ALBUM FEATURE By Chris Lambie

RORY ELLIS & CHRISTIAN MARSH
WE CAN’T DANCE

Sly Dog ONE MIC RECORDINGS

https://issuu.com/rhythms10/docs/rhythms_spring_2026_-_digital_issue_b29ab429c803ee/67

Like musicians everywhere, singer-songwriter Rory Ellis saw his career stymied by pandemic lockdowns. 
So many activities vetoed with closed borders and social distancing. 

No gigs meant empty dancefloors. The title track of this album, Ellis’ eleventh, laments the chance to dance our socks off together. He confesses, “I have two left feet”. Yet his family background is filled with mavens of rhythm. “Mum used to teach ballroom dancing at Leggett’s in Prahran. Uncle Reg was a famous dancer at The Tivoli and such. His son Garth was a drummer in The Strangers whose wife worked with the Tony Bartuccio dancers.” ‘One Little Shot’ refers to vax-dependent freedom.

Ellis’ last album Inner Outlaw was released in 2019. With touring suddenly off the agenda, Ellis set himself to writing about the strange time of ‘iso’ and personal reflections. Having gigged and toured for many years with harmonica virtuoso Christian Marsh, he decided to record what they do best. In Ellis’ home studio, the pair worked on the new songs in stripped-back fashion. A duo with a small selection of instruments and one mic. Raw, rich, blues-infused Americana / alt Country, with lyrics of contemplation and celebration. Ellis also mixed and mastered the collection. “Using what I’ve learnt from some good people over the years,” he says. “I was inspired by the Johnny Cash American Recordings . (Produced by Rick Rubin.) And producer / engineer John Cuniberti did a series on his long-standing relationship with Joe Satriani. He breaks down the analogue recording and production processes. So, Christian and I would just sit around one ribbon mic and do what we do. I found a little old 1929 Stella wood body guitar that I play on the album. It’s a clunky old thing, but jeez it sounds good.”

Like the Man in Black, Ellis has been around the block somewhat. Down dark alleys, lost highways, crossroads and unexpected detours. 

Tracks that explore life’s underbelly include ‘My Demons and Me’ (“They’re mine/ We’ve all got ‘em”), ‘Strawman’ (Bemoaning miscreant industry players) and ‘All The Dirt’ (“Crappy people you meet along the way.”) He sings of his partner on ‘Truck Driver’s Daughter’. Also, in ‘Words Remain Forever’ on the way harsh words can stick harder than fonder memories. In the here and now, Ellis celebrates his deep love for the one he calls “my girl” on peppy toe- tapper ‘Ponytail’. He laughs, “That’s a rude one.”

‘Too Thick to Drink, Too Thin to Plough’ is Ellis’ take on an old folkloric tale about the Yarra River. Drought, water rights, the Murray-Darling. Farmers who’d welcome a drop of that maligned muddy water. ‘Hangman’s Tree’ sprung from the image of an old dead tree Ellis would drive past on the way to Maitland. “It has one branch that sticks out. It’s near an old post and wire fence. The song is dedicated to the musos who didn’t quite make it, signified by the posts. They had to get ‘real jobs’ but are all still connected by the wire, the music.”

Ellis’ previous sidemen include Dave Steel, Chris Haigh and Stu Speed. We Can’t Dance showcases his own instrumental chops on acoustic and National steel guitars and octave mandolin. He’s joined by Marsh this time (also on 2017’s One Skin ) on chromatic and bass harmonicas. “He’s one of the foremost harmonica players in the country. He’s done symphonies and musicals. He’s performed with Larry Adler, Toots Thielemans and Howard Levy and many years with Glenn Cardier. “[His playing here] isn’t trad blues. It’s Adler-esque, with harmonica in parts where Dobro or fiddle or accordion might play. He has that way of finding a melody to suit the song. It brings out a lot of fire and can create a quite haunting feel.”

Listen to the album and you’ll know what to expect at live shows. Ellis and Marsh have captured the rare sound and beautifully honed feel that epitomises what they do best.

OTHER QUOTES

"I file Rory’s records alongside my Chris Wilson albums, which, of course, is a mighty compliment. Rory Ellis is like an old bluesman – earthy, no frills, just compelling storytelling. And you believe every word he sings.”  jeff Jenkins (RRR, Rhythms) 2/7/26

“Absolutely brilliant album, stripped back to perfection” Lees Blues and Roots Review Goldfields FM (Lee Koumarianos)