I have a love/hate relationship with concerts. I often can't get lost in the music, because my brain gets addled by outside concerns, such as the paper I neglected to work on that night. But sometimes a show is so fantastic and filled with vitality that any worries and concerns disappear from my mind. It's moments like that that motivate me to see concerts.
I knew I had to go see Elf Power when I saw that they were playing at The Bishop. It's not often you get the chance to see one of the earliest Elephant 6 Collective bands play your college town in such an intimate venue. I probably got into the Elephant 6 bands later than most folks my age. I first started listening heavily to Elf Power when I was a sophomore in college. I found them endearing, especially their great cover of The Byrds' "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better."
I got to the Bishop a little late, so I wasn't able to catch the entire set of Arrah and the Ferns, but I really liked what I heard and it was interesting enough that I'd pick up a record of theirs. I also warmed to them due to the fact that their guitar player was playing a Rickenbacker. I tend to like any group that uses a Rickenbacker, probably because The Beatles used those guitars so much on their early recordings. Based on what I saw, the group had good stage presence. I found them very charismatic and their enthusiasm infectious.
A short film, Major Organ and the Adding Machine was screened after the opening act. The film featured cameos from Elephant 6 members such as Kevin Barnes and Jeff Magnum. It was rather unusual to stop a rock concert and for the concertgoers to have a seat and watch a film. It felt like being over at friend's house and watching movies in their basement.
The film was very interesting, but extremely bizarre. I wouldn't have expected anything less from an Elephant 6 project. I was at times reminded of many childhood favorites; Yellow Submarine, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Ken Russell's film adaptation of The Who's Tommy, H.R. Pufnstuf and The Banana Splits. It was a really enjoyable children's film that also appealed to adults.
It made me nostalgic for the bizarre entertainment I consumed as a child and for my time as a young person, when the world seemed painted in swaths of Technicolor and the entire world looked like it was being filmed at the golden hour. But that's a distorted view of the past, with the bad parts edited out. There are moments of darkness in the film, but nothing too dark to cloud the childlike heart at the center of the film.
Following the film, Elf Power took the stage for a really tight and enjoyable set. The sound quality at the Bishop is just fantastic, kudos to the sound operator. There's great separation of instruments so it's quite easy to hear each individual band member. I tend to like more intimate shows because the vocals aren't buried in the mix, and the bass and drums don't overpower everything.
The show left with a warm, comfortable glow, like putting on your favorite sweater. When I departed from the Bishop, I felt safe and content with the world and myself. Any artist than can do that has really excelled at their craft.
-Andrew Crowley
