Reinventing Girl

For 14 years, Stacey Ellis was the lead singer for San Diego threesome Ellis. The band, including her husband Brett Ellis on guitars and Mike McFarland on drums, had its share of ego clashes. Yet, their second album, Barstool Perspective released in 2004, garnered the attention of guitarist Steve Vai, P.O.D. guitarist Marcus Curiel, and former Deep Purple vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes.

When Ellis finished their third album, Vai put it on his Favored Nations label and distributed the album in Japan. Stacey Ellis became the sole female on a roster of musicians that included Stu Hamm, Billy Sheehan, and Eric Johnson. After Ellis finished their fourth album, the band called it quits due to intense feuding. The album was never released.

Stacey and Brett divorced after the band split up. Stacey moved to Los Angeles to pursue a solo career. There, Billy Sheehan showed her methods of producing a solo album. Though she was no longer on Vai's label, he gave her free access to his studio to record her solo album (Reinventing Girl). Vai has subsequently given Stacey the opportunity to sing background vocals on a song from his last solo album and used her voice for a prerecorded introduction at his 2006 4th and B concert. Stacey lent background vocals to a song on the Accident Experiment album and for one of their concert intros.

Stacey says her solo album -- still in production -- is a shift from the multiple influences that made her former band's songs too elaborate for the public to digest.