Everything you ever hoped or worked for.
December 12, 2008 10:41 AM   Subscribe

A (mostly) complete concert by the Elephant 6 Orchestra is available to stream or download.

Courtesy NPR's All Songs Considered.
Here's an interview with Julian Koster on putting the tour together.
Here's a review of a different show and some additional videos.
Have we done this before? Yeah, kinda.
posted by 1f2frfbf (26 comments total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
Yay!
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 10:46 AM on December 12, 2008


Now that's best of the web.
*APPLAUSE*
posted by 2sheets at 10:50 AM on December 12, 2008


The set list says that the last song of the night was omitted at the request of Neutral Milk Hotel -- I wonder why? The NPR write-up made it sound like a pretty euphoric moment.
posted by JohnFredra at 10:52 AM on December 12, 2008


Rob Schneider is an acquaintance of mine and a generally cool guy, he studies math at my school and has been a supporter of our college radio station. Always up for a conversation about math, music theory, or pop music. Very funky sartorial style.

We put on a show for this tour, it was a lot of fun, I didn't realize how big a fanbase E6 had - people drove from NY to KY because they thought this Jeff character would play (he did, it was also apparently his birthday).

Jeff is a very quiet guy. I helped unpack gear and sound check and such, stood next to him for much of Elf Power's set (I didn't really recognize him, I can't say I'm a big fan). He concluded the show by leading everyone outside the barn (singing, in a style I can only liken to gregorian chant "we will live forever") and playing something on an acoustic guitar with Rob. I opted to stay inside, but I remember seeing kids crying with joy as the show ended. I was very much taken aback.

Anyway, I took some pictures.
posted by phrontist at 11:11 AM on December 12, 2008 [3 favorites]


last song of the night was omitted at the request of Neutral Milk Hotel

I'd imagine it was a similar situation to the Lexington show. It was suppose to be a private moment for the fans there at that time.
posted by phrontist at 11:12 AM on December 12, 2008


Jeff is a very quiet guy.

phrontist, for a lot of music fans standing next to Jeff Mangum would be roughly equivalent to being in the presence of a god. That's one reason he's been (to say the least) somewhat reclusive for the past decade.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 11:23 AM on December 12, 2008


It was suppose to be a private moment for the fans there at that time.

That's a pretty fine reason; good on them. Thanks for sharing the pictures and your recollections!
posted by JohnFredra at 11:26 AM on December 12, 2008


Awesome. Here's hoping they play "Glue" ...
posted by joe lisboa at 11:28 AM on December 12, 2008


This Elephant stuff is alright but please do not attempt to ignore the techno of Electric Six.
posted by finite at 11:34 AM on December 12, 2008


I can't believe I didn't hear about this. That's what I get for not reading Pitchfork I guess.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to see Jeff Mangum play live, but it would be incredible to see him for even just a song or two. He and Elliott Smith are the two musicians that I really kick myself for not seeing them play. I have bootlegs of shows from both of them, and when I listen to them it just makes me sad that I missed out on being there when I had the chance.
posted by burnmp3s at 11:36 AM on December 12, 2008


Blast you, finite, I'd been successfully doing just that for several years now...
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 11:37 AM on December 12, 2008


I saw these guys at the knitting factory at the beginning of this tour. As somebody who used to be a bit obsessed with Neutral Milk Hotel (as well as Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System) it was fantastic to see all of them, especially Jeff singing (something I never thought I'd see.) I was a little bummed when I heard he was playing actual NMH songs at later shows on the tour, but it was pretty incredible just to see him and hear his distinct voice and it was an all around amazing concert anyway.
posted by saul wright at 11:39 AM on December 12, 2008


It was suppose to be a private moment for the fans there at that time.

I thought the internet could bring us close enough to experience our god in full. Jerks.

phronist, thanks for expanding the experience. Great pics. I really like epicenter, amongst many others.

1f2frfbf, I now wish some of the previous stuff was still available. I'll have to check archive.org later ... unless you know where this trove has moved.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:41 AM on December 12, 2008



phrontist, for a lot of music fans standing next to Jeff Mangum would be roughly equivalent to being in the presence of a god.


If you believe in that hyperbolic bullshit, I might agree.
posted by gcbv at 11:43 AM on December 12, 2008


I dunno if it's the same as the old site, filthy light thief, but some of the rare stuff is archived here.

joe lisbola: the complete setlist is at the "stream" link. Slight spoiler: You'll be pleasantly surprised : )
posted by 1f2frfbf at 11:51 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


Oh my fucking god, this makes my entire week! Gracias.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:57 AM on December 12, 2008


I was at the Rochester show. It was a great concert. Afterwards, all of the musicians hung around the venue and talked to fans. Jeff Mangum was sitting at the bar with a big crowd around him asking for autographs. For some reason they were having him sign dollar bills. I asked if he'd sign a page in my pocket notebook and he said sure, and then drew me a really nice picture of a guy with a funny hat. While he was drawing it he kept apologizing to me that it was taking so long, and I kept assuring him it was totally fine by me. Afterwards I shook his hand. He seemed like a really nice guy.

Later on, I was standing outside the bar trying both to catch a taxi and to catch a glimpse at Will Cullen Hart of The Olivia Tremor Control. I guess he saw me looking at him because he walked over to me and said hi. We had a nice conversation. I was so flustered that I didn't even tell him my name, he had to ask me. I got the impression that he's used to dealing with nervous fans.

