Voyage to the Other Side

There’s a version of this story, one where nobody says anything, that might have John Ellis still playing Bryan Adams covers in the corner of a Cape Town pub.

The longtime front man and principal songwriter for Tree63 had already quit music once—had set it down like a knapsack full of rocks, in his words—and he’d found some joy in low-stakes gigs like this one. Then a longtime friend found him and asked: What are you doing playing Bryan Adams covers in the corner of this pub? You’re the guy who wrote these Tree63 songs.

Something about the question stuck with Ellis, who wondered if he could stand on a stage and sing those old songs again. More importantly, he didn’t know if he could mean them. It turns out he could. Within a few months of playing the old songs with a new band, new songs started arriving, and eventually Voyage, the first Tree63 album in a decade.

Ellis says he came to faith in his mid-twenties as a rock and roll kid with no church background, and was handed a platform before he’d fully fleshed out his beliefs. The years that followed included the industry machinery of Nashville, a battle with depression, divorce, and the decision to walk away entirely. That Ellis came through it all with some belief intact is a miracle, he says, but his faith looks a lot different on the other side of the Voyage.

We recently sat down with Ellis to talk about Tree63’s return, setting Frederick Buechner to music, and why he’s still in awe of Mary Oliver.

Matt Conner is a former church planter and teaching pastor turned editor/writer living in Indianapolis.