Monday, October 18, 2010

Elf Power

a sunday nite in austin texas usually means nothing more than staying home or goths nite out..AKA 80's dancing at Elysium, where i spent probably 50 consecutive sundays each year when i was 24-26. let's just say fond memories. not necessary to be goth, but you get the gist.. and you sure did get it when the B52s hour came on. shit sucked honestly ewww! but nonetheless i loved my sunday nites of yesteryear quite a bit.....old OMD, pet shop boys,FKW, Psychadelic Furs...it was all lingerie (usually of the black or white persuasion) all the time. not goth, but elfgirl. and that was when i could actually dance..now i feel all angular and weird. not sure if its due to the skinny arms or feeling older than, but yeah, doesn't seem to be my jam anymore...but you know, on occasion, 80s nite works. Tonite, being a sunday i was excited not for dancing, but to see one of my all time favorite bands Elf Power. Yes i've followed them for over a decade, and i've seen their audiences dwindle with each passing tour..yet i still go...and i am still rewarded. They dont sacrifice what most bands do...the die hards. AKA die hard songs or fans. I was on my first hit of ecstacy (well i was a pussy and took a half), prolly 22 years old, when my older bro introduced me to Elf Power.. I was lying in the grass and heard my first elf power song: "Will My Feet Still Carry Me Home." It was incredible to say the least...i can't even begin to describe the Elf Power obsession that came of the evening...or the subsequent falling in love with all things related to the Elephant 6 Recording Company/collective out of Athens, Ga. Tonite Elf Power played a song from their very first release "vainly clutching at the phantom limbs". sure i wish i woulda heard Temporary Arm or All your Experiments, but for a band in this stage of the game, rolling around the country in a van after all these years..to play something off the first release is pretty amazing and endearing to me. A few original members still play, but must give props to the new drummer...shit was very good. i'm no music theorist or genius but his time signatures or whatever were completely different than what i was used to hearing off the albums, and the tamborine came in at unexpectedly perfect points. brilliant. always wanting more keys and bass in the mix, but for a band that doesn't necessarily rely on those aspects, the guitars and sweeet vocals made up for it... admittedly i missed the accordian... i didn't hear Jane or Secret Ocean. BUT still i was so impressed...and was so happy to have seen them again. Even bought merch. tshirt coveted if not only for love, but for my (probably still) belief in the notion of the elves, fairies, and mystical world Elf Power sings so earnestly about. I stuck with a CD instead...first release. Jeff Mangum coming onstage woulda been amazing but hey, you get all the e6 you can on a sunday nite ;) I was overjoyed to be accompanied by K-Spot, who wasn't as famaliar w/ EP as i was. But she knew i was geeking out, and stood by me all the way. even took the "take my picture with you please" picture with Andrew Reiger and told him he was making a funny face and we should shoot one more. GAWD, i love her!! post shot, we were headed home and wouldn't you know it, a new leaf on the dancing scene was turned over. We walked into a near empty Barbarella (famous this past year for 80s on fridays and new indie on saturdays) . well, we decided it was one more drink before home time on "Disco" (WTF?) sundays. Requested Atomic by Blondie and were rewarded immediately. It sure is fun when its only you and one other person on a giant dancefloor. prancing around like dorses..Hall and Oates prolly like 5 times, and Krissie's old drill team routines spontaneously erupting out or her already badass dance repertoire. I think i missed my calling as a dancer in highschool cuz that shit was fuuuuuuuun!! we danced for over an hour, just poppin in on our way home..some dude even two stepped with me! finally, jeez i've been craving a two steppin dance, or any dance that involves a bit of a skill or a count. Not that i know how, but i don't have to lead, shit! so Krissie made me dance to some steve earl song with said dude and that was nice...woulda probably made my dad proud.. don't ask my ass why that song was even played, who cares, right?!?! worked up a nice groove to disco/mostly non disco tunes, where we could be as free and fulfilled as we wanted. judging by the sweaty hugs at the end, we were certainly and vivaciously satisfied. SO...seeing as how this nite was meant for nostalgia and old hits..i feel full of love...fond memories of songs heard past, new dance moves to old tunes (dance practice w/ K-Spot coming to a venue in the ATX very soon!)I learned that with the right company and the right elves, you can have a grand time on a sunday nite here in ATX even if yer over 30. xo

No comments:

Post a Comment