Elephant Revival at Twist & Shout Records

Words & Photos By J-man

After moving to Colorado just a few days prior, it was time for me to jump right in to the mix. I looked over my options of upcoming shows and saw that one had slipped through the cracks; Elephant Revival was doing an in-store at Twist & Shout Records, about five minutes from my new place.

The first time I saw Elephant Revival was three months back at Yarmonygrass in Bond, CO. I was caught off guard and blown away. Needless to say, I was heading to the record store with high expectations.

A short time later I found myself sitting out front of the large, glowing, mecca of music. Record stores have become places of worship for many and a place of nostalgia for so many more. When I arrived about forty five minutes before the show time there was no one there. I was a little disappointed, as I had heard great things about the Colorado music scene. I was hoping people would turn out... This band, from what I've heard; was deserving of playing for more than a few casual shoppers.

I browsed the enormous jazz section, flipping through albums by Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Medeski, Martin & Wood eventually stopping with a second and third glance on what appeared to be an autographed Chick Corea/Bela Fleck album. "This has to be some kind of mistake" I thought, noticing the $10.99 price tag. Sold.


After making my purchase, I could hear Elephant Revival soundchecking. I wandered over to find a small crowd gather outside of the roped off concert area. The band sounded great. My mouth was hanging open, as the music came to an abrupt stop... I forgot that they were soundchecking and found myself lost in the music.

The performance began a few minutes late, giving folks time to pile in. The place was packed. You had to squeeze in to get a view of the band. I was thrilled to see such a large turn-out! The band came across as very reserved and humble. The banter with the crowd was casual and reserved. The music contrasted their stage presence, with strength and power. This strong sound is what drew me to Elephant Revival initially and what brought me back for more.

Elephant Revival's sound is unique and developed, rooted in folk/string/Irish music. The instrumentation was solid, providing extremely clean tones across the board, with technical skill to seal the deal. The vocals were as close to perfection as I have heard in some time. The harmonies gave me goose bumps, and the sheer power of the vocals left me forgetting about my general preference for instrumental music. They played a few new tunes, as well as a couple of older songs; all executed flawlessly.

What seemed like minutes later, in all actuality was about an hour and the set had come to a close. They once again reminded the crowd about their new album, and directed folks to a table for an album signing and conversation.


I was once again impressed. I am extremely grateful to Vince Herman for turning me on to this group. I will be seeing them as much as possible and I reccommend that you do the same.

This was the first of what I hope to be many wonderful Colorado experiences...



View J-man's Photo Album from the show here.

www.elephantrevival.com

www.twistandshout.com