Lone Star state of mind
Songwriter Robert Ellis stakes out his corner of Texas' music legacy
For his new album “Texas Piano Man,” songwriter Robert Ellis dons a white tuxedo and an uncharacteristically Texas-sized pop swagger.
Ellis, known for his intricate guitar playing and what he accurately described as “not lowest-common-denominator” songwriting, put down the six-string and instead picked up 88 keys for writing and tracking his latest effort. But he didn't just make a piano record: Robert Ellis transformed into the Texas Piano Robert Ellis Man, with yellow lapel rose and pristine white cowboy hat to boot.
Or boots, in this case. He'll kick off his “Texas Piano Man” tour with a Saturday performance at VZD's, along with Ian O'Neil of Deer Tick. Black tie optional.
Q: At what point in the songwriting for “Texas Piano Man” did you decide you weren't going to pick up a guitar?
Ellis: The first song I wrote for the new record was probably “Passive Aggressive.” Right around the time that I started working on the nuts and bolts of figuring that song out, it was like, `This needs to be a piano record.' That song gave me a lot of cues as to the disposition and humor ... like the whole record needs to have some levity to it, and it can be a little more fun. If you have a song like that, and then you have nine other really serious ones, it just doesn't, like, prime you for the punchline.
Q: It's interesting you'd say that, because I think on your last two records, you just had a couple moments of lightness in the midst of really sad songs.
Ellis: You're right. It's the exact inverse of what I've normally done, and I think it's more effective in some ways. It's a little easier to get somebody to hear something serious when they're smiling than it is to get them to laugh when they're sad. That's a taller order, I think.
Q: When did the character of Texas Piano Man start to take shape?
Ellis: I tend to always like grasp at an overall prompt or a concept because it helps me as a writer organize things in a way that makes sense. Whether that's something as simple as, “I'm going to write this on piano,” or, “This character has a lot of confidence and is maybe a little sarcastic and has a really good sense of humor.” The Texas Piano Man came pretty early on, definitely well before recording.
Q: What is he allowed to do that Robert Ellis isn't?
Ellis: It's more fun. I've been thinking of it like a live-action role playing. In my mind, this character is extremely confident and doesn't need validation to find his power, if that makes sense. He's really sure of what he's doing and feels like if you don't like this, then you're wrong.