Timo Ellis Website - Click Here

Timo on mySpace - Click Here

Timo's First Solo CD! Released in 2001
Click Here for More Info!

Timo Ellis was born on the "Day of the Entertainer", June 7, 1970. He is a Gemini that shares his birthday with Prince and Tom Jones. Timo grew up in New York City playing Baseball. He loved to play ball and was even presented an award for best "All State Catcher" in New York. But, life changed when he was 12 years old. Timo explains the turning point in his life as, "In 1982 , I heard "Unchained" by Van Halen on the radio, lost interest in school that night and learned how to play guitar." He dove into music by playing in high schools bands. As a teenager, Timo began experimenting with psychedelic music. Although his interest laid in playing Rock n' Roll, he took advantage of the opportunity to further his education after high school, by enrolling in college.

Leaving the Big Apple behind, Timo traveled out west to the state of Washington and started to study at Evergreen State University in Olympia. Evergreen proved to be a progressively minded University that sat perched on the edge of a green forest hillside overlooking the beautiful waters of the Pudget Sound. Olympia is located less than an hour south of the city of Seattle. For purposes of his education, Timo's arrival in Washington was perfect. At that time, the Seattle grunge music explosion was reaching critical mass. Bands like "The Melvins", "Nirvana", "Beat Happening", and eventually "Unwound" were playing the local Seattle clubs. While enrolled at Evergreen University, Timo immersed himself into the local music scene.

In Washington, Timo hooked up with some other musicians to collaborate with and started gigging with bands. He played as a guitarist and singer with a band known as "Nubbin". The band recorded and released one Long Playing Album on the Horton/Reflex label. In addition to working with Nubbin, Timo also played drums in another band know as "Lemonade", that recorded with the "Face the Music" label. Timo left Olympia and moved up to heart of the music scene in Seattle. While in Seattle, Timo released the "Hotess" cassette which he describes as, "more experimental insanity, pretty cool, and now obscure!" Timo had managed to cut more than his teeth in the grunge music explosion of Seattle, but in 1994 he decided to head home to New York City.

Not long after returning to the Big Apple, Timo teamed up with drummer Russell Simins (now known for his work with the "Jon Spencer Blues Explosion") and Sean Lennon to form a band named "IMA". Working as the bass player for IMA, Timo backed up "Yoko Ono" during the recording of her album, "Rising". As a result of working with Yoko, Timo was able to meet Miho and Yuka. He was invited to play drums with Cibo Matto at some live performances, and soon became a regular member of the touring band. Timo helped Sean with the recording of Sean's solo album "Into the Sun". In the meantime he found himself busy touring with the "Sean Lennon Band" and as part of Cibo Matto.

During the recording of Cibo Matto's album "Stereotype A", Timo proved to be a valuable asset for the band. He was in the studio during the entire process of creating the album and played a variety of instruments in the studio sessions. Timo appears on Stereotype A playing drums, bass, acoustic guitar, 8 string bass, cymbal, and providing vocals. Yuka explained one of the more humorous roles he played on Stereotype A in the song Speechless, "There was this sliding door in the studio, which gave us the idea that there should be a slamming door in the song, since she's singing about leaving this guy... Timo played the door." It's Timo's ability to play almost any instrument, and his fine singing voice, combined with his creativity that has made him an important part of Cibo Matto.

Although he has been noted to have a habit of drifting off into heavy metal wasteland, Timo enjoys playing and listening to a wide variety of music. Timo cites some of his favorite bands as, "X, Melvins, Boredoms, Yellow Machine Gun (from Osaka), Buffy Sainte-Marie, 00100, "Reign in Blood" (Slayer), Soulfly, Mary Lou Williams, Dopo Yume, Tribe Called Quest, Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, Marvin Gaye, Bowie, Yoko, Sonic Youth, GZA/Genius, Johnny Cash, Nina Simone, etc. etc. " He draws on his broad background of musical experience and influence while playing for Cibo Matto.

Timo Ellis is kept busy as time allows, working on writing, playing, and performing his own material. You might be abled to catch his self titled band, "Timo", as the opening act at select Cibo Matto Concerts.

Review of Timo at the Tonic by Sujin Lee

NEXT PAGE

This web site contains links to information about Cibo Matto on the Internet. If you want to know about this great musical experience, this is the web site to explore. You can find sound clips, Video links, read reviews, and find other great Cibo Matto References.

send the webmaster e-mail