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elephone

coffin lined for sound

About Me


Buy "The Camera Behind The Camera Behind The Camera" through iTunes and Three Ring Records
"Collectively, the members of elephone believe in traveling with Mexican food on the mind, shooting first, paying last, serving it up, calling you on your shit, vampire headaches, beating up hippies, colored socks, pie-eyed dogs, hugging, kissing and fight club. They believe in violent metaphors and horse racing. They are adrift, focused, panic-stricken, unwashed, and slightly pissed. They are a cross between Frank Loyd Wright and Charlie Chaplin, a mighty gorrilla in a man suit. They don't believe in the story of Santa Claus, keeping it real or the two drink minimum. Listening to elephone is shivering, moving, cinematic, dynamic, dark and literary. By making honest music for dishonest times, elephone will change everything about everything, everywhere, all the time..."
"The impossibility of pinning down the many faces of Elephone appears to be a pattern for the musical mythological beast created by longtime friends Lambert and Ashkinos. That creature continues to metamorphose: the lineup includes bassist Dan Settle in addition to keyboardist Sierra Frost and drummer Lily Fadden from the band Two Seconds. On Elephone's sophomore full-length, The Camera behind the Camera behind the Camera (Three Ring), haunting guitars, swirling keyboards, and Lambert's austere vocals give their overall sound an enveloping cinematic quality comparable to the refined bombast of Radiohead and the eccentric capriciousness of the Arcade Fire. Lyrically, they wear bleeding hearts on their tattered blazer sleeves, with songs about extreme isolation and the difficult task of putting the pieces back together after an emotional fallout. The result is a collection of poetic pastiches and romantic character narratives that exclude self-indulgent emo tendencies and trite sentimentality." -SF Bay Guardian
"....Elephone was the best part of the show. The band was exuberant and relatable on stage. Singer/guitarist Ryan Lambert's voice pounded through the speakers and he didn't hold back, which gave him an irresistible edge, and drummer Lily Faden's drumming was rock-solid and just amazing. If this band doesn't continue to increase in popularity, I may lose my faith in the system." -The Deli Magazine
"On their new record, The Camera Behind the Camera Behind the Camera, Elephone displays a remarkable ability to condense its melodrama into its tightest, catchiest songs yet. Camera more than one-ups the work of Lambert's Kids Inc. cast mates it ranks among the best of the Bay Area's rock scene." - SF Bay Guardian
"Far from being brightly colored, kitschy, or even remotely fuzzy, Elephone fuse melodramatic rock with a spooky sophistication." -SF Guardian
"Tenebrous power-pop impressionism gets a psychedelic make-over in this emotional and intelligent bay-area quintet. See them now so you can say you heard them when." -SF Weekly
"Elephone's PiL-meets-Bauhaus sound is replete with synthy keyboards and a heart-sleeved frontman that soft/loud, '80s new wave/garage-psychedelia aesthetic just never seems to get old." -Flavorpill


"Listening to the raucous, tempestuous nine track album with the long name, it is clear that being the next in San Francisco is too confining; this might be the next band to rocket forward, a la The Strokes or The Vines who were apples-of-the-indie-eye at near conception. The power pop, punk rock and garage fusion elements are all there to carry that promise out of strict hyperbole. Clearly though, the vision is set on being a part of something. Elephone has balls -- their songs have bits of stoner rock, shoe gazer dreaminess, and that full-fledged, edge of a riot sensation that comes every time the tracks change to something new. The title song is perfect for three beers in: a throbbing, tense lullaby that melds in with that club haze feeling. As much as the sound on The Camera threatens to break apart in places, it is a controlled experiment. Witness the seemly genius of "Hemlock 3" and "Let Go Of My Arm," tracks that indicatively experience frenetic, energetic moods and dark irresistibility." -kevchino.com Indie Music Review
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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 9/22/2004
Band Website: You found it.
Band Members: Ryan Lambert: Vocals, Guitar, Bunny Dance
Terry Ashkinos: Guitar, Vocals, Silent Scream
Daniel Settle: Bass, Keys, Long Explanations
Sierra Frost: Keys, Vocals, Guitar, Smokes
Lilly Faden: Drums, Rubber Chicken
Jaws: Jaws, Some Tuba
Influences: pillows and pills, books and nightmares
Sounds Like: In no particular order: Echo and the Bunnyman, The Cure, Radiohead, Flaming Lips, U2, Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth, Neil Diamond
Record Label: Talking House Productions
Type of Label: Indie