Warren Ellis (musician)

Warren Ellis
Background information
Born (1965-02-14) 14 February 1965
Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Occupation(s) Musician and composer
Instruments Violin, piano, bouzouki, guitar, flute, mandolin, tenor guitar, viola
Labels Anchor & Hope
Bella Union
Associated acts Dirty Three
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Grinderman
Notable instruments
Fender "Mandocaster" (Electric Mandolin)
(Fender) Squier Classic Vibe Duo-Sonic
Eastwood Warren Ellis Signature Tenor Guitar

Warren Ellis (born 14 February 1965) is an Australian musician and composer. He is a member of several groups: Dirty Three, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. He has also composed film scores with Nick Cave. Ellis plays violin, piano, bouzouki, guitar, flute, mandolin, tenor guitar, and viola.[1][2] Ellis has been a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds since 1994.[3][4]

Life and career

Warren Ellis of the Dirty Three performing at WOMADelaide 2012

Ellis was born in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.[5] He has said that he came to music by accident: while playing at the local tip, he found an abandoned piano accordion. He took it to school and his teacher showed him how to play it.[6] He later learned classical violin and flute at school in Ballarat.

After winning a scholarship to a private high school.[7] Ellis went to university in Melbourne, where he studied classical violin. After that he then worked briefly as a schoolteacher in country Victoria. In January 1988 he travelled to Europe, where he busked in Greece, Hungary, Scotland and Ireland. A year later he returned to Australia.[5][8] Ellis then wrote music for theatre groups and performed at art openings and plays in Melbourne, before he started playing in bands in the early nineties.[2][9]

In 1995, Ellis was invited to play with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on a recording; he remained with the band and continues to play and record with the Bad Seeds, and Grinderman, formed as a spin-off group from the Bad Seeds, who have released two albums.[2]

In 2002, Ellis released a solo album on King Crab records called Three Pieces for Violin. Since 2005 he has played on several Marianne Faithfull albums. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis composed the award-winning score of the film The Proposition, and collaborated again on the scores of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Road and Far from Men.

In 2009, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis released White Lunar – an album that includes other soundtrack scores.

According to The Guardian Ellis has been influential in the development of Australian music "A brilliant multi-instrumentalist as well as musical creator, his aesthetic range has furnished the distinctive sound of Australian bands from the Blackeyed Susans to Kim Salmon and the Surrealists."[10]

Ellis has lived in Paris since 1998 with his French wife and their two children.[11][2]

Collaborations

Film and theatre scores with Nick Cave

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "CULTURE : Digging diamonds from the dirt; Dirty Three Birmingham Academy 2". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Warren Ellis Interview". BBC. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Baker, J. (2013). The Art of Nick Cave: New Critical Essays. Intellect Books. p. 72.
  4. ↑ "Liverpool – Entertainment – Dirty Three @ Carling Academy". BBC. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  5. 1 2 Calkin, J. "Flying on instruments". The Telegraph.
  6. ↑ Badham, Van (2016-01-03). "Warren Ellis of Dirty Three: music is a place to get away from things". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  7. ↑ Option: Volumes 66–71, Sonic Options Network, 1996
  8. ↑ Dwyer, M. "Wild seed". The Age.
  9. ↑ "From The Archives -Dirty Three- Concert Chronology / Gigography". Fromthearchives.com. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  10. ↑ Badham, Van (2016-01-03). "Warren Ellis of Dirty Three: music is a place to get away from things". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  11. ↑ "More than one string to his bow". The Age. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  12. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/son-of-rogues-gallery-pirate-ballads-sea-songs-chanteys-mw0002476575
  13. ↑ "Vesturport". Vesturport.com. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "Trailer: Nick Cave-Penned/Scored ‘Lawless’". Twentyfourbit.com. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
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