I recently discovered the existence of a talented band out of the Rock Hill area that I was not privy too, which is always an occurrence that I look forward to and Elonzo reminded me of why that is. This “four piece family band” play a hard to pin down but extremely catchy and smart brand of rock that knows its roots while still staying genuine and heartfelt. They are at work on a new album now which you can hear some singles from here: http://elonzo.bandcamp.com/ and lead singer/guitarist/lyricist Jeremy Davis was nice enough to answer some questions I had for him about all things Elonzo related.

C: I’ve been listening to the album you guys put out earlier this year; A Letter to a Friend and I’m quite impressed. How long have you all been together as a band?

JD: We started as a band in 2008, recording and releasing our first album that year, and playing our first shows.

C: How long has everyone in Elonzo known each other? Were you in groups together before?

JD: The keyboard player, Maggie Bourdeau, is my sister, and her husband Dan, is the drummer. We have known each other for a long time obviously. The earliest Elonzo stuff was mostly myself and Dan. He and I have been getting together making music for years unofficially. Our bassist Stephen joined the band last year. We met him through Craigslist of all places, but it turns out we had a bunch of mutual friends.

C: Did you have something in particular in mind when you started Elonzo? Was there an aim to go after a specific sound or highlight certain genres that you love?

JD: I had an idea of what I wanted to sound like when I wrote “All My Life”, our first album, but that was pretty unrealistic since I had never really had a band or even put an album together. I didn’t know what the music was really going to sound like live, and I think a lot of the material on the first album didn’t end up working that well live because of that. I think we are at the point now where we can more precisely direct the sound to something we can really get across live as well as on a record.

C: I like the fact that this band doesn’t fit into a certain sub-genre, I hear bits of indie, folk, electric rock, country, and other things from your music. Is there an intention to combine different genres or do you usually just write and let the songs go where they need to?

JD: I remember when I wrote the song “All My Life”, it was sort of a revelation. That song to me literally combines Country and Rock. You can really hear it in the bridge. So yea, originally I wanted to combine elements of country folk, and rock, but make it sound completely original. Nowadays, I just try to write what I hear in my head, and make a concerted effort to let the band filter the music. I think naturally though, we combine elements of all the genres you listed, and it comes out sounding like Elonzo. I think a lof of our sound comes from the way I write guitar parts combined with Dan’s drumming. He always brings the heat, so some songs that might have been really boring sounding end up being really interesting and fun becuase of Dan’s beats.

C: I really like the wide range of instrumentation too. Was everyone in the band already familiar with the instruments used in these recordings or were there certain ones that you had to take time learning?

JD: We are a four piece band. On “A Letter to a Friend”, you hear fiddle, viola, and pedal steel as auxiliary sounds. Those instruments were played by friends of ours. I don’t think anyone in the band is a multi-instrumentalist.

C: What is the writing process for this band like?

JD: It has slowly become more collaborative. I think I was very controlling in the earlier days. I still come up with the main ideas by myself, but then really let the band take it and run with it, and try to keep an open mind. We are working on some stuff now that will really show that.

C: Jeremy, I notice that your lyrics seem to cover a wide variety of things. Is there anything in particular that inspires you? Would you say that lyrics or music come first when you’re writing a song?

JD: I would say that lyrics are something that I really struggle with, and they usually take the most time. I can sit down and come up with a chord progression usually with no problem. The biggest challenge to me, and the most important thing to me is that the melody, lyrics, and cadence of the music and the words all mesh in a way that seems natural and play off of each other. If they don’t do that, to me it doesn’t work. I really try to weave it all together, and not just have words over music. That would just sound like karaoke.

C: I was impressed with the production of both A Letter to a Friend and the new singles you recently released. Is the entire new album going to be done at The Mill in Columbia with Jack Beasley?

JD: For the new single “King to your Queen”, we recorded that live for the most part with Jack at The Mill in Columbia. “Ghost Coast” was recorded at Satellite Studios in Charlotte, NC with Paul Jensen along with a string of other songs we haven’t released yet. “A Letter to a Friend” though, was recorded by me in our old house in Rock Hill. I am really proud of that because I recorded that record and “All My Life”, and there is a distinct difference in quality in my opinion. “Letter” was mixed by Paul Jensen of Satellite Studios.

C: What can we expect from the new album and how is progress coming along?

JD: I think you can expect stuff along the lines of “Ghost Coast”, one of the newer singles for that record. Its gonna be rocking, sweet, and a little spacey. We are still writing it. The process is slower than I want because of all the shit that comes along with being in a band but not being able to support yourself financially with it. We are all very busy, and this fall especially we have been out playing shows a lot and I have been very busy trying to make a living, so it may still be a few months before we finish the record, but keep an eye out for singles. I decided when we did the first sessions for this album in August we would just start releasing singles for it as we finish them and let the album take shape publicly.

C: I’m sure you’ve been asked this before but what are your some of your influences?

JD: Mostly Aretha Franklin

C: Lastly, is there anything else interesting that people who haven’t heard of you need to know about Elonzo?

JD: Yea, we are a rock and roll band. We drink whiskey. We are not a folk band, or a “insert genre” band. We are loud. We want to come to your town, and we love you.