Hunter Ellis grew up in Northern California and got interested in music when he started playing the violin and guitar. In high school he joined an instrumental post-rock band called The Coma Lilies, who recorded two albums, did many west coast tours, and two cross country tours. During this time, Hunter worked at the somewhat infamous Grizzly Studios in Petaluma, CA, and learned a bit about being an engineer.
After The Coma Lilies broke up in 2008 he moved to Portland, OR and played in My Dads, SHAT, and Mean Girls. He started recording his first solo endeavor in early 2012, and released it two years later. It is called The Healing Power of Laughter, taken from a catchphrase of Dr. Blake Downs in Children’s Hospital.
Hunter released a two song EP in 2017 that featured Chris Tsagakis (RX Bandits, Sound of Animals Fighting) on drums, entitled Ulysses. In late 2019 he built a small studio on the property he grew up on and started recording Face Tapes, which was released in 2021. Hunter plays guitar, bass, violin, keyboards, percussion, mandolin, dulcimer, and sings on the EP. His mother did the album artwork, which is a drawing of Hunter with tape all over his face. He enjoys listening to Zammuto, Mason Bee, Secret Chiefs 3, Widowspeak, Silian Rail, and Radiohead.
He lives with his wife, 2-year-old daughter, and dog Mendelssohn in Sebastopol, CA.
Hunter’s newest EP is entitled Torch Songs, and includes the track “The Turn,” releasing on 5/20.
“The Turn” is a pop-based anthem featuring Brodie from Cathedrals. It’s about the challenges of navigating a complex adult relationship as you grow older.
“The song was written on acoustic guitar almost as a joke,” Hunter says. “I thought it reminded me of those indie rom coms where the characters are separated in act IV but you know they’re going to get back together in act V. I wrote some lyrics that kind of vaguely represented some relationship issues I was dealing with (I’m still happily married with a toddler!), and then kinda latched onto the card playing theme–the Turn, the River, and the Flop(ing) that I saw in each line of the bridge are a reference to that.”
“I originally recorded all the vocals myself, but then asked my friend Brodie (who’s a wonderful singer on her own and in a project called Cathedrals) to re-record them, and she did a wonderful job. I had originally thought that I’d have both of us on there, but her voice was like a beautiful instrument that I wanted to hear, and my voice was…well…fine. Brodie also convinced me to get some real drums on it (I had some pretty extensive electronic/sampled drums originally), and so I recorded Linden Reed during my time at Prairie Sun Studios, using their beautiful Black Beauty Ludwig.”
“Finally, I got some great mixing tips from my cousin-in-law Jesse Shatkin, which really helped give the instruments the space they needed and helped to craft the overall flow. Mixed, summed, and mastered by me in my own studio, through much trial and error.”