Lawrence.com

When Nathan Ellis, singer/guitarist for The Casket Lottery, was preparing artwork for his band's third full-length effort, "Survival is for Cowards," he never thought he'd end up scratching it and starting all over. Of course that was prior to the World Trade Center attacks, which continue to alter the very face of rock music.

"The layout we once intended kind of got spoiled by the Sept. 11 deal," Ellis explains. "It was pretty bad. Not that I have any problem with doing something like that, I just don't want anybody to think this record is about that. The title has nothing to do with a major tragedy, it has to do with personal battles. So the layout, with people running out of an explosion, was kind of a bad idea."

Sneak previews

Local music fans have been buzzing about "Survival" for months. Last Saturday, the Kansas City, Mo.-based trio (Ellis, bassist Stacy Hilt and drummer Nathan "Junior" Richardson) previewed several new songs before a small-but-appreciative audience at The Bottleneck. In attendance was Kill Creek singer/guitarist Scott Born, who remarked that the Lottery's forthcoming record was among the best he's heard around these parts in years, noting the band's considerable progression beyond its garage origins. It's an advancement that Ellis and company are proud to be making.

"When we first finished the record I was kind of nervous, like I am with every record," Ellis explains. "But the progression is very obvious to me and Stacy and Junior and Ed (Rose, producer). As far as the kids go, they'll probably catch it after two or three listens. It's not really that different, it's just more straight-up. Scott likes to use the word 'mature,' but I think we're just more confident in what we're playing. I think that comes across, too."

Born isn't the only musician in town who's heard the Lottery's latest. Though "Survival" won't be released until March, everyone in the area has seemingly already checked out the eagerly anticipated effort.

"We played our first show after we had it recorded and everybody was like, 'Play song six, play song nine,'" Ellis laughs. "And everybody had different copies. It was like, 'Which one is song six?' But oh well. In this day and age that's just going to happen."

Born's attendance at The Bottleneck didn't turn many heads Kill Creek and The Casket Lottery go back a long way. In fact, it was Born's band that initially inspired Ellis to take music seriously, years ago, when the aspiring musician caught Kill Creek at the Kansas City Spirit Fest.

"I think they were the first band that I saw outside of dumb bands where I was like, 'Holy crap! That was awesome,'" Ellis recalls. "The day after I saw them was my first day of eighth grade. That day I met all these kids and formed my first band. That's where I started writing the stuff like that of course it was a really crappy version of that. But that's where I started, from that influence."

That early influence has come full-circle in the last year, with two new works, including Casket Lottery's "Blessed/Cursed" EP, which includes a cover of "Best Man," an unreleased Kill Creek song. Also, on Kill Creek's latest effort, "Colors of Home," Ellis and Born teamed up for the 90-second barnburner "Seritonin."

Ellis explains: "Scott had this rock song that he wanted to put on the record that (the other members of Kill Creek weren't) really interested in playing on (they) didn't wanna do the 'big rock number.' So Scott was like, 'Do you care if I get Nate to do it,' and (they were) like, 'Yeah sure.' So I came out there and Stacy played bass on that song too, and Ed played on drums on it. So it was kind of like The Mystery Men and Scott Born."

Rose pedals

Ed the drummer is, of course, Ed Rose, whose work as a local producer and musician has found him collaborating with just about every local artist of consequence in the past decade, including Kill Creek, Proudentall and The Appleseed Cast. Though Rose has nurtured and mentored acts in all stages of career flux, the producer's relationship with Casket Lottery practically dates back to the group's origin.

"Everything we've recorded and released has been with Ed," Ellis explains. "He's very honest and that's what rules. I don't want somebody who's gonna take some crappy guitar take just to get it over with. Everybody we'd ever worked with before Ed was like that and that's why those songs never got released.

"I think we've recorded 50 or 60 songs in our three years with him, so we've established quite a relationship. He's an intimidating guy. When we were going in to record our first record, Stacy and I started doing vocals on the first song on the record, Ed kicked us out of the studio. He was like, 'Go home and practice!' But we got through it, and every record is a little more comfortable."

While Ellis is quick to cite Proudentall, The Anniversary, The Get Up Kids and Elevator Division as local favorites, he doesn't think those group's disparate outputs add up to anything that could be labeled a KC/Lawrence "sound."

"There's a Red House sound, well an Ed Rose sound. And I love it," he enthuses. "I got the new Appleseed Cast, and I'm like, 'I love this.' I listen to it and I can totally see Aaron or Chris in one of those guitar rooms, playing. I'm sure that has a lot to do with how many times I've been in that room, but the sound is unmistakable. And Ed is getting better and better with every record."

Casket Lottery also has improved with each new release from its 1999 debut "Choose Bronze" through last year's "Moving Mountains" an evolution still in progress, according to Ellis.

"When we started out, we screamed a lot and were kinda sloppy, but doing as much intricate guitar work as possible just trying to be wild and crazy," he says. "I think over time we've kinda figured out how to make our songs interesting without being completely over-the-top. But my singing style has reverted back to screaming, and that kinda happened on accident. When I recorded this new record, I lost part of my voice I couldn't do this medium-yell anymore. It was either soft or brutal. That's what I'm stuck with these days, but it works ... some nights."

When spring rolls around next year, Ellis hopes to be spending his nights on the road, touring in support of "Survival." Though the 22-year-old singer-guitarist is the proud father of a 4-month old baby girl, Isabelle, a year of domestic life has him itching to barnstorm a few non-local venues.

"We haven't been on tour in like a year, and I miss it a lot," Ellis says. "I can't wait to do that again. I've got cabin fever like crazy; I've gotta go play."