Photo Credit: Jason Klagstad
Why would anyone decide to start a band when a pandemic has all but shuttered music scenes around the world? For the members of Elephonic, a new Milwaukee power pop group, the answer might simply be simply be making music is what they do. They have a March 4 livestream scheduled here.
With well over one hundred years or collective experience, countless shows and tours and dozens of albums among them, the group’s dossier includes familiar names; The Blow Pops, Semi-Twang, SACRED, I’m Not a Pilot, The Glad Rags and Shattered are just the tip of the iceberg.
Elephonic is comprised of Aaron Heffernan (keyboards/vocals), Mike Jarvis (guitar/vocals), Jason Klagstad (guitarist/vocals). Thea Morton Vorass (cello/vocals), Dave Vegafria (bass/vocals) and Steve Vorass (drums). Morton Vorass and Klagstad chimed in.
How has the lockdown affected your creativity?
Thea Morton Vorass: Stifling. Not being to play music was just one more big loss since March when the lockdown started. It made me so depressed I didn’t even want to listen to music. Yep, that’s when I knew I was depressed. I felt like it was Groundhog Day. We all did. David Burkes was quoted in saying, ‘Creativity doesn’t just love constraints, it thrives under them.’
Pretty quickly after my first time playing with Mike (Jarvis) and Jason (Klagstad), the group Elephonic was formed and we were instantly creating music. We were all hungry for it. For me that was the piece that was missing: creating and making music live.
Jason Klagstad: In short, it at first stopped me cold—loss of live performances or even live rehearsals can be like a small death to us musicians. Then, when I realized the virus was not going away quickly, it hit like an ice-cold shower: Do something. Do it now.
I’ve always been a fan of Orson Welles and was reminded of his quote: “The enemy of Art is the absence of limitations.” This limitation was a whopper for someone who grew up in the Milwaukee music scene. I needed to rise above those limitations because, well because I had to.
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Candidly, at first, as the stark reality of the lockdown hit, it felt like the equivalent of being run down by a truck. Everything, and I mean everything having to do with the bands I play in or am associated with just stopped. A few gamely attempted to perform at first but as more people came down with COVID-19, even that tailed off.
I honestly didn’t know how to react. When it became apparent that this was not going to be over soon, at first I went back to my practice woodshed and relearned how to play guitar (or at least my version of guitar). When I got bored with that, and because I’ve always been a nerd, I started teaching myself live streaming technology. Then I asked a bunch of friends and venue owners if they wanted to learn to livestream and then slowly helped them assemble the necessary gear to do so. The goal was to help more than a few musicians get over the lockdown hump and afforded me the opportunity to play and record remotely with an expanding group of friends, old and new.
As for Elephonic. I’d only loosely paid attention to Mike Jarvis over the last decade when he’d release an album with his bands The Blow Pops or The Lackloves. I always liked that kind of pop and his work was solid. Then, a few years ago, we ran into each other in a music store and he approached and asked if I’d do a Lennon tribute night with him at a local live music venue. My response was literally, “What took you so long?” -- kiddingly, of course. He took it in the spirit it was intended.
We clicked immediately on our first meeting at Hollander’s over drinks before lockdown. Mike’s encyclopedic knowledge of the last seven decades of pop music floored me. I also listened to his back catalog and was stunned at the wealth of great music that needed to be played and recorded. We agreed that we needed a band to play this stuff. OK, let’s build a band.
Then the pandemic hit. The search took nearly nine months because, let’s face it, finding musicians that want to play during the lockdown is an almost Olympian feat. I think what convinced our fledgling band inductees was that the strength of Mike’s music and the fact that he’s known to be a pretty decent guy. We finally got everyone together in the same room and stumbled through a few of his songs. That did it. It was a band with a musical identity. Elephonic was the creative outlet we’d all been looking for, but it took this group of people to identify it.
Do you have a routine or schedule for staying in practice or work on new material?
TMV - An Elephonic song typically starts with a melody in Mike’s head. He makes a quick phone recording and overtime develops into a song. Over the last few months those songs have been sent out to the group and we all bring ideas to practice. It’s been amazing to see how our collaborative process has involved everyone. Mike’s favorite phrase ‘carte blanche’ really allows all of us to put our stamp on his songs. It’s refreshing and I appreciate working with such an openminded singer-songwriter. Practice happens weekly in Mike’s basement. We are socially-distanced with everyone masked-up but I’ll take it over lockdown in my house any day.
JK – Personally, it’s flexible depending on projects. Years ago, I'd set up my “office” to be part working office, part studio and part guitar practice/repair shop. My wife is also a musician so she’s patient with me about this stuff. I am able to spend as much or as little time as I wish on guitar while keeping my work duties with Independent Studios and Milwaukee Guitar Collective in balance. Once the pandemic lockdown was in full swing, I ramped up my recording, streaming and guitar tutorials. I went back to my roots and relearned a lot.
For Elephonic, the band has a once-a-week schedule of rehearsals with several impromptu one-on-one planning meetings via Zoom or in-person during the week as necessary. As this is a brand new band, the social media launch has been front and center and we’re focused on learning and recording Mike’s originals with the intent of releasing an album mid-year. The band pulls from so many different genres and experiences and has a pretty wide aperture of what we can do and sound like. Until you’ve heard cello, sitar and bells at the same time in a rock band context, you haven’t lived.
Are you making plans for when you can resume playing in front of people again?
T.M.V.: Yes, although we are not waiting for things to open up to get out and play. On March 4 we are performing for ACA LIVE at North Coast Center for the Arts. All donations from the livestream concert will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Next up we have plans to record at Independent Studios with Ric Probst, an amazing engineer and one Mike Jarvis is very familiar with from his work with Lackloves. Once able to play out live for audiences, we are looking forward to playing some outdoor events, festivals, eventually some touring and will go wherever the music takes us.
J.K.: Personally, I currently play with six bands. Or, because of the pandemic, I am currently not playing with six bands. All of them, with the exception of Elephonic, have had few if any detailed discussions about performing live this year. Everyone, however, assumes that as soon as vaccines are reasonably distributed venues will let us know that they’re ready to allow live shows again. In sum, I would love to go back to gigging. It is something I enjoy much more than recording.
With Elephonic, we’re getting offers almost daily starting with live streaming events and migrating to live outdoor events, mid-Summer. While we have no crystal ball here, I’m looking forward to a very productive summer playing in front of live and virtual audiences.
