Friends and lovers! We couldn't be more thrilled to have Montreal rockers Elephant Stone join us for the Sonicbids Official SXSW Party, presented by JanSport and our friends at Planetary Group! These guys will be joining ANR, Voltaire Twins and Hotfox (and more amazing bands to be announced this week!) Friday, March 16th from 11:30-5:30 at Maggie Mae's. In the meantime, read on to learn a little bit more about Elephant Stone from their lead singer and sitar (yup, I said sitar) player, Rishi Dhir! And don't forget, we're looking for one last band to play alongside them: tell us who it should be!
This isn’t the first time that we’ve gushed about Elephant Stone, but why don’t you give a little history about the band, for those who might not be super-familiar.
We're a Montreal-based psyche/pop band. Our debut, The Seven Seas, was released in 2009 and was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize (Canada's Mercury Prize). Since then, we've traveled all around the world (Canada, US, Iceland, UK, Europe) and have toured with the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Teenage Fanclub, and the Soundtrack of Our Lives. I'm also the go-to sitar guy for a bunch of great psyche-bands (BJM, The Black Angels, Soundtrack of Our Lives) so I've had the chance to play a bunch of great festivals (Bonnaroo 2011 w/ the Black Angels [in front of] 20,000 people... and maybe Coachella 2012??). The Angels also named song after me, "Deer Ree Shee."
You guys have been around the festival scene, from CMJ, Iceland Airwaves, Canadian Music Fest, M for Montreal, etc. Are there any tips or lessons you’ve learned about making the most out of a festival experience?
Get to catering early! Seriously, though, have a good time and don't worry too much about impressing "the industry". The kid infront of the stage wearing the Husker Du t-shirt is a much more rewarding fan than the guy in the back of the room on his Blackberry... but I digress.
Give us a little teaser. What can folks who have never seen you before expect from your live show?
A bare foot Indian (think Slumdog Millionaire, not Lone Ranger) guy sitting on a coffee table playing sitar. Seriously.
Who are some of the bands that you’re excited to check out during all the festivities?
Haven't had a chance to look at all the bands playing, but I'm super psyched for the Jesus and Mary Chain!
What else is going on for you guys over the next few months that we should keep an eye out for?
Immediately following our SXSW trip, we'll be locking ourselves in Breakglass Studios (Besnard Lakes, Wolf Parade, Land of Talk) with Mr. Jace Lasek (besnard lakes) to record our sophomore album. After that it'll be a UK tour, Euro tour, new album, North American tour, and (hopefully) India!
Check out an acoustic version of Elephant Stone's "A Morning Song" via southernsouls.ca!
