It’s easy to underestimate the reach and influence of the Elephant 6 Recording Company. After all, bands like the Apples In Stereo and the Olivia Tremor Control aren’t exactly household names. And yet, for indie rock fans, the little label that could typically conveys not just musical excellence but also true artistic passion. 

Born in Ruston, Louisiana in the late ‘80s, Elephant 6 has always been part label, part ethos, and part art collective, birthing intertwined psych pop acts like Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, Of Montreal, and the Minders. It’s intimately associated with both the Denver and the Athens, Georgia music scenes, and it’s inspired acts like Arcade Fire, the Shins, and Tame Impala. 

It’s also the subject of a new documentary, The Elephant 6 Recording Co., which hits streaming VOD on Sept. 1. Directed by C.B. Stockfleth, the film attempts to sum up 30-odd years of musical achievement and growth in under two hours, interweaving personal dramas, harrowing tales of awful apartments, and talking head appearances from people like Elijah Wood and David Cross.

It’s a beautiful and deeply intimate look at the collective, as well as a crash course on all of E6’s most beloved and influential recordings. Here are eight cool things we took away from the movie.

It All Started With Four High School Friends 

Growing up in Ruston, Louisiana in the ‘80s, Bill Ross, Will Cullen Hart, Jeff Mangum, and Robert Schneider didn’t have a whole lot to do. When they were bored they’d go goof around at the local music shop, and they all took lessons from the same long-haired hippie guitar teacher. Mangum eventually got a gig working at Louisiana Tech’s college radio station, and, like his three friends, dove headfirst into listening to, sharing, and creating music. 

That quartet began to share tapes of songs they made on four-track recorders, forming de facto bands to open for acts like Sebadoh who’d come through town looking for living room shows. In the doc, E6 members say that in Ruston they learned to be each other’s support system, saying that "kids in places like that tend to get deeper into the things they love… [in order to] escape into something."

The Collective's Name Comes From A Max Ernst Painting

When the group decided to release some of the music they’d made as 7-inch records, they knew they needed a name. They went with Elephant 6 after Hart misread the name of a Max Ernst painting, "The Elephant Celebes." Hart designed the group’s logo, which seems inspired by the swoopy, psychedelic art that was popular in the ‘60s. 

The Group Valued Authenticity & Experimentation Above All Else

Much of E6’s early output was self-recorded on four- and eight-track recorders, with band members manipulating found sounds and offbeat instruments to create the tones they wanted. Hart says the Beatles’ "Tomorrow Never Knows" was an inspiration for some of "super layered" tracks he loved, while Doss — a much more meticulous performer — says in the doc that he’s a fan of the distinct sound you get from recording on actual tape.

Schneider also says in the doc that he’s always been passionately committed to "not being slick," and says that, for a lot of members of the collective, a slick veneer just isn’t an option.

Members Lived In Different Cities, But Always Worked Together 

Eventually, Schneider moved to Denver while Ross, Hart, Mangum, and about 17 or so other Rustonians moved to Athens, Georgia. They knew from watching acts like R.E.M. and Pylon that the college town had a supportive music scene, calling it a "beacon for weirdos" and a "comfortable fit" for people moving from a small Southern town. 

In Denver, Schneider formed the Apples In Stereo after meeting Jim McIntyre on a city bus and striking up a chat about the Beach Boys. The group produced fun, melodic music that got noticed by indie tastemakers like the creators of the Nickelodeon show "The Adventures Of Pete And Pete," and eventually, in 1995, released a full-length LP, the much-loved Fun Trick Noisemaker. Schneider calls that record "Pavement crossed with the Beach Boys crossed with Interstellar Overdrive," but notes that the band also called itself a psych act.

Schneider also opened Pet Sounds Studio in Denver66, and Mangum would often swing through to stay and work through musical ideas. 

Athens Was Essential To Olivia Tremor Control & Neutral Milk Hotel

In a way, The Elephant 6 Recording Co. feels like a bit of a love letter to Athens, Georgia, the kooky little town that helped pave the way for so much musical experimentation. 

The town, E6 members say, was cheap enough that you could work part time and get by, sharing a run-down old house with the rest of your band. Bands could spend hours upon end working through ideas and playing together, in part because they loved it but also because they were all dirt poor and didn’t have much else to do. 

All of that combined into a stew that yielded inspiring, interesting music, with one E6 member remarking in the doc that, "there are certain records you can’t make in New York City." 

