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“The twosome's airy yet organic pop has a soul-tickling emotional weight that many bands would die for...romantic, dreamy, moving and flawlessly executed.†(Cincinnati CityBeat) “each song is supported by expert arrangements and instrumentation…Even familiar themes like loneliness and love flourish with a new-found freshness.†(Performing Songwriter) “gorgeous recording…If this is just an introduction, keep an eye on Ellery: few local acts have ever mustered such a commanding first step.†(Cincinnati CityBeat) "Tasha and Justin Golden combine skillful, melodic instrumentation, intelligent but unassuming lyrics, and captivating vocals to make engaging indie pop on Lying Awake." (Paste Magazine) Ellery, the husband-and-wife duo composed of Tasha and Justin Golden, unleashes its Virt Records debut, Lying Awake, in spring '06. The album, produced by previous Grammy nominee Ric Hordinski (Over the Rhine, David Wilcox), showcases a band that, after five years of making music together, has finally found its musical center. Tasha and Justin met while in college in Cincinnati, where their initial attempts at playing music together were more of an experiment than anything else. As the duo honed their craft, they dubbed themselves Dividing the Plunder and began performing locally. But, as it turned out, this wasn’t just the start of a musical partnership, as Justin and Tasha soon got married. Now, as husband and wife, the two began spending their weekends traveling and playing music for a living, while they spent their weekdays finishing up school. Within a year, they had put together what they still refer to as an ‘amateur recording’ that was originally intended to be just for a few friends. But, people kept requesting copies, and eventually, the duo decided to have it properly manufactured. Strong sales of the release and a string of sold-out shows convinced the duo to make music their full-time vocation, a decision which proved fruitful, given the warm reception of their ’03 release, The Ordinary. The two were determined not to let the momentum fade. They began collaborating more, taking more risks with their approach to songwriting, and writing about their experiences and relationships, while trying to figure out how to translate those themes more authentically than they had before. Eventually, they began to feel as if they were heading in an entirely new direction. They were still playing a unique brand of acoustic alternative folk, and their songs still emitted a smart and soulful, infectious vibe that people had come to know them for, but there was something distinctly fresh and new about what they were dong. As a result, they decided the change needed to be recognized in some way. Thus, Ellery was born. With a new moniker, the duo kicked off 2005 by releasing a new EP, Make Your Troubles Mine, which garnered tremendous critical acclaim in Ellery’s home market, as evidenced by a recent cover story in CiN Weekly, multiple features in Cincinnati CityBeat, and regular airplay on WNKU. The EP also captured national media attention, including a feature in Performing Songwriter. The duo expanded their touring activity to larger venues and new geographies. With the success of this EP, the duo attracted the interest of independent label Virt Records, which signed Ellery in late 2005. The duo returned to the studio with Ric Hordinski, adding five new tracks to the EP, with the full-length, Lying Awake, resulting in an undeniably catchy album, boasting an even more developed sound, along with the lyrical craftsmanship Ellery's fans have come to expect. All eleven songs were written by Tasha and Justin. You might think that two people who live and work together would desperately need some time apart, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. “Crazy as it sounds, Justin and I love being together,†says Tasha. “This is a tremendously exciting time for us. While we’ve been making music together for over five years, it’s been a very slow discovery of who we are and what it is that we do, where our center is musically. So, we definitely see this as a new beginning. It’s a new recording, with a new label, a new band name, an entirely new season for us.†Check out the artist's website: http://www.virtrecords.com Track List: 1. Anna 2. Be Like This 3. Song For Lovers 4. Arizona 5. Long Coat On 6. The Simple Things 7. Know Better Now 8. Inside My Head 9. Some Lovely Story 10. You'll Get Through It 11. It's Alright Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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