REVIEW & INTERVIEW: KATE ELLIS “ANOTHER WAY”
From one man’s struggle to the love and acceptance of self and others, “Another Way” is in memory of Kate Ellis’s father. In the heartfelt piano and gentle ambience, Ellis narrates from a daughter’s perspective of a southern man’s emotional struggle while doing the best he could.
“He was an architect, a professor, and a brilliant man — a self-taught musician, wonderful artist, and intellectual. He was sharp-witted and very gracious and kind. But he had his emotional struggles (as we all do) and sometimes it felt like he could make life harder than it had to be,” said Ellis, “We shared similarities and connected on many levels, but there was an aspect of him I never fully understood and couldn’t connect with – a sort of unknowable part of him that always kept me apart from him in a way,” said Ellis, “I think there was a lot of pain that he kept hidden away.”
Growing up, Kate Ellis was heavily influenced by her father’s love for southern country, folk, and roots music. Her musical career was shaped around the early influences of Bob Dylan, Jonny Cash, Paul Simon, among others. Inspired by his father’s political integrity and his unique worldview, Ellis contemplates humanity.
Photo credit: Dave Watts
There was a moment of clarity after her father has passed away. Kate Ellis found herself connecting to her father in a way she wasn’t able to before. She began to see the perfection in his imperfections and understand his decisions and the things he couldn’t say.
“ He was always trying his best,” said Ellis, “We struggle because we can’t see another way to think or live. I have come to see the innocence of others and myself more and more. I hope there is a universality to the pain we all experience as humans and the purity of love we can feel when we accept people with all their frailties.”
