I’ve spent the last couple days breezing through Elsinore’s discography, and I appreciate their sound for a myriad of reasons. It’s unconstrained pop, but neatly packaged, both musically and visually. Ryan Groff’s lilting vocals provide buoyancy to tracks with serious lyrical tone (see “The Thermostat, The Telephone” off Elsinore’s brand new EP, Life Inside an Elephant, wherein Groff conjures just a bit of Rufus Wainwright, and conjures him well). LIAE oscillates in feeling and intensity; Beau Sorenson’s remix of the title track is synthy and indulgent, not contrived.

Groff was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about Life Inside an Elephant, their home town of Champaign-Urbana, and why growing up’s hard to do.

 

IWTAS: Talk to us about the origins of the excellent title track of the new EP and the cover art by Jill Nickell.

RG: We’ve been in home-mode since Dave’s injury in December, but he healed so quickly that we flipped right into songwriting mid-January. I’ve felt more confident and in control of my writing over the past eight months than I ever did in the past. My bandmates have really taken to the new material, which has made rehearsing both fun and productive. Releasing this EP just made sense.

The title track was one of those songs that came to me very naturally, and once I showed it to the band we had it nailed within a week or so. It’s huge and beautiful and easy to listen to and get your body into. It’s actually about Stockholm Syndrome. Starting with this new batch of songs, I’ve embraced the fictional point of view in my lyric writing. I’ve always been blunt about my own life and experiences, but recently I decided to be influenced by the books and movies I’ve been absorbing. Fiction is fun!

Jill’s art is becoming somewhat of a branding for our band. I’ve loved her style and content since I first saw one of her pieces, so it’s nice to utilize her talents and become friends. We basically have an in-house artist who’ll do anything we want. I knew right away that she’d be able to capture the mood of Life Inside an Elephant, and when she delivered this image to us we were…goose-bumpy. We hope we can help her reach a larger audience by working together.

IWTAS: Speaking of LIAE, the EP features three remixes. We still remember that one of “Yes Yes Yes” worked up by Gentleman Auction House’’s Eric Enger. What are some advantages of embracing “the remix”?

RG: Well, “Ultraviolence” and “The Thermostat, The Telephone” aren’t technically REmixes. These are new songs that I thought should be on the EP, but not in a full-band format. I wanted to explore different approaches to the songs, so I involved three very talented friends of ours to help bring them to life. The band will be performing the versions that will end up on our next record, but these chamber mixes are just as important and musically valid as anything we’ve put out in the past.

Beau’s remix of “Elephant” is very exciting to us. Hearing his treatment of it, which is much more an Animal Collective/dub-step approach, reminded us why we appreciate the art of remixing. Hearing someone else’s take on one of your songs is very palette cleansing. It also gave us the opportunity to start working with Beau now instead of waiting for the new record. He’s an amazing engineer and producer.

IWTAS: How has Elsinore changed in the past few years? What’s the hardest part of growing up as a band?

RG: We started off playing more acoustic/Americana. I kind of think had we stayed in that genre we’d be a lot more like Mumford & Sons. But, that direction just didn’t feel right. We’ve gradually moved in a direction we all feel more confident with – upbeat, catchy, electrified pop suits our personalities and musical tastes much more. The hardest part is being able to know when it’s time to make a change and leave older material behind us. We all grow very attached to our music, and there are just those times when a song doesn’t feel good anymore. If we’re not feeling it, the audience is going to sense that and not have a good time. Creative brainstorming, touring, supportive fans, honing our skills on stage, watching other bands and taking notes, and releasing records we’re proud of…those are the things that drive us.

IWTAS: Elsinore hails from Champaign, IL, a neighbor city of St. Louis and a frequent stop for local bands who are starting/ending tours. What’s your favorite place to eat/drink/listen to music in your hometown?

RG: Champaign-Urbana is surprisingly diverse for its size. It’s the epitome of a “college town” in that there’s a little bit of everything, but not an abundance of anything like in St. Louis or Chicago.

Frequent food stops – Sushi Kame(Japanese), Siam Terrace(Thai), Xinh Xinh(Vietnamese), and Mas Amigos (Mexican).

Drinks/Dessert – I don’t drink alcohol, so coffee is my love. Cream & Flutter is the place for sweets and espresso.

Venues – Cowboy Monkey, Highdive, and Mike ‘n Molly’s.

Record Stores – Exile on Main St. and Parasol Records.

IWTAS: For readers who have yet to see you guys play live, what should we expect out of an Elsinore show? Also, what makes for a memorable performance experience on the band side?

RG: We love to get people moving and thinking all at the same time. We’re all friendly guys and LOVE playing live, so we try to make sure the crowd knows that. What really makes a night for us is when the venue is helpful and welcoming, the crowd is anxious in anticipation, and the sound of the P.A. is a true representation of our music. If we get all these things we feel like we win for the night.

IWTAS: Along those same lines, any odd pre-show or post-show rituals we should know about?

RG: We don’t have anything too strange or “cool” pre- or post-show, but we DO try to be sure to not eat at least a few hours before we go on stage. Full stomachs are not good for rocking and rolling. And we always run through our four-part harmonies in the green room. This helps us feel like we’re connecting with each other and ready to play. It’s such an integral part of our music, so it needs to be locked in.

IWTAS: Finally, what are you listening to right now, nationally or locally?

RG: I really love the new Death Cab record, and still put on Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs pretty regularly. I listen to a LOT of David Bowie and the Beatles, though. There is so much goodness in all that music. It makes me want to be a better songwriter.

Elsinore releases their EP, Life Inside An Elephant, on Friday, August 19th at Firebird, with support from Chicago’s awesome(!) Santah and upbeat newcomers Scarlet Tanager. $8, with music at 9, and an RSVP opportunity right here.