After a great set opening for Matthew Sweet & The HFX All Stars during our Halifax Urban Folk Festival on Labour Day, we’re bringing Dennis Ellsworth & The Electric Stars back for his Common Senseless album release show at The Carleton on Friday, December 6th. Newfoundland-born, Toronto-based artist Rod Kreiger, who’s also releasing his eponymous debut EP, will be the opener. Show time is 10 PM and advanced tickets are only $15.
The Carleton has long been a supporter of Dennis Ellsworth‘s work, and venue booker Mike Campbell considers him one of the best – if often overlooked – songwriters in this, or any other, country. Throughout his career – solo and with Haunted Hearts and now The Electric Stars – he’s quietly released consistently great albums and the new one, Common Senseless, is maybe his best yet. His other project, The Fabulously Rich (put together to raise funds for Gord Downie’s Wenjak Fund), routinely sells out but it’s about time those Hip fans turned out to see his original music. Do it!
BIO…
Dennis Ellsworth & the Electric Stars is from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They play songs written by Dennis Ellsworth. The sound of the band takes many forms, but mainly hangs out in the spacey Americana and rock n’ roll worlds.
The members include, songwriter Dennis Ellsworth on guitar and vocals, Dan Currie on guitar and vocals, Michael Montigny on bass, Roger Carter on keys/organs, and Mike Carver on drums. The group formed in 2017 as a response to the need for a band to perform the music from Ellsworth’s award winning album, Things Change.
Their opening set at a sold-out Matthew Sweet show at the Carleton for Halifax Urban Folk Festival 2019 is a highlight for the band. Sweet is one of Ellsworth’s main power pop songwriting influences.
Over the years, Ellsworth has worked with an impressive list of musical companions. His resume includes collaboration with Josh Finlayson and Andy Maize of Skydiggers, Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip, Joel Plaskett, and David Barbe of Sugar and foremost producer of the Athens, GA based group, Drive-by Truckers.
Rod Kreiger has been hooked on music since first hearing his father drop the needle on his turntable. He realized early on that music has the power to change lives, if only for a few moments, and carries with it an undeniable magic. Since then, he’s grown into a recording artist with powers of his own that are readily apparent to anyone who hears him. “My story is in the lyrics,” he says, “There are pieces of me laid bar for everyone to witness.”