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Was A Masterpiece From The Jump 

Mangum and the rest of Neutral Milk Hotel recorded In The Aeroplane Over The Sea with Schneider at Pet Sounds Studio. (Schneider says he was also working on the Minders’ Hooray For Tuesday around the same time.) The sessions seem to have been fairly quick and magical, with Mangum nailing all of "Oh Comely" in one take. 

When Mangum brought the record back to Athens and played it for friends, he told them he wanted Hart to lay cool electronic blips and bleeps over parts of the record. The friends, who had been stunned into silence after hearing the record, strongly advised against it, saying "No, this is the record." Even now, In The Aeroplane is considered an indie masterpiece. 

Elephant 6 Created A Big Extended Family

While indie scenes in cities like Chicago and New York were rife with infighting, the Elephant 6 gang in Athens kept things friendly. One member said that their biggest problem was "how do we get all seven bands on the same bill." 

That friendliness ultimately led to E6’s power being diluted, as more and more indie pop and psych bands around the country sought out and were permitted to put the collective’s logo on their records. What was once a mark of a tight group of friends and collaborators became more of a vibe and, in the early ‘00s, the collective became artistically stagnant. 

When Bill Doss Died, A Part Of Elephant 6 Did Too

There’s a lot of footage of Bill Doss in the documentary — both in solo interviews and in tandem with OTC bandmate Will Hart. Unfortunately, though, Doss died suddenly of an aneurysm in 2012, throwing the members of the collective into a bit of an emotional tailspin. 

The film documents his beautiful musical memorial at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, and features footage of Hart and Schneider trying to finish up the unreleased third OTC record in Doss’ honor. Hart has since gone on to focus mainly on his work in other bands like the Circulatory System, while Schneider got a doctorate in mathematics and now works as a professor in Michigan. 

6 Takeaways From Netflix's "Ladies First: A Story Of Women In Hip-Hop"

Rock Band Network Launches Music Store
Gaming developer Harmonix and MTV Games have launched the Rock Band Network Music Store, which allows independent artists to submit their music as downloadable, add-on content to the game without a formal licensing process. Artists will choose their own price points with MTV retaining 70 percent of all sales. A beta trial was released earlier this year and has since acquired more than 100 songs available for "Rock Band" owners to purchase from artists including the Hold Steady, Of Montreal, the Shins, and Steve Vai, among others. (3/4)

UN Labor Agency Honors Shakira
Two-time GRAMMY-winning and seven-time Latin GRAMMY-winning artist Shakira was honored Wednesday in Geneva with a medal from the United Nations labor agency for her work to help impoverished children. The artist was recognized for her involvement with the ALAS Foundation, UNICEF and for helping to provide nutrition to more than 6,000 children in Colombia through her Barefoot Foundation. (3/4)

Welcome to The Set List. Here you'll find the latest concert recaps for many of your favorite, or maybe not so favorite, artists. Our bloggers will do their best to provide you with every detail of the show, from which songs were on the set list to what the artist was wearing to which out-of-control fan made a scene. Hey, it'll be like you were there. And if you like what you read, we'll even let you know where you can catch the artist on tour. Feel free to drop us a comment and let us know your concert experience. Oh, and rock on.

By Jenna Goode
Chicago

For many, the Pitchfork Music Festival has become a journey toward music discovery, which these days can be a daunting task, with so much music available at our fingertips. Now in its ninth year, Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival has been helping music fans discover new music, and artists get discovered with a curated lineup that includes numerous genres, indie artists, established artists, and local bands.

The biggest draws at this year's installment, taking place July 18–20, included GRAMMY-winning producer Giorgio Moroder, GRAMMY winner Beck, indie rockers Neutral Milk Hotel, and GRAMMY-nominated hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar.

Friday drew in yuppies like me who skipped the last few hours of the work week to cut loose and enjoy the perks of a Chicago summer — music, food, art, and sunshine. I began my day at the record market, where I was in vinyl heaven. There were rare albums, discounts and plenty of people passionate about collecting to chat with. In the distance I heard the soothing sounds of Sharon Van Etten's raspy voice while I browsed.

My first day at the festival was spent like many attendees, sitting on a blanket in the field with a view of both of the main stages while children played with footballs and Frisbees and adults enjoyed their beverages and conversation, occasionally interrupting to applaud the current performer. This unassuming, welcoming and laid-back atmosphere sets Pitchfork apart from other festivals.

