Mandolin wunderkind Wyatt Ellis has released another single from his next self-produced album, a new instrumental tune called Get Lost, which he wrote with one of his teachers, Jake Workman, of Kentucky Thunder.
Only 14 years of age, young Mr. Ellis has been turning heads wherever he goes with his unmistakably mature playing, and his comfort on stage for such a young man. The reaction is quite like what we had seen in the past with the debuts of fellow eight string slingers like Chris Thile and Sierra Hull when they were teens. Readily welcomed by more experienced artists, Wyatt has been appearing with a number of top acts for the past two years.
Though most of us know Workman as a guitarist, he also teaches mandolin, and has been working with Wyatt for some time. Get Lost was the subject of one of their online lessons back in 2021, when Ellis was only 12.
The young mandolinist was quick to share the credit for this tune.
“Jake and I wrote this tune on our mandolins, but there was no question about who would play guitar on the track. Jake is the best of the best!”
Workman was a bit more loquacious in praising his young charge.
“Wyatt’s love for traditional bluegrass music is special. He has great ears, and digs into even the smallest of details when studying his heroes. Wyatt will help keep the old music alive, and that’s something he can be proud of.
We had a good time working out ideas for this tune. He had an A part sketched out, and I had a couple of thoughts for possible melodies/chords on the B section. The C part is a bit of a jam section.
Wyatt and the crew ripped it up good!”
Along with Jake and Wyatt, this track features Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Justin Moses on banjo, and Mike Bub on bass.
In another nod to the greats that came before him, the title for Get Lost came from the words on the welcome mat as you enter Johnny Cash’s recording studio, where this one was cut.
It’s a fun, quirky tune that fits right in with contemporary bluegrass without straying far from the style Bill Monroe left us.
Check it out.
Get Lost from Wyatt Ellis is available now from popular download and streaming services online.
