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364 £. BROAD ST- * 543-30Q7 Downtown A
April 24, 1996
For the longest time, Elf Power was nothing but that of local leg
end to me until I saw the band last summer at a house party. Sure, the
brew was flowing freely and all, but dammit, they rocked some serious
stink that night. It amazed me even more when I heard that they released
Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs by themselves in a vanity pressing
of 50. Being the stooge that I am, I got a copy and before you knew it, the
remaining copies were gone as well. What is the most contrasting thing
about Elf Power is the mere fact that they can sport this really raw noisy
sound live, but on the LP or tapes that they've given me, it's almost an
entirely different beast. As I once overheard at a party, Elf Power sounds
like the Trex of the Shrimper generation. Nothing could ring more true.
So with this said, I attempted to contact Laura Carter and Andrew Rieger
with the help of a psychic. After I found that this wouldn't work, I emailed
them and asked them some pesky journalistic-type questions.
Flagpole: So how long has Elf Power really been around? It seems
like people have told me y'all have been around since '93 or so, but only
as a house party band and whatnot. In other words, give a brief run down
of the band's history.
Elf Power: Elf Power started in 1994, when we released two cas
settes featuring a loose core of musicians and a lot of guests. Basically,
friends who hung out at our house would end up playing on the songs.
We never set out to produce an album; the songs just seemed to accu
mulate. Two cassettes were released in 1994. They were titled The Curse
of Yoth Bal-tzar and Hekinah Degul. The core of the band were Andrew
Rieger, Laura Carter, Dave Rathgeber and Raleigh Hatfield. Guests in
cluded Benjamin from Smoke, Larry Turner from The Killbillys, Tom Cheek
from Kilkenny Cats, Kera Schaley, and Flagpole's own Rachel Reynolds
(in rare form).
FP: Why does it seem like the band has two personas? On record,
EP has a really homey, 4 tracky feel, but live, you guys are loud and
rockin'. How would you explain this?
(Vainly, Qluiehiny
Elf Power The Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs LP, which was
released in 1995, was basically Andrew's solo album. Only 50 copies
were pressed, and they were released by Elf Power. The homey quality
comes straight from the 4 track. Andrew used a rather minimal arrange
ment for these songs. He incorporated instruments like the recorder, cello
and air organ with guitar, bass and drums and added his vocal tracks.
(This is the point in time when we discover that Andrew can really sing
well. We had no idea.)
It wasn’t until after the release of Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs
that the band started to play live. They recruited drummer Joe Binns (and
occasionally Ballard Lesemann when Joe wasn’t around), Laura played
bass, and Andrew, Raleigh and Bryan Poole led the triple guitar onslaught.
Andrew did most of the singing, with some back up from Raleigh
and Bryan. Elf Power started out playing parties for friends. We were very
loud and drove most of our crowds into the yard, where they said it
sounded great.
In this setting, the more rockin' songs just worked better and were
more fun to play. However, we usually didn’t finish our set. We were like
a foghorn, directing the cops in the wee hours through the humid mist to
bust up the gathering and send joints flying into the dirt.
FP: What has been cookin' (musically, that is) since you've moved
to NYC?
Elf Power: Since our move to New York, we've re-released Vainly
Clutching through the Athens-based Drug Racer label. We’ve also re
corded a good bit of new stuff, which we plan to put out on a single [also
under Drug Racer], However, we are going to record again soon and may
end up with enough songs for another LP; as of now we’re not quite sure.
Like the previously recorded stuff, the new songs feature friends and
acquaintances and (besides the usuals) include horn, strings, accordion,
moog, percussion, rainstick, guest vocalists and more.
FP: Are the only constants in the Elf Power line up Laura and An
drew?
Elf Power: Songs seem to evolve out of our relationships with oth
ers as much as they are our own creations. And we rely on our friends
contributions to keep both the recordings and the shows diverse and
unique.
FP: It seems like every time I've seen you, the band itself is different.
What do you have in store for the two shows here in town?
Elf Power: For our shows in town, we are taking a stripped-down
lineup, featuring a soft minimal arrangement with air organ and a spare
drum arrangement, punctuated by full-throttle blasts of punk rock. Brian
is coming up to Brooklyn to join us for our tour. There is a small chance
that Julian will also join us. (I hope so. He's a wizard on the moog and
the saw). We also plan to have Eric Ledford join us for a song or two on
cello as well as other surprises.
Henry Owings
Elf Power will play the Atomic Wednesday, April 24, and the Landfill
April 26. The show at the Landfill will be a night of total rock frenzy with
local band Stunt Double playing their debut show, Vineland from New
Yawk and Freemasonry from Atlanta.
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Bride of the Beast
Bride of Monster
Glen & Glenda
In Angora
Jailbait
love Feast
Night of Ghouls
Necromania
Orgy of Dead
Plan?
Sinister urge
Take it Out in Trade |
Violent vears
’ Magazine
•Special Orders
I Wing Chun - The incomparable Michelle Yeoh defends helpless villagers in this action-
* packed, funny and oddly romantic martial arts film. As the title character, Yeoh wards off ar..,-
i army of evil bandits, including a master of the "cotton belly" technique. In the process, she
I finds love, as a young courtier learns that behind her tough exterior is a heart as soft as be;
j curd. Directed by the great Yuen Woo Ping ("Drunken Master*) Subtitled. Letterboxed.
I Peking Opera Blues- Five young revolutionaries fight for democracy in turn-of-the-centi
I China. Director Tsui Mark's detailed period piece mixes comedy, martial arts and the occai
heist to spin a unique political allegory. The climax of this one is a stunner. Subtitled, letterboxed.l
lExecutioners: Heroic TWo 2 - The original cast and director return for the darkei, more
I violent sequel. In a post-apocalyptic future where clean water is a precious commodity, our
1 beautiful heroes try to stop a corporate/military conspiracy to control its supply. The results
Fare often tragic, always stylish. Subtitled. Letterboxed.
God of Gamblers 2 - Stylish gunplay, old-school kung fu, slapstick comedy and supernatural!
card trickery are all thrown into this great followup to the box office smash. Chow Yun Fat stars!
as the title c' aracter. avenging his wife's death against a brash young gambler and his team|
of thugs. This movie has more than a few aces up its sleeve. Subtitled. Letterboxed.
Legend of a Fighter - Fate deals a cruel hand in this gripping, essential kung fu classic.
I When Young Ho proves too weak to learn his Chinese family's feared martial arts, his fattier
| hires a Japanese teachei to give him lessons in reading and writing. Moved by Ho s passion I
for kung fu, the teacher secretly gives him lessons and he becomes China’s greatest master. I
What follows is a beautiful, action-packed and, finally, deeply ironic tale from the great director!
I Yuen Woo Ping (Drunken Mastei) Subtitles. Letterboxed.
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