Spring Break
Free record earns It's Elephant's more ears
JOHN BARRETT
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Out & About
It's Elephant's has a musical style as peculiar as the band's name.
Mixing eclectic instrumentation and shifting warped rhythms with raw vocal vigor and a subtle pop sensibility, the Atlanta natives will take the stage in Athens Saturday night.
IT'S ELEPHANT'S WITH
When: 10 p.m. Saturday
Where: Tasty World
Cost: Contact venue for sales
Composed of vocalist/guitarist Brent Jay, guitarist/vocalist Garrett Range, multi-instrumentalist David Fountain and drummer Justin Shotwell, the four-piece creates music that practically defies classification.
"We've called ourselves 'fuzzy pop' before," Shotwell said. "But we like to say our music is Fugazi meets The Beach Boys."
Jay also cited a hodgepodge of dissimilar influences, including The Velvet Underground, Dr. Dog, The Beatles and Otis Redding.
An inside peek at how the group's eclecticism comes about: Jay and Range craft the songs initially, with Jay writing nearly all of the lyrics.
"I like to look at myself from the outside in and pick myself apart," Jay said. "But as of late I have been writing about things I'm watching other people go through - kind of like I am giving them advice from my point of view."
Fountain, who plays trumpet, lap steel and mandolin, among other instruments, embellishes upon Jay's and Range's framework to elevate the music beyond the realm of most other rock groups.
"(The variety of instruments) adds texture," Shotwell said. "I think a lot of bands do the two-guitar-bass-drums kind of thing. Not that that's a bad thing at all, but for us, it's something that kind of jumps out at us."
The diverse musical characteristics of It's Elephant's are on display at www.threefortysevenaugusta.com, where the band's first release, "Little Trouble in Chinatown," is available for free - no strings attached.
It's not every day a band simply gives away its debut album. So what exactly motivated It's Elephant's to take this approach?
Mixing eclectic instrumentation and shifting warped rhythms with raw vocal vigor and a subtle pop sensibility, the Atlanta natives will take the stage in Athens Saturday night.
IT'S ELEPHANT'S WITH
MAGNOLIA SUNS AND MASS SOLO REVOLT
When: 10 p.m. SaturdayWhere: Tasty World
Cost: Contact venue for sales
Composed of vocalist/guitarist Brent Jay, guitarist/vocalist Garrett Range, multi-instrumentalist David Fountain and drummer Justin Shotwell, the four-piece creates music that practically defies classification.
"We've called ourselves 'fuzzy pop' before," Shotwell said. "But we like to say our music is Fugazi meets The Beach Boys."
Jay also cited a hodgepodge of dissimilar influences, including The Velvet Underground, Dr. Dog, The Beatles and Otis Redding.
An inside peek at how the group's eclecticism comes about: Jay and Range craft the songs initially, with Jay writing nearly all of the lyrics.
"I like to look at myself from the outside in and pick myself apart," Jay said. "But as of late I have been writing about things I'm watching other people go through - kind of like I am giving them advice from my point of view."
Fountain, who plays trumpet, lap steel and mandolin, among other instruments, embellishes upon Jay's and Range's framework to elevate the music beyond the realm of most other rock groups.
"(The variety of instruments) adds texture," Shotwell said. "I think a lot of bands do the two-guitar-bass-drums kind of thing. Not that that's a bad thing at all, but for us, it's something that kind of jumps out at us."
The diverse musical characteristics of It's Elephant's are on display at www.threefortysevenaugusta.com, where the band's first release, "Little Trouble in Chinatown," is available for free - no strings attached.
It's not every day a band simply gives away its debut album. So what exactly motivated It's Elephant's to take this approach?
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