Ellison

Formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, the emo group Ellison first drew notice via ties to Hawthorne Heights, the prominent mid-2000s scene act, though its approach leaned more directly toward bright, pop-driven material that blended the reflective tone of Jimmy Eat World with the melodic sensibility of the Shins. The project originated in 2002 when teenage singer and songwriter Josh Hill issued a solo acoustic demo in the style of Dashboard Confessional. Seeking broader arrangements, Hill joined forces with schoolmate Mitch Wyatt on drums to cut a second demo billed as the Josh Hill Band; bassist J.D. Carlson soon joined, prompting the switch to the concise name Ellison in 2004. The three musicians tracked their opening EP, Indecisive and Half Hearted, inside their basement practice room during spring 2005. Hawthorne Heights vocalist J.T. Woodruff received a copy, which led him both to book the band for support dates and to issue the EP on his new imprint, Carbon Copy Media, at the start of 2006. Around the same period, lead guitarist Ian Bolender came aboard, freeing Hill to concentrate on acoustic guitar and keyboards and thereby enriching the group’s texture. This expanded palette surfaced on the summer 2006 full-length Say Goodnight, Sleep Alone, which featured several polished re-recordings of earlier EP tracks.