Still in Office -
Fifteen years of the Elect
by Ryan Williams
Next Show: CD Release, Apr 2 @
Uncle Fester’s (Bloomington)
Listen: Sunlight in the Moonlight (mp3)
A band that’s been around for close to 15 years is based on something more than the latest trends. The Elect’s singer/guitarist Michael Weir says the music is “Honest, with as little compromise as possible.” Guitarist Pete Lenges calls it “Bluesy folkadelic,” adding that “Mike has a strong folk background. The rest of the band has heavy blues, jazz, and improv influences. Combining all of these is a natural process for us and everyone gets room to express where they come from.”
Rounded out by Brian Miller on keyboards, Chad Baker on drums, Jimmy Tucker on percussion, and RJ Salewicz on bass, The Elect are preparing to release their third album with a series of local dates, including April 2 nd at Uncle Fester’s in Bloomington. While the band isn’t afraid to travel the Midwest for shows, Lenges says Indianapolis remains a favorite place to play. “The challenge is trying to reach your demographic. There's a lot of musical talent in Indy and a lot of variety. So the greatest challenge for us is finding ways to reach the people we think would enjoy what we do. The opportunities are abound in Indy though. There are several wonderful clubs that aren't afraid to bring in acts outside of the norm. Birdy's, Barley Island, The Rathskeller and many others really help to keep the musical landscape in town a diverse one.” However, Salewicz believes that the band does have a rough time “Trying to get the attention of sport fanatics and trying to keep live music alive in Indy.”
The band’s summer touring plans include a lot of time away from home, though. Lenges says “We're planning on spending a lot more time outside of Indy pushing our music in college towns and bigger markets. So far, it's working. We're in talks to do a few festivals and showcases around the midwest and in Ontario. We want as many people as possible to hear us. We feel pretty confident that most people who hear us will like us. So, let's play in front of as many people, as often, and wherever we can.”
The Elect is using all of this travel to push their third CD, and Weir says “putting out a good CD” ranks among his proudest musical achievements. Lenges adds “So far the response to it has been wonderful, and because of that, we're being offered a lot of great opportunities in and outside of Indiana. It feels good to have a CD that critics and listeners enjoy and being able to play regionally in front of receptive audiences.”
Receptive audiences are always a good thing, especially considering the story Weir and Lenges share about the weirdest show in the band’s history. Lenges says “We played some crap biker club in a crap town and our opening act was a group of strippers. These girls were out there doing their thing and you'd swear that the guys in that place were either gay or on valium. They were totally not interested in these girls. So right there we knew we had a problem. If naked women couldn't get a response out of these guys, some kids jamming sure as hell wouldn't do it.”
“While playing the gig, the strippers got arrested on their way out for stealing liquor. They loaded up a half dozen near naked women into a police van, which was an interesting sight. Shortly thereafter a fight broke out and one fellow wound up leaving the building through a closed glass door head first. Through this all, we never stopped playing. At then end of the night some dullard screamed "Play Money Money!" We didn't know it and sure as hell wouldn't play it even if we did. We were fired on the spot. They pulled the plug on the PA and we packed it in and got the hell out of there.”
A valuable lesson in finding the right audience, indeed.
