Elf Power has had a lot of help over the years with a variety of wonderful musicians playing from album to album. The current lineup is:
Andrew Rieger- vox and guitar
Jimmy Hughes- guitar, keys
Derek Almstead- bass
Eric Harris - drums
Laura Carter- keys, clarinet, accordian
Heather McIntosh- cello, keys
John Fernandes - violin
Sounds Like
for mailorder of our music you'd want to check Orange Twin for our new album collaborating with Vic Chesnutt or Rykodisc for our latest 2 Elf Power records and Orange Twin for our previous records.
Elf Power formed in 1994 and have spent the last 14 years releasing nine albums, two eps, a handful of singles, and touring America, Europe,and Japan.
Elf Power’s ninth album blasts them past the familiar
territories of beautiful records past – landing them
on exciting new terrain. Granted, the Elves’ sound is
still founded on the bedrock attributes that make them
memorable: leader Andrew Rieger’s otherworldly lyrical
stances and his easy way with the rare and amazing
melody, their instrumentally-eclectic reappraisal of
classic rock, and a propulsive rhythm section that’s
tight as ever. In A Cave, though, finds them
filtering their powerful live approach through a
varied, experimental series of recording processes and
approaches; the new album plays like a spirited,
exploratory series of treatments on the tried-and-true
Elf Power sound.
Derek Almstead’s production balances the elements
perfectly: lean and muscular with a layer of warmth
overtop, he opens ample windows for the band to expand
and explore all available spaces.
Drummer/multi-instrumentalist Eric Harris returns to
the fold for this record, and his rhythmic interaction
with bassist Almstead provides the supportive spine
for each tune; notice how the two bury a chugging
Krautrock underpinning in the sing-song pop of
“Paralyzed” and provide the swagger inherent to the
marching fuzz-boogie of “Spiral Stairs”. Harris’
homemade “tape-organ” -- a Thriftstore Mellotron, of
sorts -- assumes a starring role on several of these
songs, enveloping the driving jams and
harmonically-dense balladry in a loopy, warbly aura.
Truly, this is one of the most psychedelic Elf Power
records in years; droned-out, interstitial songs like
“Window to Mars” and the Eno-esque “Heads of Dust,
Hearts of Lust” lend a sense of wholeness to this
diverse album, and glue the longer tracks together
perfectly.
Elf Power has been busy in 2009, touring steadily,
and releasing two albums (one with folk rock legend Vic
Chesnutt); the
interplay between Rieger’s twelve-string and Jimmy
Hughes’ overdriven lead guitar is as subtle and
important as ever. Present, too, are those strange
sonic touches that have long made the band
distinctive: that edifying layer of melody that comes
courtesy of Heather Macintosh’s virtuoso cello-playing
and Laura Carter’s accordion and Moog Synthesizer.
Members of Elf Power also own and operate Orange Twin Records, an
independent record label focused squarely on the local
community; besides earlier Elf Power albums, Orange
Twin has also released records by Neutral Milk Hotel,
The Gerbils, Madeline, Vic Chesnutt, Nana Grizol, Jack Logan, Visitations, Ham 1, The Instruments, Major Organ And The Adding Machine, and other stalwarts of the
vibrant Athens scene. A percentage of proceeds
generated by the label helps fund The Orange Twin
Conservation Community, which owns 155 acres of
beautiful land on the outskirts of Athens and has
initiated the development of a highly progressive,
self-sustainable and ecologically-minded cluster
village and nature preserve.
This sort of thoughtful, perpetual motion through the
years has sharpened the band’s instincts powerfully
and all-inclusively, and the results are joyously
evident here; with In A Cave, Elf Power finds a
perfect synthesis of their solid, instinctual ensemble
playing and open-hearted experimentation, and the
result is one of the best, most assured records to
come soaring out of Athens in a long, long time.
i heard your version of "walk with a zombie" last night on Portland's KBOO station. it warmed me inside...by the way, everyttime i hear "will my feet still carry home" i want to cry. thank you for writing beautiful songs and splendid lyrics.
Peace Sunday, June 5, 1982, Rose Bowl, no nukes - nuclear disarmament - stop nuclear madness concert - NYC - Central Park - June 12, 1982, 1,000,000 person march and rally for Nuclear Freeze. Photography and presentation by Curtis Rainbow. 'Give Peace a Chance' music by Achim Schultz. Inspiration by Yoko Ono. Dedicated to John Lennon.
come up to toronto soon! before the frost gets really frosty! missin you! xo col (album almost finished!)--is laura coming up with nana grizol? i booked a show--hope so!
I planted a single rose. I needed thirty more. It was hard for me but I suppose what made it easier, I had seen the row of rose before.
It was my humble way to keep track of tracks And count the numbers of the dead from the demons, precious score. One by one they had come to me, all elves with no fucking apple tree. Twisted, bent with souls for rent. Crying, pleading, bleeding, dying! One common hope, to kill the demon feed, To kill the demon need and never need more fucking dope! A plea for a little hope.
I planted a single rose for the elf who tried to fly While driving off a cliff as he fed his manik high. . . . . . . . . . . . . . He fucking died.
I planted six for those who couldn’t satisfy their fix. Instead they slit their wrists and clenched their fists And now they’re dead, Not to mention the ones with bullets in their heads.
Another four decided to tie the magik knots of death Around the silence of their screaming throats And kicked the chair. Too late, not a soul was fucking there.
I heard it once from a book of tragic words of life. “A rose by any other name be not the same,” The same with tortured, little elves through out their life, So lost deep within themselves. They felt the need to stash themselves and slash themselves away With the dullest of the gun and knife. The demon doesn’t give a flying fuck about which name we use. His one and only goal is to help the junkie, fairy, trollish elf to lose, To take his fucking life!
To all the little elves out there, let me show to you, the humble fairy cares. Beware! . . . . . . . . . . Don’t help me plant a rose for you. To live or die or crave the rotten, demon high! Little elf, it’s time for you to choose! The number is now at thirty-five. Don’t be the next to die. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don’t be the next to loose!
It was a sad day in the frowning town, A cry was heard with absent tears from the liquid down.
An elf, in his madness, Had done his slowly, quickened run away. He scored to score and scored to score some more From the self centered, ego feeding, trollish horde While all the other elves were drunk and stoned at play.
A younger elf with ears to make him fly, To fly away and for a minute lose his high. With flowing hair of red To counteract the flowing black of dead, Not knowing “the secret setup” just to die, “The secret setup” just ahead!
The insecure of security ended everywhere. His freedom was removed for a moment of his time With secret, private, dancing, danger deals. He dealt his own restrictions with his mind.
A darkness came. All elves had their safest place to go To seek and find the pleasant of insane. Surely, with the deepest of their secret ways No elves, no elves would ever know The truest nature of their cruelest game, The cruelest game embarked today.
With the purist innocence of the sheep A meet was made. No truth would sing its’ song. The healthy elves began to weep As the demon sang along.
The tools of choice were greed and lust. The sharpened dullness of a proven point was made. To be proven in the secret, silent shade Was the bravest must. All elves must see and hear, With damage done. The price you pay is dear!
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