elysian sex drive

"Esd... is a sensuous, evocative and worldy swirl of rhythm. The [group] creates a deep, emotional, on stage environ that is simply enchanting." - Sarasota Herald Tribune- Dawn Scire, 1998

"Elysian Sex Drive brings their unique, percussion based music to the Five O Clock Club...This first rate band... has earned a dedicated following that's as diverse as the group's repertoire. Their sound is simultaneously a blend of rock, funk, alternative and new age inspired tunes. Their gift for building a rapport with their audience make this band deliver a hot, entertaining and sensual musical performance." - Blue Notes, 1997

"Sarasota based Elysian Sex Drive is one of the more original rock bands on the local scene. the strong, self-penned material and spirited live shows, led by provocative front woman DeLaran... have earned the band a loyal following." - WEEKEND,The Bradenton Herald, 2004

"Did I mention Elysian Sex Drive is fun to watch? They love to play with the audience and with each other. DeL practically does backbends off the tiny stage and everyone drops to their knees, leaps off the stage and works at differing levels like a good dance troupe. They have the self assured stage presence of stars playing to an... arena....While I talked to them last month a fan came up and said, 'If you all keep up that beat this whole town will be rocking.' Indeed! Listen up Sarasota, Elysian Sex Drive is so hot, so creative and so impassioned they won't stay a local treasure for long." - Sarasota ARTS Review, 1998

"The band's sound can't be pigeonholed. Often...intense, Elysian has no trouble playing a traditional rock venue like the Five O' Clock Club. (With her outrageously skinny torso...DeLaran is a compelling presence on stage, jumping and stomping when she's on guitar and gyrating wildly when she's not.) Funky as well, the band could easily fit into any area night club. And the night I caught them at Metro, they won over the audience who had presumably come for the relaxed coffeehouse vibe." - Sarasota Weekly Planet 2005

Claire Franklin [drummer for the band Elysian Sex Drive]first came up with idea of producing a compilation documenting the current Sarasota music scene while vacationing in California, musing about all the talented bands and artists that are making this one of the most exciting eras in Suncoast music. But even she was shocked at the number of quality artists that stepped forward to contribute to the album once she made her idea public. A one-disc comp quickly grew into a two-disc one. “I knew it was going to be big, but it’s even bigger than I would have thought,” Franklin says. “I’m still getting bands coming up to me, saying, ‘Ah, I didn’t know about it.’ I could have done four CDs.”

Franklin just had three rules while picking tracks: You have to be from the 941, you have to play live shows and you have to play original tunes. The final tracklist runs 38 songs long, and 35 artists perform this Saturday as part of an all-day compilation release party at the Cock & Bull Pub.


The momentum behind the comp and the party took on a life of its own. Local musician and artist Greg Ferris, who plays in The Equines, remembers discussing the idea with Franklin: “She ran it by me — a skeleton of the logistics — and I was like, ‘Yeah, I guess it could work.’ And then it just kind of started happening.” Ferris designed all the artwork for the album — which would eventually take the name Noise Ordinance, after a Facebook post soliciting name help — and the record label run by the collective Ferris is a part of (Finch House Records) is officially releasing the LP. The Equines also cut a new track for the compilation, “Emily Says,” which kicks the whole thing off.

Franklin says the collaborative nature of the release reflects the supportive community that local musicians have built. “Everybody’s working together,” she says, “to try to build a scene, to try to share information and book each other and take each other out of town. There’s a camaraderie happening within the original scene.”

With that companionship also comes an increasing level of professionalism. “I’m actually older than the majority of all the band members,” says Eddie Midler, the optical director at Eye Center South and a major organizer behind the CD and the party, “but what I’m seeing is the band members are younger, but a lot of them are professional. They’re not hardcore punk bands; they’re not rowdy and doing drugs on the street. They’re doing their art and they love what they want to do, and that’s why I got involved, because I wanted to help see the artists get their art on the street.”

“I’ve lived here 18 years,” Midler adds, “and I’ve never seen this kind of response.” Franklin, who has been a part of the Sarasota music scene for over a decade, says it all stems from the talent, and thinks government leadership needs to get behind it. The name Noise Ordinance wasn’t a political choice, but it’s become one, as Franklin has had to battle county authorities to make sure they won’t get ticketed this Saturday. “Maybe there’s a way that we can make it work a little better for everybody,” Franklin says. “We don’t want to cause a mass disturbance, but then again we want to be able to play. And maybe that’s what this disc is all about. Show the community, ‘Look what we have here, people. We need to nurture this. This is a special thing.’”
- Creative Loafing, February 15th, 2010 by Cooper Levey-Baker