Day one of the festival closed with a set from Moroder, who had the crowd grooving to his Daft Punk collaboration, "Giorgio By Moroder." Then came Beck, who demonstrated the diversity and depth of his lengthy discography as he performed a few tracks from his forthcoming album, Song Reader. His eccentric, and sometimes erratic, dance moves brought an immense energy to the set. "Loser" was clearly a crowd favorite as nearly everyone belted out in Spanish, "Soy un perdedor." For the encore performance Beck busted through the caution tape strung across the stage and dove into an impressive harmonica solo before singing the comical "Debra."

Day two was notably the most fashionable day of the festival. I saw numerous women rocking heels and platforms well over three inches. Mesh shirts, sun dresses and cutout clothes were also popular attire. Women were not the only ones getting into the fashion; men also sported designer labels and carefully manicured beards.

The elusive Jeff Magnum performed that evening with Neutral Milk Hotel. The anticipation for this set was high since many have waited nearly a decade to see the band live. The TV screens were shut off and the band asked the audience not to photograph during the set, which consisted mostly of songs from their 1998 album, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. The crowd swayed and nodded to the catchy "The King Of Carrot Flowers" before they closed their set with the sweet yet haunting "Oh Comely," during which many couples slow danced.

And for those who didn't come with a significant other, event sponsor Goose Island printed and posted missed connections from Craigslist.com on a missed connections board at the festival. A typical post read: "You had pigtails and a floral skirt. I was wearing a Death Grips R.I.P. shirt. Call me."

Lamar was clearly the most anticipated artist of day three as fans pushed their way up to the front more than an hour before his start time. He began fashionably late, but to no one's dismay. Hitting the stage with a full backing band, Lamar was sharp and flew through most of the tracks off his GRAMMY-nominated album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. His encore performance included the crowd favorite "A.D.H.D," during which fans enthusiastically responded "f*** that" back to Lamar during each verse. The crowd left on a high from his performance. Not even the crowded Green Line trains could kill our vibe.

(Jenna Goode is the Project Coordinator for The Recording Academy Chicago Chapter. Goode has interviewed artists such as Tame Impala, Daniel Lanois and Born Ruffians. She has also covered music festivals such as Electric Forest, Lollapalooza, and Pitchfork. Her work has been previously featured on the Chicago Chapter's GRAMMYPro.com page, GRAMMY.com and Loud Neighbor Music Blog.)

"I feel I’ve always been in the business of shedding labels, but the world is doubling down," says Ani DiFranco. 

The GRAMMY-winning singer has long been heralded as rebel-rousing and outspoken. On her latest release, Unprecedented Sh!t, DiFranco continues to counter the ideologically divided world, and the labels it imposes. The album is DiFranco's 23rd, and arrives May 17.

It's not coincidental that Unprecedented Sh!t arrives in the midst of pre-election campaigning, affirming DiFranco's drive to use music as a vehicle to protest deep-rooted inequality and prejudices in America and beyond. On "Baby Roe," DiFranco reaffirms women's right to agency over her body and her access to a safe abortion. (DiFranco’s charitable foundation Righteous Babe has long supported women’s rights initiatives, including the National Abortion Federation, Planned Parenthood, and National Institute of Public Health.) Reproductive freedom is "an essential civil right, the centerpiece of what it means to be free as a woman in society," she says.

DiFranco has never shied from wearing her heart on her sleeve and championing her political views. Pre-election in 2016, she penned Binary, an album that explored themes of women’s right to choose, non-violence, and the fundamental necessity to coexist despite different views. The album epitomized what fans have long known: DiFranco’s politics are personal, delivered with a vulnerability and earnestness that gives her songs incredible resonance. 

She is a lyricist who has always worn her heart on her sleeve and, in 2019, brought that candor to a bestselling memoir. No Walls and the Recurring Dream detailed her Buffalo, New York childhood and adventures as a young folk-punk musician, a music label founder (Righteous Babe Records in 1989), a wife and mother. DiFranco continued to evolve post-memoir; in 2021, she dropped new album Revolutionary Love, and in 2023, released the 25th anniversary edition of Little Plastic Castle. She is, unsurprisingly, determined to rally the disillusioned into using their vote and their voices in the face of some, well, unprecedented s—. Indeed, she’s been writing her second children’s book, Show Up and Vote, to be released on Aug. 27.

But making record after record, touring and running her Righteous Babe Records (founded in 1989) hasn’t stopped DiFranco from exploring new artistic territory. She made her Broadway debut in the popular musical "Hadestown" in February this year, nearly 15 years after creating its original studio concept album.

