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Desert Gold
"If I Had A Hammer" is a cover of the Pete Seeger/Lee Hayes protest song from 1949. Featuring Kam Franklin on vocals, the song has been reimagined with a laid-back Laurel Canyon feel, but the message is still clear and more compelling than ever. Produced by Ellis, "Hammer..."
IF I HAD A HAMMER (Feat. Kam Franklin)
"Some People" is the first single off Matt Ellis' 6th album, "Rambler Pacifico". The track is an acoustic stomp, full of country and folk-rock hooks with a lyric that weaves its way through the layers of modern diversity in America.
SOME PEOPLE
In 1989 Matt Ellis and his family took a Greyhound Bus trip across the United States, from L.A. to New York. Matt's father, Frank, wanted to see the country from a locals perspective, far from the Disneylands and guided tours. It proved to be a life changing experience for the 15 year old, Australian born, Matt.
GREYHOUND 89
Director: Phil Harder DP and Color: J.D. Narro Editor: Hernan Barangan Drivers: Phil Harder & Scott Passaglia The first video off Matt Ellis' new album, "The Greatest Escape", is now available. "Thank You Los Angeles" is a nod to Ellis' current home base in California and comes from the unique perspective of an Australian songwriter living in the U.S.
THANK YOU LOS ANGELES
"Heart Of Mine" is the lead track off Matt Ellis' album "Births, Deaths & Marriages" - Available on iTunes. Written, directed and largely edited by Ellis, the clip was shot by Matt Taylor (Fuel TV) on the streets of Venice Beach, California.
HEART OF MINE
"River Too Wide" is the 2nd music video from Matt Ellis' "Births, Deaths & Marriages". The track, a duet featuring his wife V, is an uptempo, Americana rocker that became the critically acclaimed album's best-selling song shortly after its release.
RIVER TOO WIDE
PHOTOS
PHOTOS BY J.D. NARRO - FOLLOW @JDNARRO
MATT ELLIS
Matt Ellis is an independent, award-winning singer/songwriter and producer from Sydney, Australia. Based in the U.S. since 2005, his music has taken him across Australia, the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, and Mexico, sharing the stage with Calexico, Paul Kelly, DeVotchKa, Kasey Chambers, LeAnn Rimes, and John Doe, to name a few. Over the years, Ellis has built a catalog of critically acclaimed albums and singles, collaborating with world-class musicians including Nels Cline, Greg Leisz, and Merry Clayton, while earning international airplay and placements with Sony PlayStation, Audible, ABC, LMN, MTV, Qantas, and The Food Network.
Ellis’ sound sits firmly on the rock end of the Americana spectrum, pulling from classic singer-songwriters like Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan. His songs combine driving guitars, atmospheric textures, and his distinctive low croon to create music that feels both urgent and timeless. With equal parts grit and melody, Ellis’ work resonates with listeners who crave authenticity wrapped in bold, expansive production.
Over the years, Ellis and his band have performed at iconic venues and festivals including The Troubadour (L.A.), Pappy & Harriet’s (Joshua Tree), the Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Series, The Americana Festival (Nashville), Abbot Kinney Festival, Desert Stars Festival, The Texas Crawfish Festival, and more. Whether opening for Kasey Chambers in front of 15,000 fans or sharing bills with acts like Calexico, Iron & Wine, and The White Buffalo, Ellis has carved out a reputation as a powerful live performer who thrives on connection with his audience.
In recent years, Ellis has balanced raising his daughter with releasing a series of singles and working on his forthcoming, seventh album. The singles, Desert Gold, Coming Back, and Broken Mind were all met with a warm response, receiving spins in the U.S., Europe, and back home in Australia.
Desert Gold
Released in 2020, Desert Gold is Ellis’ postcard from the Hi-Desert of Southern California, where he relocated with his family in 2019, just before the pandemic. Recorded remotely with bandmates in Australia and L.A., the track captured the strangeness and gratitude of that time. Mixed by fellow Hi-Dez resident Nicolas Vernhes (War On Drugs, Spoon), the single introduced a new sonic chapter for Ellis and is available now on all streaming platforms. LISTEN HERE >
Coming Back
In 2022, Ellis followed with Coming Back, a celebration track recorded at the tail end of the pandemic. With the swagger of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and the pop sensibility of Big Star, the song captures resilience and release. Produced by Ellis and mixed by longtime collaborator Craig Schumacher (Neko Case, Calexico), Coming Back became a class project for Schumacher’s students at Mesa Community College, embodying the collaborative spirit that has long fueled Ellis’ music. LISTEN HERE >
Broken Mind
Most recently, Ellis released Broken Mind (2024), a single inspired by Stewart Burton’s novel Number 4, which chronicles Burton’s survival through heroin addiction and imprisonment in 1990s Hong Kong. The song, recorded near Joshua Tree with Ellis’ band and mixed by Adrian Hall (Tori Amos, Depeche Mode), revisits the rebellious soundscape of Ellis’ teenage years in Hong Kong. Released alongside the novel, Broken Mind stands as both a musical and personal reconnection to those formative years. LISTEN HERE >
Ellis is currently completing mixing on his seventh album with Nicolas Vernhes at the Rare Book Room / Sand to Snow Studio in California’s High Desert.
His previous releases include Rambler Pacifico (2019), hailed as “an Americana treasure” (Daily Ripple), and The Greatest Escape (2014), which became one of the most-added records on Americana radio alongside The New Basement Tapes. Earlier albums such as Births, Deaths & Marriages (2008) featured collaborations with Greg Leisz, Tim Young, Nick Luca, Jacob Valenzuela, and Merry Clayton, further cementing Ellis’ place in the folk-rock and Americana landscape.
From folk-rock ballads to urgent, defiant anthems, Ellis’ catalog continues to evolve while staying true to his signature low croon and sharp songwriting. With a seventh album on the way, he remains a restless storyteller, always searching for fresh ways to connect his journey to the wider world.
Follow Matt Ellis on Instagram and Facebook for upcoming release dates and live shows.