Watch the trailer for the 'Elephant 6' documentary ft Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo, more
Elephant 6 Recording Co. was a label / collective of musicians based out of Athens, GA in the ’90s that included Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Apples In Stereo, Elf Power, The Minders, Beulah, of Montreal, Dressy Bessy and more. Filmmaker C.B. Stockfleth made a documentary about Elephant 6 in 2019 that was released only on VHS tape and required rental via mail-order. Here’s more:
In the 1990s, cheap rent and big houses in Athens, GA helped incubate bands Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, and many more. This psychedelic rock music, often created by non-musicians and recorded on creaky 4-tracks, developed a loyal following who shared cassette tapes and 45s and packed into raucous live shows. Featuring pioneers Robert Schneider and Jeff Magnum, performances, and video clips, this brisk-paced rock doc charts the genesis of that uber-creative, DIY music scene and captures its electricity and joy.
An updated cut of the The Elephant 6 Recording Co documentary, which now includes ’90s footage shot by Lance Bangs (who is now one of the film’s producers), will be shown at film festivals and coming to streaming services. The film will get its world premiere premiere at DOC NYC in November, and will then play at the Denver Film Festival and Sound Unseen festival in Minneapolis that same month.
They’ve just shared a trailer for the documentary, which includes rare performance footage, and new interviews with many of the key Elephant 6 players as well as Broken Bells’ James Mercer and Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse), Elijah Wood, and more. Watch that below.
The DOC NYC screening happens November 10 at IFC Center and features a Q&A with directory C.B. Stockfleth, producers Lance Bangs and Rob Hatch-Miller, The Apples in Stereo’s Robert Schneider and more.
