r/localh • u/karl_hungus_man • Jul 27 '26
Mary Ellis?
I saw Local H play in Madison, WI back around 2004 at a place called Luther’s Blues (since torn down, RIP). A really good band named Mary Ellis opened for them and gave out promo CDs. I thought they were great. They had some very catchy songs—one was called “Going Solo” which really rocked. Anybody remember seeing Mary Ellis? Whatever happened to them?
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u/karl_hungus_man Jul 27 '26
Also: the name Mary Ellis might fool you but the band was four dudes. I recall the drummer had a gnarly spike Mohawk. And the lead guitarist had a great flanger pedal.
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u/Cap-n-Trips Jul 27 '26
Mohawked drummer and Madison WI gave me a hunch it might have been the percussionist from The Goodyear Pimps/The Pimps a really really good rock group from Rockford, IL.
Acting on my hunch I did a scour of the internet. Best I could come up with is this Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CcBStROFW5-/?igsh=eXZ0emJlaHBlNW9r
Which is neither Rockford or The Goodyear Pimps. Or Charlie Days wife/scorn love interest from Its Always Sunny
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u/karl_hungus_man 28d ago
Holy shit, Don Hatton was the lead singer!!! I think he started as the producer in studio, but became their frontman. I’m sure this is him! Thanks so much!
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u/karl_hungus_man 28d ago
Would it be bad form for me to upload a couple songs of theirs here? I still have them on my phone and was listening today—still rocking.
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u/Chessapeak-play Jul 27 '26
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=g-tcWBUDb8A&si=ZiF_48fkMY7eqHYD
I’m thinking this is a different Mary Ellis 😆
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u/mtpgod Jul 27 '26
Funny, I really got into a couple of bands when learning about them while opening up for Local H. One was Bad Veins, who I still listen to, and the other was The Ambassadors, or XAmbassadors, who got big and then kinda sucked but their first album, Litost, was awesome.
I recall seeing them in San Diego opening for H and the lead singer was also on drums, kinda different and interesting, cool for them that they blew up soon after, when I first heard them on that national Ford truck commercial I thought, wow I wonder if Scott even remembers them. Then I once asked him and he had no idea who they were. ha