In honor of this week’s anniversary of Olivia Tremor Control member Bill Doss’s death, 333Sound takes a brief look back at the Elephant 6 Recording Company (and its extensive family tree).
As Kim Cooper documented in her now iconic 33 1/3 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, something extraordinary was happening in Athens, Georgia, when Jeff Magnum, William Cullen Hart, and Bill Doss emerged in the music scene as Synthetic Flying Machine. Recently transplanted from the small neighboring towns of Ruston and Dubach in Louisiana and already flying under the elusive banner of The Elephant 6 Recording Company, SFM would bring a new, DIY, pop-psychedelic sound to the then predominately grunge landscape of Athens—a musical style (and way of life) that would linger in the community for years to come.
Synthetic Flying Machine flyer, early 90s, Ruston, LA. From the Neutral Milk Hotel Picture Archive.
The hippest indie band of all time, Neutral Milk Hotel (Jeff Mangum, Jeremy Barnes, Scott Spillane, & Julian Koster) will be performing at the beautiful National Theater in downtown Richmond Virginia on Saturday October 12, 2013. Tickets go on-sale this Friday May 10th at 10:am EST. Tickets will be $40 after the service fees.
Also, I was able to make it to a couple of our local shows here in Norfolk Virginia, at one of my favorite venues – The Norva Theater.
Alice In Chains @ Norva 5/6/13 ~ HipsterApproved.net
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Band of Horses @ Norva 5/7/13 ~ HipsterApproved.net
Band of Horses @ Norva 5/7/13 ~ HipsterApproved.net
I was so happy when The Norva Theater opened here in Norfolk, Virgina. From what I remember…(I can’t be bothered to do any research..geez.) the guy (Bill Reid) that opened it was part of TicketMaster and had a major part of the Virginia Beach Amphitheater being built. I seem to remember he had a falling out with TicketMaster and broke free from them, and I believe won a lawsuit…and with the monies, opened The Norva. ( I love saying ‘monies’!)
After some years of the Norva being very successful (it was named one of the Top 5 Venues in Rolling Stone a few years back), the new owner bought a theater in Richmond, Virgina called The National. I’ve been to the National, and I really like it. I saw Pinback there. It was a former depression-era movie theater, so it has a balcony and is decorated really ornate. It is awesome…But you know what I REALLY like about the Norva (which is basically a box)? It’s 20 minutes from my house!
What I thought would happen is bands would then only perform in Richmond, and not travel all the way to Norfolk for another show. It’s easier to just hang a right after Richmond, and go to North Carolina or a left and go to Philly or New York and the rest of New England. Unfortunately it has come true. I’m not saying it’s the venue owners fault, it just sucks…
Just from the bands that are currently scheduled…here’s what I see:
St. Vincent performing at The National in May – The Norva? No
Puscifer performing at The National in June – The Norva? No
Last month Jane’s Addiction played The National. The Norva? No
Some bands, like Clutch, perform at both venues. They rock.
It just sucks driving an hour and a half each way (that’s 3 hours being on the road, round-trip) and you never know what the traffic is like coming thru the Hampton Roads Bridge/Tunnel. You could sit there for a hour and miss the opening band!
Now the latest news is Of Montreal is performing at The National on Wednesday June 13th 2012. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 day of the show (plus fees).
Great to be back at HipsterApproved World Headquarters in scenic Ocean View, Virginia.
Just completed a short visit to the hipster city of Columbus, Ohio. Watch for photos to be posted soon…like this one…
Anyway..my mailbox had some cool stuff in it… For example the new Soundgarden song ‘Live To Rise‘ available as a FREE download on iTunes. All hipsters have iTunes, right? The song is great! It’s off of the Avengers soundtrack.
Speaking of iTunes…Jack White is providing streaming of his entire debut album Blunderbuss – free for a limited time. I’ve been listening to it, and I really look forward to getting a copy of my own on April 24th 2012! It’s some of his best work…And that statement is huge!
Also, speaking of great new music…I’ve been listening to a lot of the new Shins release Port of Morrow. It’s genius. I was lucky enough to get the 4-track acoustic EP because I got it at an independent record store (Birdland in Va Beach). I recommend trying to get it.
Unfortunately for me…the closest he’s coming here is the Lincoln Theatre (with the Music Tapes) in Washington, DC next week, Jan 27th and 28th. And as of yet, I have no confirmed plans to attend either show. It appears neither show has two seats together at this time. (Tickets could still be put back into the TicketMaster system until it is officially labeled sold out.) (If someone makes it to a show, and would like to be a contributor…let me know at info@HipsterApproved.net)
While poking around Pitchfork.com I came across this video of a surprise set at Occupy Wall Street in NYC this past Oct. Pretty cool….