After that, I was trying to get the number of a taxi service when Scott Spillane of The Gerbils and Neutral Milk Hotel said hello to me and told me it was good to see me rocking out during the show. The guy who had been standing with Scott Spillane had the number of a taxi service and gave it to me. I tried to call it but nobody picked up, so then I decided to try it again with the area code. I kept trying to remember the phone number long enough to append the area code to it, but by that point I was far too flustered for that level of mental computation. Scott Spillane kindly pointed out that "if you hit the green button, your recent calls will come up."
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 12:04 PM on December 12, 2008 [4 favorites]


If you believe in that hyperbolic bullshit, I might agree.

That's exactly how I like my bullshit. If it's bullshit, then it might as well be the superlative bullshit, no?

That said, this is really awesome...I've loved Elephant 6 ever since I first heard NMH and OTC.

I'll never forget washing dishes at some restaurant and my buddy came back and without asking, ejects the CD I was listening to, pops in In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and cranks it up. "You'll thank me later," and walked away...he was right.
posted by schyler523 at 12:04 PM on December 12, 2008


SWEET!! "Glue"! Thanks, 1f2frfbf.
posted by joe lisboa at 12:18 PM on December 12, 2008


Thanks so much for posting this -- it sounds even better than the show in NYC did!!
posted by armacy at 12:48 PM on December 12, 2008


This show has rocked my musical listening device of choice for the past few weeks. And while I understand why Jefferson left his contributions off, it deprives people such as myself who couldn't make the shows of the experience of hearing him. Here's hoping an MP3 of that will surface on the interwebs.
posted by pxe2000 at 1:20 PM on December 12, 2008


I saw the show in Chapel Hill, and the setlist was pretty similar (Neon Globe, fuck yes). I love the hell out of The Elephant 6 Orchestra. It is comprised of amazing artists and wonderful people, and it is a privilege to see any incarnation of it perform.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 2:40 PM on December 12, 2008


WOW! Thank you very, very much.
posted by elmono at 3:24 PM on December 12, 2008


Right on! Awesomesauce.
posted by fuq at 4:16 PM on December 12, 2008


I can't favorite this hard enough...
posted by schyler523 at 11:12 PM on December 12, 2008


finite, I'm siding with AllMusic here, and calling Electric 6 a rock-based group who mix in sounds of garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal. This is techno.

And for anyone wondering, here's the full tracklist for the Elephant 6 Orchestra set as hosted by NPR, provided by someone who recorded the show - I take no credit for these details. I was lazy and copied the list verbatim, instead of renumbering, as I'm not sure how it meshes with the NPR recording anyway.

Disc 1

1. His Mister's Pet Whistles (Major Organ & the Adding Machine)
2. Yesterday's World (Circulatory System)
3. Love Athena (Olivia Tremor Control)
4. --setup time--
5. NYC-25 (Olivia Tremor Control)
6. The Afternoon (Apples in Stereo)
7. The Minister of Longitude (Music Tapes)
8. Snorkel (Gerbils)
9. Lead (Gerbils)
10. Spiral Stairs (Elf Power)
11. An Old Familiar Scene (Elf Power)
12. Karaoke Free (Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't)
13. I Have Been Floated (Olivia Tremor Control)

Disc 2

1. --setup time--
2. The Sea is Falling (Julian Koster and the Singing Saw)
3. No Growing (Exegesis) (Olivia Tremor Control)
4. Stream Running Over (Apples in Stereo)
5. --setup time--
6. Devils (63 Crayons)
7. --setup time--
8. Back to the Web (Elf Power)
9. The Arrow Flies Close (Elf Power)
10. --setup time--
11. Songs for Oceans Falling (Music Tapes)
12. The Television Tells Us (Music Tapes)
13. Elephant Six poem (Thax Douglas)
14. Cynicism (Nana Grizol)
15. We Will (Nana Grizol)
16. --setup time--
17. Skies (Gerbils)
18. My Honor (Gerbils)
19. Mr. Henry (Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't)
20. --gifting of the present by animal guessing game--
21. Solid Forms Dissolve (Circulatory System)
22. A Sleepy Company (Olivia Tremor Control)
23. Sunshine Fix (Olivia Tremor Control)

Disc 3

1. The Fool (Neutral Milk Hotel)
2. Lifeform (Major Organ & the Adding Machine)
3. Everything is Pretty Much OK (Nana Grizol)
4. You Fell In Love With The Sunshine (Nana Grizol)
5. --setup time--
6. Glue (Gerbils)
7. --setup time--
8. Opera House (Olivia Tremor Control)
9. --setup time--
10. Skyway (Apples in Stereo)
11. --setup time--
12. Neon Globe (Circulatory System)
13. --setup time--
14. Manifest Destiny (Music Tapes)
15. --setup time--
16. Forever (Circulatory System)
17. Engine (Neutral Milk Hotel)

The NPR is a soundboard recording; however it is missing 3 songs (including "Engine") and a lot of the between song chatter...their tape is over a half hour shorter than the full set (not including Major Organ and the Adding Machine movie (played prior to disc 1), another short film strip (between discs 1 and 2).
posted by filthy light thief at 1:20 PM on December 14, 2008


« Older "Bailiff, whack his pee-pee!"   |   The first library not to require returning. Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments