We caught up with one of Liverpool’s best young folk musicians, Ellis Murphy.
When and how did you start playing music?
I’ve always played music to some degree.
Both my grandads were heavily into music, one playing in a band for years – still doing so – and the other leaving me with a large record collection that probably has had the most influence on my life than anything else has up to now.
What genre would you put your music in?
It’s easy to say folk music, especially when it’s just me with the acoustic guitar, but when I bring the band in it’s a whole other thing completely I think.
You lose the freedom to do what you please when you’re playing but it adds a whole other element that I think works with the way I write.
I write on an acoustic guitar and/or a piano, so it’s good to mess around with and see where it goes when you add other things to them.
What influenced you to get into that genre?
I grew up acting and being involved in some sort of theatre/stage work, so I think I always had a knack for performance, then I found Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, The Band, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Leonard Cohen…
Do you think country/folk rock is still popular among young people?
I think that’s hard to say because the whole idea of folk music is that it’s traditionally a type of music made for everyone; anytime, anywhere.
You take a traditional song and recycle it to something that is completely original and new, anyone can do it and anyone should.
I think as an idea folk music is as popular as it ever has been.
When did you start writing songs?
During the first lockdown, I had lots of time on my hands.
Who are your musical inspirations/influences?
Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, The Band, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Allen Ginsburg, Audience, Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez, The Beatles, Scott Walker – the list is honestly endless.
Films and some art play a big role as well.
What’s next for Ellis?
There will be some live shows for the rest of the year, maybe some announcements soon.
I’d love to learn how to paint as well.
You can follow Ellis Murphy here.
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