Luck of the draw Ellis Mano Band

• 1 Turtle 04:54
• 2 Blue Paranoia 04:38
• 3 Only with You 04:18
• 4 Get Out 02:57
• 5 Good to Go 05:27
• 6 Luck of the Draw 04:49
• 7 Forsaken 04:35
• 8 One for All 04:59
• 9 Healing Light 06:37
• 10 Never Gone 05:12
• 11 Without a Warning 05:11
• Total Runtime 53:37

Info for Luck of the draw

"The sound and the arrangements are from the present, but the music is from the Golden years of Rock! This means for example that the vocals have to start after an instrumental intro." Two sentences are enough for the lead guitarist of the Ellis Mano Band to sum up his own claim for the current album "Luck Of The Draw".

With its third record since 2019, the quintet primarily targets to an audience whom taste of style is an intersection with the personal favourites of the band: Tedeschi Trucks Band, John Mayer, The Black Crowes, Stevie Ray Vaughan or Led Zeppelin - bands with international renown. The Ellis Mano Band members are all professionals: Chris Ellis (vocals), Edis Mano (guitar), Nico Looser (drums), Severin Graf (bass) and Lukas Bosshardt (keyboards) are experienced studio and live musicians - and sound engineers - who bring their knowledge into the music.

Handmade, down-to-earth rock plus pointedly placed blues particles without fashionable frills - but still fresh and unspent - that is their trademark. The eleven songs with their dramaturgically skilful tension arcs ("Blue Paranoia") are above all versatile - and you automatically want more of them! There are powerful rock songs like "Get Out" or "One for All", as well as the delicate, semi-acoustic ballad "Luck of the Draw", soul-tinged "Healing Light", the midtempo tracks "Never Gone", "Only with You" and the slightly loungey "Without a Warning" with soft pop touches, and the psychedelic trip "Forsaken". Meanwhile, "Good To Go" and "Turtle" have strong echoes of US jam bands - a preference that the Ellis Mano Band likes to show off live.

The musicians are very song-serving throughout. Their exquisitely playing string virtuoso sets tasteful accents, while the singer with his distinctive voice skilfully and emotionally shapes the sound. This - in cooperation with the remarkable keyboard performance and an intense, intelligent rhythm section inspires the varied sound of the record recorded live in the studio. The feeling is compact, warm as well as transparent and detailed.

In today's often ego-driven pop and rock biz, the Ellis Mano Band focuses purely on what it's all about: music. In doing so, they represent classic values that are also reflected in the album artwork and their appearance: Quality, style and timelessness! (Thomas Hammerl)

Chris Ellis, vocals, guitar
Edis Mano, guitar
Lukas Bosshard, Hammond, Keyboards
Severin Graf, bass
Nico Looser, drums

The Ellis Mano Band
was born in a random late-night conversation between singer Chris Ellis and guitarist Edis Mano in 2016. In various vocal groups, Chris Ellis was a regular on Swiss and German television and radio and on the summer open air concert scene. Edis Mano was a celebrity in his own right in the Balkans, where he filled stadiums as a youth, before backing all the top names in Switzerland. The two discovered that they share a love of American blues and Southern rock and hatched a plan to do a project of their own.

They reached out to drummer Nico Looser, who had been serving for years in the band of Switzerland’s top late night TV show and touring as a backing musician for top Swiss pop artists. He also played on Bob Dylan protégée and band alumnus Scarlet Rivera’s album “Journey With An Angel” and toured with her for two years. Top session bassist Severin Graf, known in Switzerland as “Mr. Groove,” also came on board, and the Ellis Mano Band was complete.

Making their own music, based on the blues, Americana, Southern rock, and soul – this is the music they love, and together, it makes for a powerful experience for the four musicians who comprise the Ellis Mano Band.

This album contains no booklet.