About Me
THE STORY
Detroit, 1927
Influenced by the big band sound that was all the rage in the underground clubs, producer/writer/Theremin player extraordinaire Avery Ellis begins to play daily concerts on street corners throughout town. Despite his scruffy appearance and fierce stench of cheap Tequila, his mastery of the instrument and unique interpretations of the songs of the day gain him an immediate following among homeless people and drifters. His crowds soon grow into the double digits, and he decides to take his performance on the road.
Mississippi, 1943
Having peaked in 1935 with his swing sensation “Don’t Let the Smell Fool You (I’m Only Drinking)â€, Avery Ellis meets with a dark stranger on the backs roads of Mississippi’s Delta and agrees to give up his soul in exchange for fame, fortune, and a bottle of Thunderbird. Soon after, he sells his Theremin and buys a cheap acoustic guitar, absorbing the Blues influence of the region. He is joined at this point by drummer Mad Dog McGillicutty and trumpeter Sweet Lips Norton. Rumors that the band also included a young Miles Davis are strong but unfounded.
Los Angeles, 1965
Avery Ellis is fascinated with the burgeoning streets and glistening dreams of Hollywood, and sinks his sizeable fortunes into the career of a young actor named Al Pacino. It is during this period that he gained a newfound appreciation for visual art while visiting the galleries of the town, and the band name was soon set in stone: Avery Ellis’ Exhibits (whispered rumors that the band was to be named Avery Ellis’ Black Light Velvet Poster are categorically untrue). This was also the height of the band’s rotating membership: while musicians were often members for a mere thirty to forty seconds, they included in their ranks Frank Sinatra, Jim Morrison, David Bowie, John Bonham, Paul McCartney, and a fetal Courtney Love.
Montgomery, Alabama, 1974
Young guitarist Eric McGinty, in a drunken fit of despair, joins the Avery Ellis Exhibits on the promise of fame, fortune, and a bottle of Dickel. The following day’s hangover is exacerbated by the discovery that he has signed away any and all rights to everything he ever writes or performed to the band. In turn, he insists that the parentheses are added to the band name.
Birmingham, 2000
Chance Shirley is inducted into the band, now a power trio playing opening gigs for a reunited Rush. The induction ceremony goes smoothly until the goat decides to fight,. The ensuing carnage leaves the band hospitalized with severe head trauma, leaving them unable to appreciate prog-rock any more. Instead, their focus shifts to aggressive acoustic roots metal, inspired by everything from Metallica and Led Zeppelin to Radiohead and local semi-legends Every Alice on Earth.
Birmingham, 2003
The addition of bassist Kenn McCracken and lead guitarist Carlos Pino finally provides McGinty with the motivation and position of power to do what he had dreamed of for nearly thirty years: to fire Avery Ellis from his own band and kidnap the 135 year old, placing him in a small shed somewhere in Verbena, Alabama, and assuming his identity. This allowed McGinty, Shirley, and McCracken to continue using the vast catalog of songs written by Avery Ellis over his century-long career, as well as leaving open bar tabs across the Southeast in his name. The name of the band was shortened to The Exhibit(s) at this point, although legal and contractual obligations (and a website domain name) forced the band to continue using Ellis’ name in the title -- Avery Ellis presents The Exhibit(s).
New York City, 2009
After a brilliant performance to over 4 million people in Central Park, the band is abducted by aliens. Anal probing ensues.
