Ellen Rosner: Press

Sophie B. Hawkins ( left ) is in town this week. Ellen Rosner ( right ) opens before her June 11 show at House of Blues.

After two years in the works, Ellen Rosner’s latest CD Ready, Steady, GO! started its engines at a release party June 4 at the Hideout nightclub.

Although she has the timeless rock ‘n’ roll and soulful sound of a young Chrissie Hynde, Chris Isaak or Melissa Etheridge on most of the album, Ellen delivers blues flavoring on the songs “Same Old” and “Simple Release,” showing her influences courtesy of Ruth Brown and Chicago’s own Mavis Staples.

While the Midwest has produced outstanding female singer-songwriters like Etheridge and Sheryl Crow, Rosner is Chicago through and through. Born and raised in the Windy City, as a teenager Ellen would play guitar along Lake Michigan in Rogers Park. Like her material, she sports the approachable attitude that Midwesterners are renowned for.

“Princess” and “The Traveling Song” are two exceptional cuts from Ready, Steady, GO! Rosner feels she is in bloom with this being her best work to date. On this her third album, Ellen adds that this set has a sense of continuity, “the biggest themes are about growing up and coming to terms with mundane everydayness.” Unlike some artists with albums lacking coherence, Rosner describes Ready, Steady, Go! as covering the ideas about how it is a “big sin to be average—there is something special about being average, this is my reconciliation with that.”

The Chicago rocker returns on GO! with her creative counterpart, Chuck Harling, her drummer of six years and one of the album’s co-producers. The band is completed with bassist Melissa Kempfer and there is a special guest appearance by guitarist Tom Valenzano of the band Loomis. John Abbey adds masterful co-production and engineering—the project was recorded at his New Soup Studios here in Chicago.

As a singer, guitarist and songwriter, Rosner fittingly was one of the contributors to organize Ladyfest Midwest, a chapter of the international showcase of female musicians and poets.

The online shop at cdbaby.com will be acting as the sole carrier of Ready, Steady, GO!, where it is currently in stock.

On Saturday, June 11, Ellen will be opening once again for Sophie B. Hawkins at the House of Blues Back Porch Stage.

Story and Photos by Andy Argyrakis
Austin- Unless you're a superstar like Little Richard, a buzz band like The Hives or an iconic artist turned speaker like Wayne Coyne, standing out at SxSW is as easy as finding a needle in a haystack. Any independent artist is likely to admit that without the big bucks and resources of a major label, it's not incredibly easy to throw parties, showcases and schmooze shindigs, especially ones that get the key music business suits to show up. But despite the challenges, there's still a handful of indie elite who've managed to make it on the festival's fringe, perhaps not performing at the most prestigious venues and exclusive engagements, but still reeling in supporters from both the industry and Austin community.
One such artist who's continuously expanded her niche is Chicago based singer/songwriter/guitarist Ellen Rosner, who with drummer/percussionist Chuck Harling, made this year's rounds on her own terms. The pair may have started in Chicago playing the House of Blues/Schubas/Abbey Pub/Uncommon Ground circuit, but have since gone national, sharing the stage with the likes of Joan Armatrading, Peter Himmelman, Television, Berlin, Nelly Furtado and dozens of others. Rosner's first two discs (1999's The Perfect Malcontent and 2001's Count to Three) have already racked up significant college radio airplay, along with a spot on WXRT's year end indie album list. Throughout the week, the talented two-piece performed cuts off both discs, along with previews of this summer's Ready Steady Go, proving on numerous occasions a major label deal isn't the only way to make a mark. Here's a snapshot look at how they spread the word grassroots style:

go to concert live wire website link for rest of article