Robert Ellis at Hernando's Hide-A-Way Memphis, TN

Saturday October 17th, 2026
7PM DOORS / 8PM SHOW
$20
ALL AGES

ROBERT ELLIS

Recorded live to tape in just two days, Robert Ellis’s exquisite new album, Yesterday’s News, is as stripped-down as it gets, with the celebrated songwriter and producer’s delicate, reedy tenor accompanied only by nylon string guitar, upright bass, and the occasional piece of handheld percussion. The arrangements are harmonically sophisticated here, drawing on the open tunings and intricate fingerpicking of English songwriters like Nick Drake or Richard Thompson, and Ellis’s performances are similarly subtle and nuanced, tapping into the bittersweet longing of Chet Baker and the playful poignancy of Bill Evans and Jim Hall.

While that might seem surprising coming off 2019’s raucous Texas Piano Man, subverting expectations is nothing new for Ellis. Born and raised outside Houston, he gained early acclaim for his piercing introspection and absorbing narratives, but over the course of five solo albums, he flirted with everything from Paul Simon and John Prine to Elton John and Joni Mitchell in a series of sonic and visual transformations that ran the gamut from Redneck Steely Dan to Lone Star Liberace. NPR hailed his “musical daring and impeccable songcraft,” while Rolling Stone praised his “sharp eye for storytelling,” and the New York Times lauded his writing as an emotional “gut punch.”

Yesterday’s News marks Ellis’s debut LP for Niles City Records, an outgrowth of the famed Niles City Sound studio he and longtime collaborator Josh Block run in Fort Worth, TX.

ALICIA BLUE

Alicia Blue’s path to music didn’t follow a straight line. Born along the San Bernardino line in California and raised between Southern California and South Texas, she grew up between cultures, rhythms, and stories—mariachi on her dad’s stereo, West Coast soul in her headphones, and notebooks full of poetry in her backpack. Music wasn’t the plan, but life had other ideas. A chance run-in with an aging soul singer changed everything— he saw something in her, and she leaned in. The poems turned into songs, and the guitar—barely more than a few chords at the time—became her tool for survival and connection. She played her first open mic in 2016, armed with heart and raw talent. Just a few years later, “Magma,” one of her earliest songs, landed on Starbucks’ flagship Spotify playlist and played in stores around the world. Word started to spread: there was something different about this voice. Honest. Haunting. Unafraid. By 2020, Alicia had carved out a name for herself in LA’s songwriter scene, blending Americana, folk, and alt-country with an emotional depth that felt both timeless and refreshingly current. A brief trip to Nashville in 2021 to write with some local legends turned into a full-blown relocation the following spring. It didn’t take long for her to find her people—and her place—in Music City. In 2024, she released a run of powerful singles, including “Tennessee,” a soul-stirring duet with Lucinda Williams that garnered critical buzz and introduced Alicia to a whole new audience. By 2025, her sound had evolved again, digging deeper into the classic country she grew up on, colored by the mariachi melodies her Mexican father once played for her. Think Dolly meets Emmylou, with a little Waylon at the edges. Now, Alicia’s gearing up to record her debut country album with none other than Shooter Jennings, who’s called her “the voice of a generation” and “as rare as they come.” With new music on the horizon, label talks in motion, and a voice that feels both familiar and completely her own, Alicia Blue is poised for a breakout year—and she’s just getting started.