Representative Albums: "A Dream in Sound," "When the Red King Comes," "Walking with the Beggar Boys"
Biography
The Athens, GA-based Elf Power emerged as part of the second wave of bands linked to the Elephant 6 Recording Company collective, a coterie of likeminded lo-fi indie groups -- including the Apples (In Stereo), Neutral Milk Hotel, and the Olivia Tremor Control -- who shared musicians, ideas, and sensibilities. Formed by singers/multi-instrumentalists Andrew Rieger and Laura Carter, Elf Power debuted in 1995 with the self-released Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs, followed a year later by the Winter Hawk EP, which heralded the additions of bassist Bryan Helium and drummer Aaron Wegelin. The excellent When the Red King Comes appeared in late 1997, and two years later the group returned with A Dream in Sound; also in the spring of 1999, a series of live dates with the Olivia Tremor Control yielded the tour-exclusive EP Come On. Winter Is Coming followed a year later. In 2002, the group released the conceptual record Creatures (which saw the amicable departure of bassist Bryan Helium) and Nothing's Going to Happen, a collection of covers ranging from Gary Numan to the Misfits. Two years later, the group returned with Walking with the Beggar Boys, a decidedly more straightforward offering that included new members Eric Harris (formerly of the Olivia Tremor Control) and Craig McQuiston (formerly of the Glands). After switching to Rykodisc, Elf Power issued their eighth album, Back to the Web, in 2006. In a Cave followed two years later. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
The band began as a four-track recording project of Rieger, his then girlfriend Carter, Raleigh Hatfield and Dave Wrathgeber, later of Fablefactory. These recording sessions eventually resulted in the first incarnation of their debut album Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs. The band's line-up expanded when Reiger and Carter recruited Elephant Six musician Bryan Poole, also known as The Late B.P. Helium. While the band occasionally played live shows and continued to record, Poole chiefly stayed in Athens to continue work with Of Montreal while Rieger and Carter moved to New York City.
During the 1999 supporting tour for A Dream in Sound, Adrian Finch joined the band to play violin. Following the addition, the band recorded an EP focused chiefly on cover material entitled Come On. Around this time, Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs was reissued with material from early sessions.
Early-Mid 2000's
The band regrouped in late 2000 to record The Winter is Coming, again with help from members of other Elephant Six bands. Notably, the band spent this time as a supporting act for fellow Athens band R.E.M., as well as Wilco. Bryan Poole would exit the band for good following the European tour for the album to focus on solo work.
2002 saw the release of two albums from the band: Creatures, an effort released by spinART, and Nothing's Going to Happen, an album released on Orange Twin Records that contained various cover songs and the Come On EP. During this time, Finch left the lineup and Ballard Lesemann stepped in to play bass.
In 2004, Elf Power released their seventh studio album Walking with the Beggar Boys. The album was released to notable media and critical praise and featured contributions from Vic Chesnutt.
The band's ninth album In A Cave was released in March 2008 on Rykodisc. Their MySpace page first described the project as "a lushly orchestrated mix of eclectic songwriting that is sure to conjure up memories of 1997's When the Red King Comes" and stressed its "more mature approach to arrangements, lyrics, and instrumentation."
Currently, Elf Power have been collaborating with Vic Chesnutt. They released Dark Developments on the record label Orange Twin in 2008, which was supported by U.S. and European tours.
Discography
Albums
Curse of Yoth-Bal-Tzar (cassette) - Self-Released (1994)
