I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: December 12, 2017] Elephant Stone

I heard Elephant Stone on NPR and loved their alt rock/shoegaze sound mixed with some awesome sitar,

Lead singer/bassist Rishi Dhir is a masterful sitar player and, as I read somewhere, if you’ve heard a sitar in an alt-rock song, it was Dhir.

Elephant Stone are a trio based in Montreal with Dhir, Jean-Gabriel Lambert on guitar and Miles Dupire-Gagnon on drums.   For this show they had an additional player on keyboards and backing guitar but I never got his name.  Amusingly, the lightning in The Black Box was pretty dark and this extra guy was almost perpetually in the dark, so photos were pretty hard.

The low turnout for the first band continued–I am fairly certain I counted fourteen people total in the audience.  Which is shocking and a real shame.  Especially given how good they were and how much they put into the show–even with such a small turnout.

When the band first came out on stage they laid down a carpet remnant (Dhir played barefoot) and a small table.  And then Dhir brought out the sitar to tune it.

After a short time, the band came back out and started playing.  The sound was great.  Dhir had a fantastic Rickenbacker bass that had a terrific sound–there was a total Geddy Lee vibe with his hair and that bass.

Lambert’s guitar also had a great echoing sound to it.  Unless they were just rocking out.

Dhir didn’t play sitar for all of the songs.  In fact, he mostly played it to jam.  They did two or three extended jams where the band rocked a song and when the song proper was over, Dhir would put down his bass and walk over to the low table.  He’d take his place and then the jamming began.  I had never seen anyone play a sitar from so close before, so that was awesome.

I didn’t really get to see the drummer too closely, but every once in a while I could focus on him during a jam.

The crowd was really into it.  It was like a personal performance just for us–we just never wanted to get too close to block everyone else’s sightlines.  This was probably one of the coolest concerts I’ve been to.

The band has released four albums and was technically touring their latest, Ship of Fools.  Although that album didn’t dominate the setlist.  The songs were equally split between their second, third and fourth albums, with one from their debut.

I was really psyched to hear some of their earlier songs (I’m terrible with names).  But what most impressed me about the band is the way they can play so many different styles of music and yet still remain true to their overall vibe.

Their newer stuff has a slightly more electronic sound but all within their shoegaze/mod/indie rock traditions.  But there’s always that foundation in catchy songs,  And of course, there’s a lot of psychedlia.

They also played some more mellow songs–with that great echoing guitar.  “Andromeda” was dreamy with alluring guitar melodies.  On “Silence Can Only Say So Much,” Dhir sang while playing the sitar.  And of course, there was more jamming,

The band didn’t leave for an encore, rather, they just played the encore song–I guess there’s no point in making 14 people clap for an encore.  But I’m so glad they played it because it was great.  Lambert sang with a processed effects before the rest of the band rocked out.

When the show was over I thought I’d have a chance to meet the guys.  But Rishi was talking with someone (I think a DJ from WXPN).  I wanted to buy some merch and had to wait for Lambert to come over (and then to make change) because they didn’t have anyone else to do it.

I hope the low turn out doesn’t keep Elephant Stone away from Philly in the future.  Dhir said that they had played Underground Arts before as an opener and only had a 20 minute show.  They were clearer happy to play a longer set.  I just hope they can spread the word more and come back again.

And look, one picture of the touring guitarist!

Setlist

Three Poisons [3P]
Setting Sun  [ES]
Don’t You Know [7S]
Heavy Moon [ES]
Andromeda [SoF]
See the Light? [SoF]
Child of Nature `- Om Namah Shivaya [3P]
Silence Can Say so Much [SoF]
Manipulator [SoF]
Motherless Child (Love’s Not For War) [3P]
Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin [ES]
A Silent Moment [ES]
Echo & the Machine [3P]