Ethan Lipton & his Orchestra has been a band since 2005, playing around New York (Joe’s Pub, Barbes, Rockwood, Celebrate Brooklyn) and beyond (MASS MoCA, Camden Opera House, Grand Performances). The band includes Ethan Lipton (vocals), Eben Levy (guitar), Ian M. Riggs (standup bass) and Vito Dieterle (sax). Ethan writes the lyrics and melody, and the quartet arranges the songs together.
 
EL&hO has released five albums (three studio, two live) and been named the city’s “Best Lounge Act” by New York Magazine. In 2012, the band won an Obie Award for “No Place to Go,” a theatrical song cycle written by Ethan about a man who loses his job, which was produced by the Public Theater at Joe’s Pub. The show earned rave reviews and has since been produced theatrically at Two River Theatre in New Jersey, and in concert venues in LA, Connecticut, Virginia, Vermont, and at the ATP music fest in East Sussex, UK. In 2013-14, “No Place to Go” will be performed in over a dozen venues around the US and theatrically at the Gate in London.
 
The band has been featured on radio shows such as “Weekend Edition,” “The World,” “Word of Mouth,” and “Soundcheck,” and contributed to the Clash cover album “Sandinista.” They also play songs on and appears in the film “The Shift.” Currently, EL&hO is working on material for a sixth album, due out in 2014.