Elephant Stone @ NXNE 2009

Supermarket

Toronto, ON

on Jun 18 2009

Sarah Kurchak (CHARTattack)

06/20/2009 12:15pm

Background/ Composition:
Former High Dial and sitar player for almost every big Psychedelic Outlaw band out there Rishi Dhir and some friends from Besnard Lakes play very poppy and slightly trippy rock. Their album, The Seven Seas, recently made it onto the Polaris Music Prize long list.

Grade: 75

Comment:
Listing life, love and friends among their influences and playing their sweet little hearts out on stage, the members of the Elephant Stone seem like nice young men who just want to share the love and happy melodies with everyone. If there’s even one hippie bone in your body, you will probably get swept up in the magic. If you don’t, they won’t quite convert you, but you’ll probably feel a little guilty about not loving such a well-intentioned outfit.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: G
Pronunciation: G
Stage Presence: G
Stage Banter: G
Image: E
Appearance: G
Use Of Stage: G

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
The drummer bounced around behind the kit like a muppet. Not flailing like Animal, but just bouncing cheerily like one of the muppets in the background of the show’s opening. It’s a distinction that illustrates the band’s essence fairly well. If psychedelia is a spectrum, they’re not on the wild and crazy end of it, but somewhere toward the end that’s all about peace and love, man. Or, in other words, they’re the kind of band who joke about taking horse tranquilizers as opposed to actually taking horse tranquilizers. Rock 'n' roll excess is cool and all, but when you honestly think about it, which kind of band's actually going to put on a decent show?

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: E
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: G
Sound: G
Composition: G
Songs: G

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Basically, if you’re looking for something that gives you the Brian Jonestown Massacre feeling of the good old days but are tired of Anton Newcombe’s hissyfits, artistic bankruptcy, and increasing tendency to mistake noisy bile for music, then Elephant Stone are exactly what you need in your life.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: G
Problem Solving: E
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: G
Haircut: E
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: G
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: G
Actual Ability: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Part way through the set, Rishi Dhir announced that he’d made his sitar platform out of something from Ikea. What's not to love about that kind of resourcefulness and skilled blending of traditionalism and modern culture?