The First Elephant to set foot in America came off the Derby owned ship America in 1796. Instead of water, which was in short supply, the elephant was fed, and learned to enjoy, dark beer. The enterprising Captain Jacob Crowninshield charged spectators 25 cents to watch the elephant uncork and drink bottles of beer.
Press/Reviews
Philadelphia Inquirer's Top 8 Philly Bands to Watch in 08'
Bucks County Herald
"Whether playing on stage or recording...out of every chord and note comes a passion for uninhibitied creativity and diversity" (Regina Young)
Bag of Songs
Cheers Elephant was next with a phenomenal show that I'd probably have to call the best set of live music I've seen so far this year. Like the last forty years of rock and roll all spun together and spit out again as something brand new, it was amazing. Do not pass on your chance to see these guys soon, as they aren't going to be playing small clubs for long.
Philadelphia Weekly
Cheers Elephant sound more British than most young Philly bands. They set out for prime Kinks real estate, and nearly close the deal with their rambunctious shows. (They could grow up to become the Teeth.) But as smoothly as songs like “Here We Are” and “Wide Eyed” channel ’60s psych and folk, the band reveals spidery digressions and fat Primus-style basslines amid their noisy rave-ups live. The result is a heady swirl of influences that grapple with each other for attention while Cheers Elephant play happily along. These guys may not have their sound set in stone yet, but most everything they’re doing is pleasing to the ears. (Doug Wallen)
Some Velvet Blog
It's no secret that I'm a fan of these guys - their indiepsychedelia is a twisted yet innocent, intricate yet trouble-free collection of fantasia. It's like they sift Jefferson Airplane and Village Green-era Kinks with 13th Floor Elevators and occasionally they'll drop some seriously cacophonous prog-like shit into the mix that makes me think they either have no idea how to play together or they're actually geniuses. But I guess that's what I like them so much. (Bruce Warren)
WXPN
According to the members of Cheers Elephant, the first elephant to set foot in America was able to open beer bottles and drink the contents as a result of scarce potable water on the ship, thus the four fantastic musicians of the group, inspired by this story, created their name. Known for their eccentric shows and British sound, this Philly Local psychedelic, folk, rock band will have you intrigued from the very moment they step onto the stage. Often compared to the Kinks and Dr. Dog, Cheers Elephant has established a dense following both locally and otherwise.(Helen Leicht)
Philly Girl About Town
These guys will be big because there are a ton of people who like the crossover blend of melodic pop with crazy guitar jams. And jam these guys do, with tons of theatrics, but not overshadowing the fairly sophisticated instrumentation and the psychedelic vibe. If Dr. Dog is The Band, then Cheers Elephant is Village Green Preservation Society Kinks.(Royce Epstein)
6 ABC
Cheers Elephant delivers a sound that is worth cheering for and one that you will never forget, which makes perfect sense, if you think about it!
One of Cheers Elephant's songs is titled Here We Are. Here, of course, could mean one of any number of places, but in this instance, here means a definitive spot in the chronicles of local music.
The name of the band could seem odd at first mention, and to some, the band's music may seem a bit different, too, but there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
MySpace categorizes their sound as psychedelic, rock, and folk, but Cheers Elephant's true classification is pure subjective in all it's diverse glory.
The band has been together for a good two years now, and in the past few months, have come to grow fond of performing live shows and, mutually, the live crowds have grown quite fond of cheering them on.
So, while everyone ponders exactly what musical section Cheers Elephant should be labeled in at the record store, there is no need to ponder where the band's name came from.
According to the band themselves, the name Cheers Elephant has to do with the first elephant to come to America, that was forced to drink ale, then only drank ale from that moment on, only to be billed as sideshow; an interesting and fulfilling story from a more than interesting and fulfilling band.
(Brock Koller)
Soundcheck Magazine
In the course of seeing them twice, Cheers Elephant has won over everyone who’s gone with me: the bitchiest guy I know, an indie snob, and two girls who admittedly don’t care much about music. The fact that Cheers, Elephant was able to pass this fan base obstacle course speaks to their strength. Their live show is what I would imagine would happen if a train marked “rock” smashed into a van marked “folk”, and then an airplane called “drugs” smashed into that mess, and then cool kids showed up to dance on the wreckage. Interestingly, their recorded stuff is much sweeter than the live show might suggest: they bring a manic intensity when they’re on stage, but their songs are legitimately layered and interesting in CD format, too. (Caitlin Caven)
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