A band that's sure to go somewhere due to its unbelievable talent and
breathtaking abilities, The Elanors excitedly have a lot to talk about.
Ranging from musical influences (with graciousness towards various
stagemates as well as Rufus Wainwright) and the incorporation of love,
The
Elanor's multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and vocalist Noah Harris
also
discusses the band's plans for an entirely different second album, as
well
as ponderings of a third. Read on as Noah speaks with OTO contributor
Arie
Musil via email about the birth of the band, and the journey that has
progressed so far.
Interviewer: Arie Musil
Musician: Noah Harris
Arie: Let's start from the beginning. Who influenced you musically
growing
up, and why did you desire to go into the music business?
Noah: Well, in my opinion, music can't be a business. It isn't a
religion
either. I'm gonna tell you the truth, though, when I was 19 I read
Rilke's
Letters to a Young Poet and watched Brother Son Sister Moon in the same
week -- well, I think that ought to explain the whole view right there.
I
wanted to take off my clothes in the square and proclaim a faith, a
love
really; the song wasn't the substance of the faith, the song was my
saint,
making intercession. You know, like Rilke said, I spent a lot of time
trying to find out if I needed to make these songs; if something inside
was
demanding it, I am finding out that I do need to write them. The thing
about music is that today Cameron McGill's songs are interceding for
me,
bringing me back; well I have to try and bring out a saint for you,
Arie,
something to intercede for you. Right?
Arie: How did the three of you meet? Had you each attempted to begin a
band
on your own? When did you know that the three of you would be it?
Noah: Adriel and I met a few years ago while I was living in Madison,
Wisconsin. Josh (Lucas) and I are old friends. That said you should
know
that The Elanors has recessed back into being just Adriel and I these
days.
The Elanors is a descendant of my solo project, Adriel is truly
fantastic
and her talent and persona are really giving the project its current
shape, in my opinion.
Arie: What were you doing in your lives during this time when you
weren't
practicing? Did you have a job to uphold, were you in school...?
Noah: Well, Adriel and I are both finishing up university degrees.
Adriel
is studying mathematics and I am studying philosophy. During the time
of
the writing and recording of A Year To Demonstrate, Adriel and I were
meeting, marrying, honeymooning and reading a lot. We have tried, and
will
continue to try, to not work jobs.
Arie: Where did your name come from; what's the story behind it, if
any?
Noah: Elanor is the first fruit of my sister's womb. She's great
fun and we
decided that it would be harder to tire of a "band name" if we
named
ourselves in honor of a person we dearly loved. Elanor is four now.
Arie: So now the three of you are together and you're starting to put
the
pieces together. Who writes the songs and where do the ideas for the
songs
generate from?
Noah: Adriel and I are indeed together now, despite contrary rumors. In
the
past I have had all the ideas, but lately the tide is turning and
Adriel is
beginning to write some truly remarkable songs. We are definitely
collaborating more now than ever, and I hope that the trend continues.
Those who have seen us live lately can attest to the force of
Adriel's
vocalization and melodic sensibility.
Arie: Your music takes on such incredible Radiohead-like form. Do you
see
it? Where do you think you get some of your music sound from in
comparison
to other bands?
Noah: I honestly don't get the Radiohead comparison. Although, A Year
To
Demonstrate was a different musical time for me and I would be lying if
I
said that Hail To The Thief and Amnesiac were foreign to me at the
time. I
think that we are influenced mostly by Debussy and Rufus Wainwright.
These
days I am really trying to spring off of romantic solo piano music,
things
like Debussy, Chopin, and Rachmaninov. Mixed in with that is a healthy
portion of Dylan, Gillian Welch, and The Wandering Sons; timeless
songwriting of that sort. I listen to Rufus a great deal; he seems to
be
bringing those two strains together masterfully.
Arie: How did your first gig go, and who was there? How did you feel
during
it and afterwards?
Noah: Well, Adriel and I had both had a lot of experiences playing out
before we met, I honestly can't remember the first. The first time we
performed together was a few years ago, before we were engaged, before
The
Elanors existed; Adriel accompanied me at a solo show at the Catacombs
in
Madison, Wisconsin. Great friends there. It was a beautiful night and
the
promise of future collaboration was immediately recognizable. We were
in
the aura of new love.
Arie: Obviously there was quite a romance going on at this time, seeing
as
you had gotten married to each other. How do you feel that things
have
changed since then, having become closer as a couple, and do you feel
that
it feeds into your work? (I must say, I believe that there is
sincerity in
your songs, which could be due to the love that you two have for each
other. I'm curious to see your opinion on that!)
