Cage The Elephant

To say that Cage The Elephant is local is almost a curse. For Bowling Green Ky., a small town with an astounding number of mega-talented musicians, has a silent but detrimentally prevailing attitude of “if they’re so good, why are they here”?

This new, young group of genre-busting musicians has the ear-markings of a band that’s about to make it real big, real fast. Their ability to make original rock music that appeals to a big cross section of our music buying populace will, I feel, line their pockets and their egos with enough stuff to make CTE last, long-term. From high energy, high volume, pogo/mosh-pit slam rock to acoustic mid-tempo ballads, their original song stylings and sensual guitar riffs are leaving audiences satisfied from east coast to west coast, from Canada south and have already started a fan base in Great Britain.

To say these kids are local, from my perspective, is an understatement. They all went to Greenwood High School with my children. Lincoln Parish (the lead guitar player) and his mother, Anita, have been clients of mine for years. The Schultz brothers’ uncle, Rick McConnell has been a close friend of mine for thirty years. Watching Bill Champion’s (Jared the drummer’s father) development from Greenwood Band Pit Daddy to providing a practice basement and official schlepper (Yiddish for carry) of rock band equipment has been impressive.

I put in a call today (Aug 21’st) to CTE road manager, Joey Stratton and found the group headed for Toronto Canada. They are on the first leg of a ten-day tour of Canada, opening for noted rock group “Queens of the Stone Age”. Joey tells me that the group will soon head to Great Britain and have recently secured the “holy grail” of all young bands, a record contract. Cage The Elephant has been signed by DSP a label licensed by Relentless Records, a British subsidiary of mega-music company, Virgin Records.

This group’s signing by a brit company brings me around to one of my pet peeves. What is it in the British recognition of the quality of some forms of American music that seems to totally elude us? In the late sixties and early seventies, when groups like Led Zeppelin, Savoy Brown, Cream and Fleetwood Mac were bringing their music to this country, our music-buying folks went wild for this “English music”. This “new music” was nothing but Mississippi Delta Gut Blues! If Eric Clapton hadn’t raved and brought him to our attention, would any of us even know who Robert Johnson was? To say that the British are great copycats seems mean spirited but how many songs have you ever heard done in a British accent?…think about it. When the New York based Stray Cats stormed in from England in the eighties, everyone went wild for their raucous, upbeat style of music. Did anyone realize they were New Yorkers?…I don’t think so. Somehow the fact that they came over from England was enough. Their music was from an, at the time, almost dead American genre of music called rockabilly.

More recently, a Nashville based group, Kings of Leon, also went to the U.K. and came back as a hot musical item. Did they hone some extra performing skill there? Would they have had eventual success here without going over there?…One can only speculate. To borrow a line from noted radio philosopher, Earl Pitts…” Wake Up America!!”

Cage The Elephant has had great success in their short time together. They have garnered breakout band status at both the Bonnaroo (http://www.bonnaroo.com/cage-the-elephant) festival in Tennessee and Lollapalooza in Chicago this summer. To be picked as one of the top ten performances at Lollapalooza (http://www.vmagazine.com/blog.php?n=1245) is major! They have played major venues and shows as far west as San Francisco as far south as Austin Texas, gathering more fans as they go. Their Internet site has adoring entries from Canada to Mexico. They’ve been written up in Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Clash and LMN (two British magazines) and will be featured again in the November issue of V magazine.

My conversation with Richard Williams, the band’s developer, left me with an energized and confident feel for the relationship of this band and this man. He’s honed his chops in the music business, long enough to comfortably think outside the box. This partnership seems to have developed a collective credo: “Let the music, not the hype, make the band”.

With the big label music machine being in rather sad repair, right now, the forward-thinking music people should be about—“hey, maybe it’s time for something new?” Richard seems to be; they have turned down major recording deals to let the band make their own brand of honest rock and roll instead of being funneled into a “more commercial” sound by some suits at a record company.

The Indy Music Scene is the market that allows bands as creatively gifted as CTE to flower, unfettered by corporate agendas. Although there exists an Indy Scene in this country, according to Richard, the Indy Scene in Great Britain is exploding and rock fans are clamoring for bands like Cage the Elephant.

Richard had a great story about being with the band when they set up for Lollapalooza. When the band was set up and the music started, there were four people in the audience, counting himself.…… 2007 Rock Festival equation: Great music + Volume + People strolling by = Great cell phone activity. The last note of the last song saw 800 jubilant, applauding fans rushing up to the security fence by the stage to talk to their new rock heroes.

Righteous rockers all, Cage the Elephant consists of: frontman, Matt Schultz on lead vocals, his brother and awesome musician Brad Schultz on rhythm guitar, Daniel Tichenor on bass and extra vocals and Lincoln Parish (Lincoln is from the Bobby Baldwin college of hot, musical ax-handling knowledge) on lead guitar. When their tour of Canada is concluded, they will go to England for a six-month residency, with a two-week home visit at Christmas. Hopefully they will gig here during the holidays (maybe they can find wall stretchers for Tidball’s). Look for their new CD in stores in October.

With so many wonderful musicians emanating from the Bowling Green area, and these guys are just five more, how do we honor them all for their great success everywhere else? Maybe Cage The Elephant Boulevard? Maybe a Cage the Elephant Day and let all the school kids out?…….NAAAH, that just wouldn’t be ROCK AND ROLL!

John Redick was and is a boomer audio-phile of extreme proportions. He is a hairdresser who works at the Cache’ Salon in B.G. His one fantasy in life has always been to be a black disc jockey.

P.S. Feast your ears on this: Dylan at the Ryman, Sept. 19th, good luck getting tickets.

Guitar God Emeritus Steve Cropper at the Ryman, Oct. 10th, he’s with T. Graham Brown and Mark Farner (lead singer for Grand Funk Railroad, but you knew that).

Other Youtube video of Cage the Elephant:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_81Ofqdmik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_92-_Y872o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAz5nlgWlrU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QChSRfWq3E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZtURSPY3jE