DiFranco was life-altering for a generation of teenagers in the 1990s, perhaps peaking with 1995's Dilate. DiFranco’s spirited, down-to-earth delivery and fearlessness felt empowering, especially when the radio was otherwise transfixed by male-dominated grunge bands. DiFranco sang about burgeoning and disintegrating relationships. Her albums were documents of a buzzing, raucous city life; tales that played out in Chicago, New York, on trains, in shabby apartments, in cafes and bars. Not until "Red Letter Year" in 2008 did listeners hear a more relaxed DiFranco, who moved to the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans the same year.

A transition from thriving in a bustling urban environment to the remoteness of her Louisiana home, which she shares with her 15-year-old daughter and 11-year old son, altered DiFranco's perspective. Today, DiFranco is prone to discussing the consciousness of rocks, plants and wildlife as easily as reproductive freedom. This spiritual awareness and a grounded observance of modern America presents both lyrically and musically on Unprecedented Sh!t, which seamlessly blends organic instrumental and vocal tracks with dissonant, warped synth effects.

DiFranco is unafraid to talk about aging and contemplating new ways to make music, now that she has finished a 23-album "series" of her life thus far. She is, of course, "an artist ‘til I die," so there is no risk that Unprecedented Sh!t is the last we will hear of DiFranco.

Ahead of the release of Unprecedented Sh!t, Ani DiFranco spoke with GRAMMY.com about her latest album, her Broadway debut, and a career of DIY achievements.

You have released 22 albums before this, which is a huge body of work for any artist. How is Unprecedented Sh!t a continuation of those ideas and stories, and how does it diverge?

In some sense it’s a continuation, and in another sense it’s a divergence in any of my records. There’s a sort of sonic divergence when you’re working with [producer] BJ [Burton], obviously. All my albums are unique in and of themselves, some veer more personal while some veer more political. Sometimes I’m more inward looking, and sometimes more outward looking.

I think we all have these different moments in our life that we move through. On this album, there was a lot of looking at my society, my culture, and speaking to things bigger than I.

I feel like I shouldn’t say this, but I wonder if it’s the last in a series.

What series is that?

The 23 albums series in the life and times of Ani D. I’m 53 pushing 54,  and I hate to make any statements about my farewell tour or anything, but I feel less motivated to write songs the way I have been. It’s a mode I’ve thoroughly explored. These days, I’m working on a theater piece and writing songs towards a theatrical production.

I’m always creating and inventing in my mind, but there’s definitely an itch to change the mediums.

There’s a lot of dissonant sounds, especially in the two tracks "Baby Roe" and "Unprecedented Sh!t." There's a sense of things falling apart, and that the world is driving you to the edge. Tell me about the state of mind you were in when you wrote those songs.

The reason I wanted to work with BJ is because he lives in world of machines, [and has] an immense facility with machines I know nothing about. After so much making, recording and producing my own records, I have longed to incorporate the noisiness of modern life, and the presence of machines in our lives. I couldn’t do that on my own.

In this modern age, the playing of instruments is just one spice, one ingredient to use in modern recording. There are so many ways to make sounds, put together tracks. With BJ, I was able to explore other worlds. So inherently, through us and the process, this sort of anxious, punishing, frenetic noise of the world comes in. The tenor of life in this world right now expressed itself in the music and recordings, balanced with moments of deep quiet and retreat.

The super dissonant, chaotic sounds BJ created from my guitar [are] really extraordinary. I would make recordings of just me and my guitar, and I overdub a few things — like me playing percussion, or vocal overdubs. He just manipulated [those sounds] in his spaceship, surrounded by buttons, toggles and dials, to create the soundscapes but the raw materials were extremely organic.

The only thing not manipulated is my voice.

On "New Bible," you sing "Our roots are meant to be interwoven" and that "men should stand down when women give birth." Tell me about your view of women, their role as leaders and mothers, and whether your views have changed over time.

I think that my views haven’t changed in that I feel differently, but I understand more in terms of reproductive freedom for women. It’s an essential civil right, the centerpiece of what it means to be free as a woman in society. As I get older, I understand with my full being that consciousness supersedes the body. Our spirit bodes and re-embodies, and this is one of many lives, identities and stories, and essentially me and you are one being. We are God, you and I and every living thing. Women are agents of creation. I wrote a song, "Play God," a few years ago: "you don’t get to play God man, I do". I’m literally the creator in this situation.

You have to respect creation and agents of creation, such as women. I speak to it in "New Bible" and in "Baby Roe," that we need to step back a minute from patriarchal religious dogma, from political debate, and look at what it is to be alive. It is not the body. Consciousness is the spirit, the soul, is God, and is light, and that is eternal. So, there!

