamp.com, pick yourself (or a loved one) out something nice (downloads, CDs, t-shirts, posters) by me, Tautologic, Logical Fleadh, or Le Travaillant. Turtle Down Music is operated by me and Tautologic co-founder Pat Buzby. Pretty much everything we make goes into making the next recording, so your ongoing support is appreciated. Buy the current stuff and we'll make some new stuff! Next Bandcamp Friday isn't until February 6th, but any day is a great day to get some of my music! |
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MUSIC LESSONS - ONLINE AND IN-PERSON AT MY STUDIO: I have some openings for piano, guitar, and voice lessons. I also teach
theory and sight-reading for all instruments - and I have worked with some advanced students to write songs, set career goals, and plan large projects like albums. Inquire within and referrals always cheerfully accepted! Hope you're doing well, Ethan Sellers |
