Austin-based artist Jelly Ellington channels his Americana, Texas-blues grit and Appalachian roots into his newest offering, Glow. At the heart of the new album is a blend of modern indie rock sensibility and classic American songwriting, with vibrant, analog-driven songs full of soaring riffs and introspective lyrics. The physical album is now available digitally across all streaming platforms. Order and Stream Here.
The singer-songwriter, Jelly Ellington, wrote much of Glow in his hometown of Asheville, N.C., drawing on personal experiences and a deep connection to his family’s artistic legacy. Inspired by a visit to the local museum where the work of his great aunt, watercolorist Sallie Ellington Middleton, who was renowned for her botanical paintings, and “Boomtown” architect Douglas Ellington, who built most of Asheville’s iconic buildings in the 20s, were celebrated, he found renewed purpose. The homecoming was full circle for Jelly as the album marks a return to his roots and a moment of reflection, renewal and creative growth.
Jelly brought together a dream team of collaborators as Glow was created over nine days of live tracking with his full band. It was recorded at Orb Studios in Austin, Texas, and produced by Nick Perri (Silvertide, Nick Perri & the Underground Thieves) and engineered by Austin Asvanonda (The War on Drugs, Sam Fender).
The instrumental palette is broad and expressive with Les Pauls, Telecasters, Strats, and stereo-routed Marshall and Super Reverb amps; lush 12-string acoustics evoking Petty and Bryan Adams; vintage pedals from Perri’s own line; and rich textures from a Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond B3, and grand piano, courtesy of keyboardist Cole Gramling, who had his own dedicated piano room in Studio A. The rhythm section was helmed by drummer Alex Geismar (with additional contributions from Alex Duck and Lessly Fisher Jr.) and bassist Stefan Ringer, whose distorted tones added grit and muscle to standout moments like “Sail On.”
Guest features also include John Trufant on vocals and mandola, Les Fisher (Jason Mraz) on the drums and bass, Nick Perri lead guitar solo, pedal steel guitarist Ryan “Stiggie” Stigmon (Zach Top), violinist Ryan Lorensen, background vocalist Candice Sanders and Curtis Lee, and Deshawn “D Vibes” Alexander (Kingfish, Marcus King’s band, Watermelon Funk) who delivered a blazing synth solo on “Somebody to Love.”
Jelly comments, “One of the main goals with this record was to produce one that was sonically sound, and I think we did a great job achieving that thanks to the help of everyone involved.”
Taking a “less is more” approach when recording the new album, Jelly and Perri kept the process honest and focused on the result vs individual parts. Sonically, the album is steeped in vintage textures, including an analog synth, Neumann mics, cranked vintage amps, and Juno pads.
But at Glow’s core, the songwriting shines. Lyrics explore themes of movement, acceptance, stillness, and emotional clarity. The result is a collection of 9 songs that radiate warmth and depth.
Songs like “Copperhead Blues,” recorded in a church chapel using just a laptop and a mic, was inspired by back-to-back copperhead encounters in WNC. The song is based on an incident with co-writer John Trufant’s dog Gumbeaux, who was nearly killed by a bite deep in the woods. Soon after, a copperhead showed up at Jelly’s doorstep, just inches from his dog, Bowie, who thankfully made it out unharmed. Jelly recalls, “The copperhead snake serves as a metaphor, as we are constantly facing temptation in our day to day lives. This song serves as an insight into the vicious cycle of never being satisfied and always needing more- that’s when you got those copperhead blues.”
The title track “Glow” is about saying goodbye to the bad times and hello, good times. It was created during sound check in San Francisco, Jelly recalls, “I think we were filled with so much excitement to be out on the road doing what we love that the song just fell from the sky.” But it also encapsulates the album's overall vibe - a thrill of a ride from beginning to end.
"Irons in the Fire" was recorded in a home studio on the side of a mountain in Western North Carolina. It is a gentle reminder that being too obsessed with material things can lead to our demise, and the most important thing is loving others, and finding satisfaction with simply being engulfed in and by love.
The Daft Punk-tinged outro of “Somebody to Love,” “is def a fav, it just makes you feel good! I enjoyed every step of the process putting together the tune, especially having one of my best friends Deshawn D’ Vibes Alexander, playing the lead synth on the tune,” comments Jelly.
One standout studio moment came during the creation of “Goodbye Rain,” a song written as a cathartic farewell to the grief of losing a family home to fire. The album engineer, Austin Asvanonda, along with a tape loop machine, created intervals of chords, each placed on its own fader on the mixing console that allowed for dynamic, live manipulation. “It was straight wizardry,” Jelly recalls. The result is the perfect road trip song with a groove that strips away the worries of the world. Jelly describes the feeling as, “slide the sunroof down, put on your shades and kiss your worries goodbye.”
The new album is a masterclass on friendship and the creative process, it is a homage to home and family, and serves as a reminder that renewal isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s the glow of a slow burn.
Glow is out now and available on all streaming platforms, order and stream here.
Upcoming Shows:
May 29 - Antone's Nightclub @ 7:00 PM, Austin, TX
Jun 4 - Geraldine's (Live Acoustic) @ 8:00 PM, Austin, TX
Jun 15 - Main Street Crossing w/ Dancing Days: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin @ 8:00 PM, Tomball, TX
Aug 9 - Antone's Nightclub w/ Dancing Days: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin @ 8:00 PM, Austin, TX
Nov 3 - BMI Acoustic Lounge Series @ Saxon Pub @ 6:00 PM, Austin, TX
Tracklisting for Glow
01 - “Glow”
02 - “Sail On”
03 - “Somebody to Love”
04 - “The Night”
05 - “Goodbye Rain”
06 - “Thick and Thin”
07 - “Coyote”
08 - “Copperhead Blues”
09 - “Irons in the Fire”
