The Elsewheres
The Elsewhere's Interivew
A little intro to The Elsewheres please:
Melbourne technicolour alt-indie collective The Elsewheres champion honest storytelling wrapped in thumpingly raucous arrangements. The 8-piece squad are armed to the teeth with ferocious brass, velvety vocal harmonies and lashings of groove. Held aloft by this monstrous collective founder, Oliver Northam weaves enthrallingly vulnerable narratives of morose longings, jovial romances, and battles with the blue devil. Delivered with the gruff rasp of an embittered sailor and the warmth of mum's vegetable stew he has a knack for making every word find its mark.
How would you describe your music?
Raucous, groovy, emotional and intriguing. The Elsewheres style of songwriting puts narrative at the heart of each song and a thumping, brassy twang on the outside.
Can you tell us about your new single Run Away?
Run Away With Me is a ferocious alt-country rambling ode to reckless love. Featuring some saucy horn licks, gritty guitar and an amazing vocal performance from Olivia Meg in the bridge. It's got it all!
What inspired your new single?
The truth is there isn't one thing that inspires any song for me. Every track is a culmination of all my experiences leading up to the moment I put pen to paper and fingers to keys. As for Run Away With Me, it started with a burlesque bar where I used to rattle the ivories back in my early uni days. I always imagined falling in love with one of the performers and running away together.
Do you prefer performing live or recording?
What's brilliant is that I love both! Recording is amazing for my perfectionism and to painstakingly capture a vision, while performing live is a cathartic experience that gives you a high like nothing else. If you forced me to choose though, I'd say performing is my preference.
What is the story behind the band name?
'The Elsewheres' came from a sarcastic comment made by Ned back when the band first got together. Having organised a rehearsal for one evening in 2019 I messaged the band chat to see where everyone was and it became clear that there had been some confusion about the location of the rehearsal room resulting in half the band ending up in south Melbourne while the other half was in Fitzroy. In typical Ned fashion he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and when I asked where he and the other half of the band were he simply replied '…elsewhere'.
How did the band come together?
Back in uni, Reuben, Ned and I became the stock rhythm section for several bands which meant we were constantly rehearsing together. Whilst waiting around in a tiny rehearsal room in south Melbourne, I started playing Run Away With Me on guitar. They joined in, I started singing and before long we'd played our first song as a band. I asked "reckon you guys can do that again for my exam next week?" Neither of them said no.
After that, my good friend Dylan Hamilton joined us on sax and I loved the texture so much that I couldn't help but get more horns in the room so Billy Exton and Dermot O'brien joined us. Alyssa Clay jumped in on bass last year and after bumping into my primary school friend Grace Phillips at a party fortuitously she was keen to join in too.
Now we're one very big, very happy family!
Which music/artists are you currently listening to?
I actually stumbled upon a very old artist recently, Hildegard von Bingen. She was a mediaeval liturgical composer and there's an amazing album on Spotify 'Vision / The Music of Hildegard Von Bingen' in which her music has been reimagined with modern instruments. It sounds odd but it slaps!
If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?
Joe Hisaishi. Hisaishi is a pianist and composer most notably known for his beautiful works featured in Ghibli films like Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. His neo-romantic style with clear jazz influences has had a big impact on my composing over the years.
What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?
The best part is when people ask me what I do for a living and I get to say 'music'!
What advice do you have for aspiring songwriters or artists?
Create as much as you can. In the beginning it's a numbers game. The more you create the higher the percentage of your creations will be gold. You could agonise over one piece for months or you could churn out 50 in a month. In all likelihood 45 out of those 50 would be worse than the one you spent months on but the remaining five are likely to be even better.
Can you share your socials?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theelsewheres/
Run Away With Me - Launch Show FB: https://fb.me/e/6nQV6MkM5
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