Redmond-based singer-songwriter Brian Ellefson has released a CD, “Panoramic View,” and will perform a free show at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14 at Crossroads Mall, Northeast 8th Street and 156th Avenue Northeast in Bellevue.
Ellefson’s original compositions, in the vein of Jack Johnson, are mainly in the acoustic soft rock genre.
“I had been playing for others for a while, as a guitarist,” said Ellefson. “I’d helped people record in the studio, write music, played live with them, etc. but never anything for myself. I guess I just got to a point where I decided I should be doing my own thing. This has been so much tougher than playing for someone else, but a lot more rewarding, too.”
Of course, making a living as a musician is never easy and on top of that, we’re in a recession.
Yet, said Ellefson, “I actually don’t have a day job. I’ve worked in banking in the past, but we all know how that industry is doing right now. Music isn’t the safest bet one could make, but I don’t think banking is either, lately.”
Ellefson added, “I can be laid back about a lot of things, but I guess I’m very musically driven. It constantly challenges me and I keep accepting. I just started endorsing Eastman Guitars and recently contracted with MPL Publishing, Paul McCartney’s publishing company. It’s that kind of stuff that comes along and makes me want to work harder at it. Most importantly, though, it’s seeing how well people have responded to my music. Writing a song and putting it out there for anyone to hear is like showing someone your heart and asking them what whey they think. So hearing good feedback is such a sigh of relief — and good motivation to press on.”
A native of Hawaii, Ellefson has lived in Redmond for a little over a year.
“I went from being near U-Village over in Seattle, which seemed to be the hub of so much activity, out to eastern Redmond, where people have seen a bear in the neighborhood,” he marveled. “So, a much more laid-back lifestyle out here, which matches my personality, but with wild animals running around.”
For more information about Brian Ellefson, visit www.brianellefson.com.
