Elephant Revival Blooms With Symphonic Backing on “Petals”
By Rachael E. Worthington
Elephant Revival has garnered a reputation for its haunting, lush acoustic sound that is at once evocative and mysterious. The Nederland, Colorado-based group is comprised of multi-instrumentalists playing fiddles, horns, banjos, cellos, washboards and even the occasional musical saw that all blend into a hard-to-define sound that is rooted in Americana, gypsy, Celtic and folk songcraft. Petals, the latest album by the group, is their most intimate album to date and carries a message about how much life there is in loss, how much potency, how much love. What could make such a rich sound even more powerful? The Fort Collins Symphony. The indie band will perform songs from “Petals” with the Symphony on November 25 at The Lincoln Center.
Bonnie Paine, who plays the washboard, djembe, musical saw, stompbox and serves as the primary vocalist for Elephant Revival, says that the symphonic collaboration “gives the songs a sense of blooming.” There are “so many layers that are suddenly able to weave in and out; the orchestrators make the music even more dynamic.” The orchestra will soften to allow the band to shine, or intensify depending on the song. Paine says “It’s a dance — one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever done is to get to play with the symphony.”
With so many polarizing political views these days, Paine says a lot of people are feeling isolation and a lack of unity, and “for me, the beauty of music is it brings you back into that — it’s not something you can tell or show somebody to do. It has that effect of encompassing everyone all of a sudden in your pain and joy.” Elephant Revival strongly believes that music is a universal language, one that brings us all closer together.
Elephant Revival featuring members of the Fort Collins Symphony promises to be a truly unique concert experience. Tickets start at $28 and are available at LCtix.com.
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