Forty-plus years into a career built on electric blues and the full-band roar of Atlanta stages, Tinsley Ellis has lately found himself reaching for something quieter. Under his “Two Guitars And A Car” tour banner, he brings that stripped-down search to Colony Woodstock on Sunday, November 15.
About the Show
Ellis arrives in the Hudson Valley behind Labor of Love, his 2026 Alligator Records release and his first acoustic album composed entirely of original material. Where 2024’s Naked Truth (which earned a Blues Music Award nomination) mixed originals with reinvented covers, Labor of Love goes further: 13 self-produced compositions built from six open tunings across a 1969 Martin D-35, a 1937 National Steel O Series, and, for the first time on record, a mandolin he plays on three tracks. Its themes of floods, fires, voodoo spirits, and personal struggle grew in part from a visit Ellis made to Bentonia, Mississippi, where he spent time with blues legend Jimmy “Duck” Holmes at the Blue Front Café. Ellis has spent decades on the road, playing all 50 states and sharing stages with the Allman Brothers and Buddy Guy, and this acoustic chapter sits at the far end of that journey, arrived at honestly.
The press has taken notice. Living Blues called Labor of Love “a foot-stomping, raucous good time…a joyous and triumphant celebration of acoustic music. You’ll feel it down to the bone.” No Depression heard the ghost of Elmore James in the playing and concluded that “Ellis proves he’s an icon.” Joe Bonamassa calls him “a national treasure.” He performs these shows solo, and says the stripped-back format gives him something the full band cannot: “I can be more expressive and emotional as a solo acoustic artist. I just love the sound of acoustic guitar.”
Venue & Logistics
Colony Woodstock, which opened in 1929 as a stopping point for visitors to dine and listen to big bands, holds 150 people at 22 Rock City Road in Woodstock. It bills itself as “The Smartest Rendezvous in the Catskills,” and on nights like this one, it earns the claim. For what Ellis does now, 150 seats feels right: close enough to watch his hands work through those open tunings, small enough that nothing evaporates before it reaches the back wall. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the show runs 7 to 10 p.m. Guests under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Tickets
Tickets are $29–$50. Buy tickets