The Read
Ellis moves from hard-shuffle Texas country into piano-driven pop with a lounge-lizard streak. Across both, he writes with genuine humor about how unpleasant people can be. The persona shifts from record to record and sometimes within a set, and it can read as a bit until you notice how good the songs underneath it are. He is also a serious guitar player, which the piano material tends to obscure. Eastside Bowl is a big converted bowling alley in Madison, which suits a performer with a theatrical streak. His between-song patter is sharper than average, and the arrangements tend to stray from the records. If you know only one version of Ellis, you will probably meet another one.
The Venue
Eastside Bowl
1508A Gallatin Pike S
A Madison complex where the stage shares a roof with the bowling lanes and the bar. It became a real north-side anchor when Honky Tonk Tuesday Nights moved in.
Tickets
on sale
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Shape The Night
Before
MaemaxChriss Goyenechea named it after his kids Mae and Max. Full Filipino market and restaurant in Madison. Chicken adobo, sisig, lumpia, palabok, sweet longanisa. All-you-can-eat buffet with live music every Friday and Saturday. A real find on Gallatin Pike.
8:00 PM · Robert Ellis
After
Gyros KingA Greek and Mediterranean counter on Gallatin Pike that runs to two in the morning. Gyros, falafel, kebab plates and fries, ordered at the register. Food, not a scene.