MARCI VON SAVOY
Alternative Los Angeles-based band, Elephant Ride performs tonight at the Bar and Grill in Salt Lake City as a part of the west coast leg of their tour.
According to the lead vocalist, Andrew Woodworth, Elephant Ride is coming from a disappointing show at a sports bar in Boulder, Co., where they played to a leftover crowd from the Monday Night football game.
“I seek solace in the couple of guys that come up after the show and say you guys are going to be huge,” Woodworth said.
The band has been together for about two and a half years and acquired a large following in the L.A. area, according to Woodworth. The band has played once before in Salt Lake, and though they were playing in an awkward time slot, Woodworth said that the show was a good time.
“If people give us the time to listen we usually go over pretty well (with the audience),” Woodworth said.
Ride’s debut album, Forget, was produced by Led Zeppelin bassist Jon Paul Jones and was mixed by Tom Lord Alge, who also worked on The Goo Goo Dolls’, Tracy Bonham’s and Live’s albums.
Their debut features the track “Wash Me,” which is already gaining momentum on college radios according to the press release. “Wash Me” is about a friend of Woodworth’s who was struggling with her life and herself.
“Her needs were clouding, her emotions were clouding, it’s a pretty sad song,” Woodworth said.
Woodworth said that “Wash Me” would never be his first choice for a single because it “lethargically plods along in the beginning.” He also said that it takes longer for the song to get to the chorus.
“The radio is not patient enough for a song like ‘Wash Me,'” Woodworth said. “We’ve never written our songs to get on the radio.”
Elephant Ride sounds a little like Collective Soul and perhaps other bands frequently played on X96 or The End, but it is difficult to label them as completely like another band, for despite vague similarities, they do have their own distinctive sound. Of course what would an alternative band of the 90s be without faint undertones and resemblances of Pearl Jam.
Though not as readily apparent as say, The Nixons, Elephant Ride’s overall sound is similar to Eddie Vedder’s band and the “Seattle sound,” perhaps with an L.A. twist. Lead vocalist, Andrew Woodworth’s voice is not quite as deep as Vedder’s and is comparable, though quieter with less inflections, to Todd Lewis’ voice of the Toadies.
Woodworth described his band as “organic rock,” because he said that their music stems from rock ‘n roll roots. He also said that their band was “melodically driven.”
Woodworth was influenced by such rock legends as Pink Floyd, The Doors, and RUSH. Woodworth also is influenced by the “self-absorbing” rock operas such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Tommy.
After Salt Lake City, Elephant Ride heads for San Francisco and completes the sports bar circuit at home in L.A. After L.A. they will be touring indefinitely hoping to gather a larger following.
According to Woodworth, “Forget” can be purchased at any high profile record stores such as Tower or Virgin Records.
Photo courtesy Elephant Ride
ALONG FOR THE RIDE: Members of the alternative band, Elephant Ride, perform tonight in Salt Lake City as part of their west coast tour.
