Elephant Stone: The TVD Interview
When their second release, the EP ‘The Glass Box’ was issued in 2010, it appeared on the band’s own Elephants On Parade imprint in Canada and North America, and we picked up the release for Europe. A hectic flurry of activity followed, with a support slot on the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s north American tour, the group’s first trip to Europe, which included fabulous packed-to-the-rafters shows in London and Berlin. Showcases at CMJ in New York, and M For Montreal topped the year off nicely.
2011 is shaping up to be even more exciting, with dates in Chicago, Toronto and Brooklyn commencing this week (June 3rd) as support to the excellent The Soundtrack Of Our Lives. The band play in Toronto on June 17th, before heading back to the studio to record a new single, which will be released in the Autumn, to coincide with a European tour that runs from October 12th through to Halloween.
Founder, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Rishi Dhir was interviewed by The Vinyl District this week. Click Here to check it out and below for a free and exclusive download.
Elephant Stone – 10 questions.
Elephant Stone get with the program and do the ‘Sourmash’ 10 question challenge…
1. Hi Elephant Stone! Firstly can I say what a great show it was at The Macbeth in London, you guys sounded magical. Has it always been an ambition to get over to the UK and do some shows?
We love the UK. All our favourite music came from here… Beatles, The Who, Kinks, Teenage Fanclub, Cornershop…. this list goes on!
2. With the recent release of your glorious EP, The Glass Box, did anything in particular inspire the songwriting process?
I guess the birth of my daughter was a big inspiration. Also, I wanted to see if I could write and record a record in a month; The Seven Seas took a while to put together, so I wanted to do something more immediate.
3. You hear bands talk about how their local towns/cities play a big part in their music, has Montreal been an influence on you guys?
Montreal has definitely been a big influence on us. There’s so much music and arts in Montreal, so it has definitely left it’s imprint on us.
4. I believe The Glass Box was recorded entirely on analogue, how did that come about and what was the experience like?
The engineer, David Smith, and I wanted to do a very raw and real recording. It’s been a while since I recorded all analog. So, basically, this ep was a huge experiment for me: write it in two weeks and record/mix in the next two weeks… just like they did in the ‘60s. Also, I wanted to have a limit and on we could add to the recording by only using 16 tracks for the recording process.
5. Rishi, it says on the bands MySpace that you are a multi-instrumentalist, what do you play?
in the band I play bass, sitar, guitar. I also play some tabla (very poorly) and keyboards (also poorly).
6. I obviously saw the inclusion of live sitar playing from yourself Rishi, what is it about classical Indian music that you like so much?
I grew up with classical Indian music… so playing the sitar was a natural progression. I’ve been taking lessons for the last 10 years. The thing that grabs me about classical music is that it is so different from rock’n'roll (very meticulous and requires a lot of focus), but at the same time, it shares a lot of the raw passion.
7. There is obviously a strong psychedelic influence in your music, what Psych bands inspire you guys the most?
Pretty Things, Beatles, Who, Flaming Lips, Kinks
8. Am I right in thinking that the name Elephant Stone is a nod to The Stone Roses? If so, have British Indie bands been an influence on the band?
I’m a huge stone roses fan. However, I originally wanted to call the band “Elephan”, but there’s already a band with that name. I have a stone statue of Ganesha at home… and the name “Elephant Stone” came up… very simple word association. Also, the stone roses reference didn’t hurt.
9. Being immersed in the Montreal music scene, are there any bands/artists that you feel deserve a mention?
The Besnard Lakes are definitely my favourite Montreal band.
10. So what is next for Elephant Stone?
More music, more shows. Would be great to do another UK/Euro tour in the fall!
Interview by Pete Cornish-Barlow.
CLICK HERE for more Elephant Stone on Sourmash Music.
Visit Elephant Stone on iTunes HERE
Elephant Stone – Strangers available on 360degreemusic
Elephant Stone UK release of The Glass Box EP and The Seven Seas
Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Elephant Stone arrived on the scene last year, and their debut album, ‘The Seven Seas’ immediately won a nomination for Canada’s Polaris music prize. The band were formed by Rishi Dhir, formerly of highly rated psychedelic pop outfit The High Dials, who won a dedicated fanbase among the lysergic music community.
Dhir, a multi-instrumentalist, studied Indian classical music for three years after leaving The High Dials in 2006, and the influence is evident on this pop-psych meisterwerk. His sitar playing can also be heard on records by The Black Angels, who dedicated a song to him (‘Deer-Ree-Shee’) on their classic ‘Directions To See A Ghost’ album, and prog-psychsters The Earlies.
The boys have recently completed a very successful tour of North American, supporting friends the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and arrive in the UK for a mini tour on June 30th, before heading onto Germany and France and then returning home to support Besnard Lakes in a series of summer shows.
The Glass Box EP and The Seven Seas is out on 27th June 2010.
Buy Elephant Stone on 
30th June 2010 – The Black Heart – Camden, London, UNITED KINGDOM
1st July 2010 – The Macbeth – London, UNITED KINGDOM
2nd July 2010 – The Captain’s Rest – Glasgow, UNITED KINGDOM
3rd July 2010 – The Source Arts Cafe – Carlisle, UNITED KINGDOM
4th July 2010 - The Cellar Bar – Peterborough, UNITED KINGDOM
6th July 2010 – King Kong Klub – Berlin, GERMANY
8th July 2010 – Hafen 2 – Offenbach, GERMANY
9th July 2010 – Blauer Engel – (Brückenfestival) Kiel, GERMANY
10th July 2010 – La Bellevilloise – Paris, FRANCE
Download ‘Strangers’ below -
Elephant Stone – Strangers released in UK/Europe on 360degreemusic
