ETHAN SELLERS MUSIC |
Hey Everyone- I find myself raking leaves pretty much every weekend now, so we're definitely in early autumn. Things are slowing down from the busy summer and early fall season, but the year ain't over yet! Here's what's up this month and beyond... |
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BOURBON ARISTOCRACY CHRISTMAS DUO: Pumpkin spice lattes are on the coffee shop menus already and Halloween is upon us - so Christmas isn't far behind. Banjoist Steve Martin and I have started a fun little acoustic duo spin-off from Bourbon Aristocracy that plays winter holiday music, bluegrass style. We can do an hour-long holiday concert or play background music for social events. For longer events, we can sprinkle in some great bluegrass, Irish, and rock/pop songs, for the sake of variety. We can also expand to the full line-ups of 4-6 players, budget permitting. You can check out some videos of us getting ready for the winter holidays here: Let It Snow - https://youtu.be/yuspRuysVig We would love to spike the egg nog at your events, musically speaking, so drop me a line if you'd like us to come play at your holiday party! |
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CHARACTER FLEADH GIG: My Irish/Scottish band Character Fleadh played its last outdoor gig of the season this past weekend, albeit in a heated tent. Our next gig's indoors...: Saturday, November 1st 7-10pm 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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CHEZ BUTTER GIG: My soul band Chez Butter debuted some new-to-our-setlist classic soul, R&B, funk, and disco at our annual Crandon Community Garden show in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, a few weeks back. If you're down in the Northwest Indiana area, come on out to see us at our next gig...:
Friday, November 7th 7-9pm We're always looking to play more. Reach out if you - or your organization - would like to have soulful jams! |
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LE TRAVAILLANT GIGS - EARLY WARNING:
My Cajun/zydeco band Le Travaillant - which performed on WGN TV this summer - has a cool pre-Mardi Gras gig coming up in early 2026...: Saturday, January 10th 7-9pm Believe it or not... you (or your organization) can hire us. It's true! Inquire within for booking! If you can't make the gigs, we do have an EP for you to enjoy! |
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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. In terms of performances and writing, “Lazy Sundays” has aged better than most of my other songs on the album, to my ears. The lyrics are about that crummy feeling that I tended to have on Sundays - that I just hadn’t done enough to accomplish my life goals and that life was slipping by without progress. I wrote those lyrics in my early twenties. Nearly 30 years later, I still feel that way - even though I’ve ticked-off most of the ambitions listed in the song. The goal post keeps moving, I guess. Musically, it has a Beatle-y sort of piano feel, with a string section in tow - but the vocal feel owes a lot to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound.” I’m proud of the chord progression and the counterpoint on the bridge (Dan Veidlinger on bass, Ken Arai on cello, Kristen Davis Edmundson on viola, Henry Bigelow on violin), in particular. The production reveals our budget limitations - a real piano would’ve been nice, and I think that some of the gauzy fuzziness is because we had to filter out background noise from our ad hoc recording studio in the basement of Pierce Tower, a dormitory on the University of Chicago campus. I think it was a refrigeration unit for the dining hall upstairs that kicked on periodically without us noticing it during tracking. I remember violist Jen Justice commenting on an early mix that it sounded like Ben Folds. I barely knew who he was, having only heard “Brick” in passing. I came to realize that this was in fact a compliment, having delved into his oeuvre afterwards and become a huge fan. The chorus sums up a lot for me: “I’m always becoming, never being. Always will be - never am. I want to be something, not just dreaming of Lazy Sundays’ idle plans.” Not much has changed in that regard - I'm still becoming, still dreaming. 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? Searching for the perfect gift to get the music lover in your life? 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 is December 5th, 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 |
