Young Elk (band)
Introduction[edit]
Young Elk is a Portland-based rock band on Holiday Breath Records best known for creating slow, ethereal melancholy indie rock songs incorporating elements of shoegaze, slowcore, post punk and no wave.
History[edit]
Young Elk formed in the winter of 2015 after the demise of two closely associated Portland indie rock bands, Violent Psalms and Dedere. Frontman Ezekiel J Rudick and Drummer
Nic Moen (Westfold, The Mark Twain Indians) started rehearsing songs Ezekiel J Rudick had been writing in Moen's parent's house in Milwaukie, Oregon. Moen then recruited long-time friend and virtuoso guitar player from the band Westfold to join the group on bass.
Early Songwriting and Establishing the Band's Initial Lineup[edit]
After some initial rehearsals started to gain momentum, Rudick began the process of recruiting a second guitar player. After taking to Craigslist, Rudick met Bruce Reed (Kingsbury, Second Sleep). After listening to some of Rudick's early demos and seeing a rare solo performance at popular Portland music venue The Waypost, Reed agreed to join the band on electric guitar.
Hospitalization and Lineup Change[edit]
After a handful of rehearsals, the band booked their first show set for March 27th, 2015 alongside Portland's Bubble Cats and Modesto, California's Kid Mud. Then in an unfortunate turn of events, Rudick had been struck with a life-threatening lung infection and was hospitalized for 3 weeks leading up to their debut show. The hospital stay resulted in a life-saving lung surgery, which forced them to cancel the initial show.
While Rudick was hospitalized, Reed and Moen ran into each other at a Jeremy Enigk show. Moen revealed that Tony Reyes was an exceptional guitar player and would be better served as such. Reed then revealed that he was a much more skilled bass player than guitar player. Then upon Rudick's recovery, the two had switched instruments. A month later the band played their first show at Habesha Lounge on April 22nd, 2015.
Recording the Minor Keys EP[edit]
Later that year, Young Elk was approached by longtime recording engineer and producer Jordan Richter to record a free session at Cloud City Studios in Portland. The band agreed and recorded five songs, three of which would be become their debut EP called "Minor Keys." The EP's sound was heavily influenced by the alt-country stylings of Magnolia Electric Co and Centro-matic taking a more straightforward, darker alt-country approach. The EP featured close friend of the band Christopher Benson (Founder of Benson Amps, Supercrow) on pedal steel and lapsteel and Hannah Glavor and Jess Pierson (Hart & Hare) on guest vocals. Minor Keys was released on August 27, 2016 on 7" vinyl and cassette on boutique vinyl imprint Make Records.
The Dark Side of the Holy Ghost[edit]
While Young Elk was waiting to release their debut EP, they were hard at work writing and recording what would become their debut LP, The Dark Side of the Holy Ghost. This batch of 8 songs was written while Rudick was recovering from lung surgery. Rudick had been raised in the Mormon Church and had spent decades in the Evangelical Church — particularly in post-modern sects of The Emerging Church having attended popular Seattle megechurch Mars Hill throughout his young adult life.
During recovery, Rudick experienced an existential awakening that would cause him to question the nature of his then Christian faith, which resulted in penning the album's title track "The Dark Side of the Holy Ghost," which would become an existential exploration of the nature of life, death and spirituality and what a life without fear and hope of an afterlife would mean. The song's climactic refrain tells the story:
"how i wanted to be tucked away
in the innocence of yesterday
on the car drive home from wild waves
melted ice cream on the freeway
but my heart is made of stone
and my mind is set on growing old
because there's a dark side to the holy ghost
the holy ghost"
The rest of the album delves into similar themes. The album opener "God is Cruel," is a treatise on the dogmatic traditions invoked by megachurch pastors delivering sermons from TV screens and the spiritual abuse inflicted on earnest, bible-believing Christians. Musically, the album's opener is delivered in a dissonant, no wave package not unlike dark-hearted messengers like Angels of Light and The Birthday Party, the songs ending refrain showcases a message of conflicted hope for the listener:
"i woke up fearing all was lost
so i got on my knees and prayed that i was wrong
no goddamned good for anyone
so we rewrite the words to our favorite songs
we pray for strength to carry on
when we could be shaking booty ‘til the break of dawn
tattooed these bible verses on brittle, broken bones
so we don’t have to say we’re sorry when we’re wrong
but i believe
i believe
and i believe
i believe"
The rest of the album weaves in equally heavy subjects like divorce, death and domestic violence. The Dark Side of the Holy Ghost received positive reviews from local, national and international digital press outlets. The UK's Various Small Flames called mused about the album: "The title track is a perfect example of the sort of vibes you can expect. Imagine taking the slow-burn bitterness of Bazan, adding the sinister undercurrent of Water Liars and sprinkling an almost Berningerian knack for imagery both mundane and melodramatic, and you’ll be getting somewhere close to how it plays."[1]
Young Elk released The Dark Side of the Holy Ghost on 150g 12-inch vinyl on Portland-based vinyl and cassette label Holiday Breath Records on November 17th, 2016.
The 'Cheap Beer' 7" EP[edit]
Following the release of The Dark Side of the Holy Ghost, Young Elk went into the studio with friend and collaborator Jordan Richter to record a two-song 7" EP at the legendary Hollowed Halls recording studio in Portland, Oregon.
Side A featured an original song called "Cheap Beer" that Rosey Music referred to as "the kind of anthem that many area denizens will surely relate to, as front man Ezekiel Rudick contemplates the season’s setbacks with tallboy in hand."[2] The song featured Bruce Reed on piano and frequent guest vocalist Hannah Glavor giving the song added color. Cheap beer explores the toxic realities of growing up in a Northwest small town, while staring the reality of everyone's imminent mortality square in the face.
Side B of the release featured a cover of Low's song Murderer from their experimental, electronic album Drums and Guns. The song was the band's sludgy, post-rock fueled rendition of a Low classic.
Band Members[edit]
Ezekiel J Rudick - Vocals, Guitars, Synth
Tony Reyes - Guitars, Vocals
Bruce Reed - Bass, Synth, Vocals
Nic Moen - Drums
Discography[edit]
Full-Length Albums[edit]
The Dark Side of the Holy Ghost (2016)
7" EPs[edit]
Cheap Beer 7" (2018)
Minor Keys 7" (2015)
Cassingles[edit]
Minor Keys (2015)
Digital Singles[edit]
God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman (2016)
References[edit]
- ↑ "Young Elk unveil new album, The Dark Side of the Holy Ghost". Various Small Flames. 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- ↑ "Premiere: Young Elk's "Cheap Beer" is the Perfect Compliment to Rainy Pacific Northwest Winters". Rosey Music. 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
External Links[edit]
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