Elk Attack
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Elk Attack

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"Elk Attack Grows Antlers"

There’s more to elk season than migrating, bugling and hunting. These days, there’s Elk Attack. And before the quintet migrates eastward towards the first batch of escapades outside of Teton County – touring Colorado and then prominently, through the Southeast – this locally-bred group has something special under its indie folk-rock fur. Elk Attack has birthed its eponymous debut album, Second Born.

When I first reported on the band (“Elk Attack: a new collaboration,” JH Weekly, Feb. 1, 2012), the band was a tad green, yet endearing, chomping at the bit to write, perform and release its debut, four-track EP, Ya Herd?! For many bands, an EP would have been a satisfactory start, at least in a given year. But to the contrary, the band’s singing-songwriting combo of Dustin Nichols-Schmolze (electric guitar) and Bo Elledge (acoustic guitar) has been on a tear and the sixth-month progression is discernible.

“Second Born is obviously a lot better,” Elledge said of the two recordings. “The EP was mostly recorded in Dusty’s bedroom, so vocally, I don’t think it was my best performance because I was singing [simultaneously] with an acoustic guitar and then we added drums and bass. I’d rather sing over drums and bass because there’s more energy and it’s more powerful, [which is what we did on Second Born].

I like being in the studio, and having someone be in control of everything … just record and have a finished product sent to us.”

To fund the studio time, engineering, post-production and CD pressing, Elk Attack successfully raised more than $5,600 via fan-funding site, Kickstarter. It further stepped up the game plan by enlisting Brooklyn-based producer/engineer/session player Andrew Lappin to oversee high-fidelity tracking at Henhouse Studios in Victor. Over the course of four days, the group recorded eight songs totaling a slim 33 minutes. The Nichols-Smoltz penned “Boomfront Town” – released as the album’s single – was inspired from the boom and bust evidence of towns in New Mexico.

From start to finish, Elledge expressed gratification of the album’s process, with only a few blind moments.
“It’s a pretty big Pandora’s box. Once you start down the road, there are so many things that you don’t even think about,” Elledge said. “Like [issuing] the Kickstarter perks – it wasn’t really a big deal, but it was a lot of work. I think we took it all in stride and made the best of it, and we’ve got an awesome album.”

Elk Attack will celebrate with a release party just days before embarking on its first tour. Four of the five band members have roots in the South, where they have 15 shows booked in towns where they have college friends and family. They even purchased a used van from Red Top Meadows School and fixed it up to be highway-worthy.

So where do they go from here?
“I would definitely like to do another album … it is such a process, but it’s really rewarding and fun to hear yourself on the radio,” Elledge laughed. “Hopefully we’re all around Jackson long enough to make another album and tour it. We’ve been really well received in Jackson, but it’s a small town. I’m anxious to see how we are received outside of here.”

Elk Attack CD Release, 10 p.m., Saturday at Eleanor’s. $5. CDs will be sold for $10. Second Born will be released this Friday via Bandcamp and iTunes. - JH Weekly


"Elk and the Buk"

I met Bo Elledge in April 2011. He had just landed in Jackson amidst a transitional period after graduating a year prior. Working a variety of seasonal jobs, he wasn’t too sure where his life was headed. Being a songwriter, he wrote about it. The vessel that brought the sentiment to fruition was a song called ‘Flashlight.’

“I think we all think and worry about this from time to time. It just happened to me when I was biking home from work late at night with my flashlight…It’s funny how you have no idea where you’re going to end up.”

It is that simplicity and self-efficacy that has defined the songwriter in these early days – the genesis of Elk Attack. Elledge explains that their lyrics are easy to connect to and put you in a place and time; they tell a story. As one can readily tell, this is not a band that speaks at its audience. Elk Attack invites you to experience the ebbs and flows with them. A band of the people, if you will.



So where does a wandering troubadour head without a band? Enter Dusty Nichols-Schmolze, Gabi Jackson-Kouchacji, Adam Woolley and John Wayne Harris. With lead guitarist Dusty, think Jack White, complete with songwriting ability and a voice. Gabi stands as the Mama to the band’s Papas, completing the soul shaking three-part harmonies that separate this band from the pack. Then there’s the backbone to the Elk’s flesh, bassist and drummer Woolley and Harris, respectively. The two provide the platform on which the music stands. And rides and shreds and tears and claws. Jacksonites, meet Elk Attack.

Where is the herd headed? The focus of the band at present, and in the near future, revolves around the completion of a full-length album. Once their sound is harnessed and developed to relative satisfaction, the mission is to tackle the region, starting with playing at Grand Targhee Music Festival. Hopefully, with an album and regional live experience under the belt, the not-so-distant goal becomes Austin’s 2013 SXSW Festival. With SXSW being the mecca for up-and-coming acts, where some are made and others broken, the experience will provide the band with a relatively accurate litmus test as to where they stand. The next step is a mystery.