Noah: Thank you. The songs on A Year To Demonstrate are largely about
the
beginnings of our relationship, they came out of a very sincere place,
no
matter how cliche. Our close friendship feeds a lot into the
songwriting
process. Adriel is a good critic. It helps very much to have someone
immediately present who is willing to be honest about the aesthetic
effect
of the art one produces. We have thus far been able to do that for one
another. We have a lot of other great friends who play that role with
us as
well -- I am grateful for those people. Cory of The Wandering Sons, Ron
of
The New Kentucky Quarter, Dan of Judah Johnson/ Dr. Sax -- these people
are
of incalculable worth to us.
Arie: Where have you been playing at lately and what are you
anticipating?
Noah: Being students we remain tied to the Midwest for most of the
year.
That will change this May, until then we will continue to play for our
wonderful friends in Champaign-Urbana as well as tour out long weekends
within a day's driving distance. We are being booked by the Urbana
Booking
Company's Seth Fein, which has been a magnificent relationship,
affording
us a lot of wonderful opportunities. We anticipate travelling full time
come May of 2006. We don't know what to expect exactly, but we are
excited
for the possibilities.
Arie: Who have you been sharing the stage with most recently? Who would
you
like to play with?
Noah: Cameron McGill, The Wandering Sons, The New Kentucky Quarter,
Headlights, The Ditty Bops, The Castanets, Ida, The Beauty Shop. Like
to
play with: I think that Adriel might say The Innocence Mission and
Gillian
Welch. I say Lhasa De Sela and Rufus Wainwright.
Arie: How did the album come to be? Did you go to the recording label
or
did they find you? How did you feel when given the opportunity to
record an
album?
Noah: Isidore found us, we found each other really in the back of a
cafe in
August 2004. We shared a bill with the label's founding project
Joyful
Sorrow. They wanted to put a record out with us, so we sat down the two
sets of demos that I had recorded at home over the last year. We
settled on
the songs that are on A Year To Demonstrate, Steven (father of Isidore)
mastered them and off they went.
Arie: What was it like going into the studio for you? How long did the
album take to put together?
Noah: The album was unconventionally brought together, like I said it
was a
compilation of about a year's worth of demos. There was only one day
in a
studio outside of our home and that was in abother home studio (far
superior to ours) in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. That said, most of the
demos
that ended up on the release were recorded within a three-week period
in
the fall of 2003. I recorded them in a dank corner of our basement
apartment; I really didn't know what I was doing.
Arie: When the debut was released, what were your first thoughts?
Noah: Oh God, can we take it back! Mostly, self-deprecating things like
that. As time has passed, I have gotten more comfortable with it. It is
a
snapshot of a time in our lives, we have moved on from there. Although,
I'm
sure that there are a number people who have connected a great deal
with
the album. I am also aware that some of these people will not like
where we
go in the future. As the Tralfamadorians would say, "So it goes."
Arie: Have you heard yourself on the radio yet? If so, how was that
experience for you?
Noah: I have not, as a matter of fact. I know that we are being played
in
town at fairly regular intervals, but I don't catch enough radio to
hear
it. I'm sure when that day comes I will giggle like a middle school
girl at
the water fountain.
Arie: And where did the album's title come from -- what's its
significance
to you?
Noah: The album title, which I have already hinted at, is just a
formal,
quasi-poetic way of saying "a year making demos." It has other
connotations
which I support. I like that the title gives hints to the record's
unrefined nature. I like as well that it speaks of beginnings. Sort of
like
a child demonstrating a magic trick that all the adults can see
through.
Arie: Where do you plan on taking it from here?
Noah: Our second album is in the process of being made with Daniel
Johnson
(of Judah Johnson and/or Dr. Sax) in Detroit. Hopefully we will be
bringing it to completion late this summer for a late fall/early winter
release. We are looking for the right label match for this record.
We'll
see. I am excited about the progress and I think that this record will
be a
great step forward for us. The record has a bit of a Lover's Rock
feel (for those familiar with Sade): an aesthetic that we are very
intentionally
pursuing for this project. I think it will be at once surprising and
familiar for those who know our live performances. We of course have
the
third album in mind, which (as it stands now) will be very familiar
to
fans of our live approach. We will be delving as deeply as we can into
the
open romantic piano sonata approach. Bows will scrape. Tape will
crackle.
Wood will creek. Melodrama will flow like the cool sea.
-Arie Musil 07/11/05
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