Elephant 6 Holiday tour 2008 (more by Lori Baily)

Though the full set of dates hasn't been announced yet, it looks like the Elephant 6 collective is going on another "Holiday Surprise Tour," though this time the holiday is whatever happens in March. The NYC shows are March 22nd at Knitting Factory and March 23rd at Le Poisson Rouge. The latter lists the following:

Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour
w/ Elephant 6 orchestra featuring Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, Peter Erchick, John Fernandes , Julian Koster, Scott Spillane, Andrew Rieger, Laura Carter, Derek Almstead , Heather McIntosh, Bryan Poole, Theo Hilton , Robbie Cucchiaro and others play the music of The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Circulatory System, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Gerbils, Nana Grizol, Major Organ and and Adding Machine, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't , plus games, films & other surprises

This news comes hot on the heels of Saturday's private Jeff Mangum show, and Jeff did in fact join in the fun in 2008, but of course there are no guarantees and it will be great either way. Tickets are on sale for both shows (just click the links above). Stay tuned for all dates.

Meanwhile The Music Tapes aka Julian Koster is now on his own holiday tour.

DOWNLOAD: Circulatory System - Overjoyed (MP3)

by Andrew Frisicano

Elephant 6 showed up in full force for Wednesday's triple bill at (Le) Poisson Rouge (Sept. 9th). First up was Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't. (comma and period in place, as noted by frontman Peter Erchick). The Olivia Tremor Control/Circulatory System keyboardist donned a guitar to lead the group through a set of uplifting, celebratory songs bolstered by violin, clarinet (both played by OTCer John Fernandes) and cello.

Next Nesey Gallons, guitarist for Circulatory System and Music Tapes (in the house when they visited NYC earlier this year), played songs from his debut solo record, Eyes & Eyes & Eyes Ago, which just came out. Alone with an ancient guitar (that failed on him a few times), Gallons sang with emotion, his eyes fixed in an intense stare while his feet tangled nervously below.

With Circulatory System on stage, Will Cullen Hart sang and pawed at his paint-splattered guitar, which was fed through an ever-present echo pedal. He was healthy looking and in good spirits (Hart was recently diagnosed with MS). It wasn't until they started that I realized I'd already seen almost everyone on stage earlier in the night. Similar to the Music Tapes/Nana Grizol setup on their spring tour, Pipes & Circulatory shared nearly all their members, rotated instruments (five played bass in the span of the set), made use of multiple drummers (a great touch) and somehow culled the onstage spectacle into a night of amazing sounds.

A necessary note at these things - as far as I can tell, Jeff Mangum did not perform (though I believe Pipes did play "I Have Been Floated" with Will, a song that Mangum and others have joined on in the past). Maybe at ATP NY on Saturday.

More pictures below...

Continue reading "Circulatory System, Nesey Gallons, and Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't. @ LPR in NYC - pics & setlist "

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Circulatory System - Overjoyed (MP3)

Circulatory System (Nesey standing, left)...

Pure Pop: It seems like the E6 Collective is making a big comeback. The Holiday Suprise Tour, the Music Tapes' caroling tour, [the Music Tapes' regular tour,] Circulatory System's new album [see below] -- it's all really exciting. What's it like to be right in the middle of all this? Do you see great things in E6's future?

Nesey Gallons: yes, i do. and its nice to have had a hand in making things happen. that it all worked. and its been an honor to play with everyone and have brer hart ask me to finish his album and everything. its beautiful to see everyone together doing what they ought to, building worlds. im sure a lot of wonderful things will come drifting out of what has reawoken. in the coming year i plan to live in maine and work on a bunch of projects and things ive neglected during this past year. for some reason i have to be alone to really work properly on anything of my own.

Like much of the Elephant 6-connected material, the new Circulatory System album, Signal Morning, is a collaborative effort (as is the upcoming tour, more on that in sec). First, the album, headed by Oliva Tremor Control's W. Cullen Hart, features contributions from all the members of that band as well as Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster. It comes out on CD and MP3 September 8th through Cloud Recordings. For vinyl, you'll have to wait a little longer, but when they ship in October, the first 300 will come with a bonus LP of demo versions and alternate mixes. Check out a track from the record, above.

The Circulatory System tour this September will host opening acts Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't (the side project of Olivia Tremor Control keyboardist Peter Erchick) and Nesey Gallons (the E6 regular interviewed above). Nesey visited NYC recently, playing banjo with Music Tapes in March and appearing on the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise tour last fall (with Circ. System's Hart and many others).

Those three acts will play NYC's (Le) Poisson Rouge on Wednesday, September 9th. Tickets are on sale now.

A few days later, Circulatory System plays ATP NY.

Nesey also has an album of his own, Eyes & Eyes & Eyes Ago, that's coming out digitally September 8th (October 20th for vinyl) on Hurrah for Karamazov Records. See preview videos for that album, with Circulatory System's album art and tracklist and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Circulatory System - new CD (Jeff Mangum) & tour dates w/ Nesey Gallons & Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't (LPR, ATP) "