Elledge smiles with a slight chuckle at the uncertainty. We recall one of our early encounters back in April 2011, discussing the book Post Office by Charles Bukowski. The book began a string of countless conversations over the merits of art, music, literature and life in general. On that topic of the uncertain journey, before letting loose a bellowing laugh, Elledge quotes the great Buk:

“What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.”

The lesson – join the fire and catch Elk Attack when and where you can. The herd is on the move. - The Mountain Pulse


"Elk Attack: A New Collaboration"

A band’s chemistry is of mathematical intricacies. Ebbs and flows that evolve over time. So when, right out of the gate, a group of musicians concoct a sound that would fit squarely in the undercurrent of artistic indie-folk/pop/rock bands (ala Seattle’s The Head and The Heart or Denver’s The Lumineers), it’s a pleasure to learn that the seed was planted—and now quickly maturing—here in Jackson.

Meet Elk Attack: Bo Elledge (vocals, guitar, songwriting), Dustin Nichols-Schmolze (vocals, guitar, songwriting), Gabrielle Jackson Kouchacji (vocals, violin), John Wayne Harris, Jr. (drums), and Adam Woolley (bass).

I was invited to hang with the band in its living room-vibed practice space, located in the basement of St. John’s Episcopal Church. A ping-pong and a foosball table surround the cozy staging area as Elk Attack casually progresses through a batch of original songs that will be featured on the band’s forthcoming, debut EP. The poetic tunes possess beauty, restraint, three-part vocal harmonies, and yes, attack.

The roots of the project began a couple of years ago as Kouchacji and Schmolze started performing at the Jackson Hole Hootenanny as a duo. This past summer they met Elledge, who had just moved to town and had some songs in his back pocket. In fact, that pocket produced low-fi Garageband recordings that caught the attention of The Boston Phoenix, which named Elledge’s solo project (bocat.bandcamp.com) in its 50 States/50 Best New Bands of 2011 coverage. That recognition inspired Elledge to find like-minded players, and give the songs more of an ensemble treatment.

“The three of us started preparing songs for the Hoot,” Schmolze said. “We did covers at first, and then Bo introduced his songs to me, and I had a lot of songs that I had been writing, too. I guess the way that it worked is that we would combine our songs together. He would come up with a progression and lyrics, and I would come up with a good bridge, or a hook, or a vamp to add to it.”

During the last off-season, the trio secured Harris and his housemate Woolley to hold down the rhythm section. Elk Attack became a collaborative of two North Carolinians, a ‘Bama native, a Georgian, and even an outcast northerner from Massachusetts. As the band sat around chatting about the music they grew up on as well as contemporary influences, props were given to Wilco, My Morning Jacket and M. Ward to The Beatles, and even to the jazz-funk artists like Soulive and Snarky Puppy. It was evident that, while most of the band had previous experience with collaborating, Elk Attack is a movement into new territory for everyone.

Woolley perhaps summed up the vibe best when he said, “Just being in this band has been a big influence on me. These guys are so talented and this is my first real band, so I’m just taking it all in stride.”

When fishing for a definitive answer on how the band got its name, Elledge only warned: “An Elk is a peaceful animal, but it can getcha.”

Elk Attack’s debut performance with the current band configuration, 10 p.m., Monday, Feb. 13, at Eleanor’s. The EP will be released in late February. To hear three downloadable demo tracks, visit ElkAttack.BandCamp.com. - JH Weekly


Discography

Albums:
"Ya Herd EP"-released March 2012
"Second Born"--released September 2012

Tracks "Boomfront Town," "Diamonds," and "Second Born" have been featured on NPR Wyoming. Elk Attack also performed "Big Green Door" and "Snowy Grave" live for Grady Kirkpatrick's Morning Music on Wyoming Public Radio.

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Bio

Elk Attack has emerged as one of the most exciting sounds in the small but vibrant music scene of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In its initial stages Elk Attack was three members: lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bo Elledge, lead guitarist Dusty Nichols, and violinist Gabby Kouchacji. Originally a vocal harmony oriented and acoustic trio, they sought a rhythm section to expand their sound. Drummer John Wayne Harris and bassist Adam Woolley stepped in to provide that indie-rock edge. Influenced by artists such as My Morning Jacket, Wilco, George Harrison, and Ryan Adams, Elk Attack began to craft their material: a unique blend of folk instrumentation, three part vocal harmony, and experimental rock. Since their debut performance the group has packed the bars and clubs in its surrounding area and raised the eyebrows of local talent seekers. Before too long they were asked to support a number of national touring acts, including G Love and Special Sauce, Robert Randloph and the Family Band, The Young Dubliners and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The band then took to the road--with gigs booked across the US, Elk Attack performed live for crowds in Colorado, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

After self-producing a well received EP, Elk Attack sought the advantages of high-fidelity studio recording and production. Working with Brooklyn based producer Andrew Lappin and recorded at Hen House Studios in Idaho, Elk Attack released its debut LP Second Born in September of 2012. Whether at home in Jackson or on tour, Elk Attack is constantly seeking venues who will accommodate their original music and burgeoning fan base.