[first paragraph snipped]On Forget, Elephant Ride's debut release for the Work Group, the band and producer John Paul Jones have managed to brilliantly capture the vitality and excitement that Elephant Ride generate in concert. Each track seems to spill out from a delicate trickle to a rushing flood, with Woodworth's voice surging over the top and riding dynamic crescendos. Elephant Ride worked with Jones and legendary mixer Tom Lord-Alge, experimenting and refining to get the balance just right. "We put more pressure on ourselves than anyone else possibly could. Our own expectations are way higher than the record label's," confesses Brenner. That obsession and attention to detail resulted in an album more eclectic and mature than anyone could have anticipated. Forget is a confident and assured debut recording.
[paragraph about the formation of the band cut...]
Elephant Ride immediately began to pick up speed -- "There was just an energy on stage that made 30 people turn into 300 very quickly, " says Brenner. Soon after, they signed with the Work Group. Impressed by their demo, John Paul Jones began working on Forget, recording at Shangri-La Studios in Zuma Beach, CA.
"Obviously there was a level of respect there, and his opinion meant the world to us," says Woodworth. "He was a great guide. And that's one of the things we've always done as a band. Surround ourselves with good people, who will tell us the truth, who will relate to us -- not just on a musical level, but on a human one. For me that comes before the art." The pairing of Jones with Elephant Ride was auspicious. Jones' intuitiveness deepened and sharpened the raw emotional force and musical power the band inherently possesses. Woodworth's vocals took on a more profound and graceful quality, and the music unveiled a more expansive, versatile expressiveness. "Silence shatters and collects itself," Woodworth writes in the plaintive "The Opera." That is exactly what Elephant Ride set out to accomplish on their debut recording, sonic explosions and tranquil resolutions that explore the ambiguous issues of human connection.
This has not been the case for the Southland-based band Elephant Ride. Their ability is obvious - the songs, from the
majestically bounding "Wash Me" to the poignantly understated "Bishop Mariah," entail meticulous production and thoughtful
lyricism. This competence alone would probably have been enough to carry the group (consisting of lead vocalist Andrew
Woodworth, guitarist/vocalist Dave Martin, bassist Jim Cheydleur, guitar Michael Sammut, and drummer Eric Brenner, all
mid-20-somethings) to success, but Elephant Ride was also fortunate to receive a couple of mighty helping hands on Forget,
their debut effort for Work/Sony: Led Zeppelin alumnus John Paul Jones produced the record, while Tom Lord Alge (Live,
Tracy Bonham, and Steve Winwood's classic Arc of a Diver) mixed it. According to Andrew Woodworth, the ride for
Elephant Ride had been fairly smooth - even before those two legends came on board. "The evolution from the inception to
now," says Woodworth, "has been relatively quick. Dave and myself were in a band, it didn't even have a name, we were just
recording stuff in a friend's apartment. Some mutual friends had a tape, and they needed a singer. They called me, and it just
sort of worked. It was very random. That was about two-and-a-half years ago.
"We didn't really have any illusions about getting a record deal; we just put out a demo with three songs, two of which are on
the record, and barely two days later we were getting calls from publishing companies. I have no idea how they even got the
tape. We decided, since we were so young, that we would go the publishing company route. They helped us market ourselves,
as far as getting a record deal. That didn't take too long either, based on how things usually work in this town. I think we've been a little bit spoiled in that regard. It was a little deceiving as to how things really are. You need to put up your dukes a little more."
The band did not have to put up much of a fight to procure Jones, and Woodworth says that while the band was a bit overwhelmed, there was not too much time for awe.
"It happened so fast," says Woodworth. "We didn't really expect him to do it because he's so scrutinizing, so choosy. He
turned down the (Smashing) Pumpkins, he turned down Blind Melon. We were like, 'whoa shit'. He heard our tape and he
called us. He just loved the songs. I know that Eric, our drummer, is influenced a lot by John Bonham. Our rhythm section is very Zeppelin-influenced, so it was a little more intimidating for them." Woodworth says that Jones provided just the right
amount of subtle structure.
"He really wasn't there to change us, just to guide us. The layered production and the countermelodies, we had that going in.
We are probably a little more of a jammy band than most of the other pop bands out there, we're not as radio-friendly in that
way. Another producer may have tried to reign us in, but because he comes from a jammy band, he was more inclined to let us
spread our wings in that way."
As for Alge, Woodworth says that, although the band was aware of his impressive resume, "the first day we did some stuff we
were like 'holy shit - this guy gets it'. He's got some weird ear. He knows the equipment so well, and he's so fast. it was really amazing to watch him do what he does. A totally different side of what we do, but equally important."
Woodworth adds eloquently, "We were stoked."
Besides the Zeppelin influence, Woodworth says that the band brings together many musical tastes, adding, "obviously you're
influenced by things, but if there are enough things, you end up not sounding like anything.
"I grew up in Oregon, in the suburbs, hearing the stuff that my older brothers and sisters listened to - Stevie Wonder, old
Jackson 5. Then I got into Rush; "2112" became my anthem. There was Pink Floyd and the Doors. Eric said that the only
album we all own is our own."
Those diverse sensibilities, along with the legendary tutelage, will give Elephant Ride a tremendous amount of confidence when
they record their second album (which won't be for awhile, as the band is currently on an extensive U.S. tour).
"We may go with another producer, it will probably be 'so and so and Elephant Ride' producing the record," says Woodworth.
"I think a lot of this record was self-produced, only because of the graciousness of John Paul Jones. We came out of it thinking
that our ideas were really good." A couple of those ideas - the meandering, progressive rhythms and the introspective lyricism -
may lead Elephant Ride to employ a more scaled-down approach on their next record. Unplugged, as it were.
[that's all that is about JPJ...]
[a lot of band history, etc. clipped]