Did performing as Persephone in "Hadestown" on Broadway have an impact on the music or themes on this album, in which you sing about hell and the sanctity of women, or was there just an organic alignment?

I relate very much to the character, and I have been involved in the trajectory of "Hadestown" since the beginning, since it was a gleam in Anaïs Mitchell's eye, so it’s very cool to come back into the fray after all these years to perform the part on stage. 

There are two couples in the musical: Orpheus and Eurydice, the young starry-eyed lovers, and Hades and Persephone, the old couple, married for eons as Gods. They’ve been through it all together, there’s a real push and pull tension between them, and Persephone is the bestower of life on Earth, joy, and bounty, while Hades is the captain of industry and the underworld — which represents the hell of the modern world and its enslavement of humankind. 

It’s a prescient modern take on Greek mythology. The relationship between her and Hades, you know they don’t ride into the sunset, but there’s hope – like, "we’ll try again next year" – and after being married for 20 years [to music professional Mike Napolitano], I very much relate to that need to renew one’s love and one’s relationship.

I’ve been a fan of yours since "Dilate" and so many of your songs are deeply personal to me. Do you have favorites from your earlier albums, or songs of yours that feel deeply necessary to perform live and to revisit frequently?

Certainly there’s a bunch that have risen as favorites for me, mostly because they work live, they’re very playable, and [are] other people’s favorites. Some that don’t work well live because they’re too slow, or sad, or too something, are my secret favorites. Those are "Hypnotized," "Hour Follows Hour," "Albacore" or "The Atom," which is epic at 10 minutes.

There’s a lot of allusion to nature on this album, which is quite different to those earlier albums in which you were in bars, on trains and on the road. Tell me about how your connection to the land informs who you are, how you live, and your perspective.

It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been a city kid most of my life and I’ve been rapt with the human drama therein, but like many humans, it gets old. The land —  all the forms of consciousness that are not human, all the sentient beings…plants, trees, rocks — is something more profound than human drama.

I live in Louisiana, New Orleans, way, way, way on the edge of town, right on the Mississippi River, which feels both very remote and very New Orleans. It very much feels like home after 20 years now. It’s an immense place, culturally and musically, and I love being surrounded by snakes, owls, the birds on the river: herons, eagles, ducks, egrets. It’s immense and wonderful. Turtles wander by in this big swamp. I really love it there.

You sing "I defy being defined" on "The Thing At Hand." Do you feel that rather than growing into firmer descriptions or identifying labels, you’ve actually shed them instead and is that liberating or confusing?

I feel I’ve always been in the business of shedding labels, but the world is doubling down. I sang about relationships with women and men when I was young, or I sang about my experience as a young woman not wedded to gender being the defining character of a person, or sexual orientation, or race, or blood. I feel like I've always tried to write revolution through just the approach to storytelling and my songs. You cannot hold me down with your preconceived notions of identities and "us and them" and tribe, so I feel like I've always been at this work. And in America, I feel like identity politics has become so fever pitched.

I’m a child of the '70s when identity politics was about asserting identity and waking up culture to the fact that we’re not all middle-aged white dudes, but it’s as though the tool of liberation has become the cage itself. [My children’s book] The Knowing speaks to this: Use identity for whatever purpose it serves to know and find yourself, your tribe, to know you’re not alone but also beware of identity and ending up in a silo, at odds with your fellow humans.

 On 'Little Rope,' Sleater-Kinney Still Wear Their Hearts On Their Sleeves

William Bell, HANSON and Elle King have been added to the lineup for the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's inaugural GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala, taking place on May 21, at The Novo in Downtown Los Angeles.

Previously announced performers include Andra Day, Ravyn Lenae, Shinedown and The War and Treaty. The evening will include a red carpet and VIP reception on the Ray Charles Terrace at the GRAMMY Museum followed by a one-of-a-kind concert at The Novo. The Gala will also pay tribute to iconic record label Atlantic Records. The evening will be hosted by veteran CBS broadcast journalist Anthony Mason, who will be joined by Michael Sticka, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Museum, Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, and Julie Greenwald, chairperson and CEO of Atlantic Records Group. 

Performers will pay tribute to the 2024 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inducted recordings. Andra Day will perform a song from Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill; William Bell will perform his song "You Don't Miss Your Water"; The War and Treaty will perform Charley Pride's "Kiss An Angel Good Morning"; Elle King will perform Wanda Jackson's "Let's Have A Party." HANSON will perform the Doobie Brothers' "What A Fool Believes"; Ravyn Lenae will perform Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly;" and Shinedown will perform Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven." Tickets are on sale to the general public and more information about the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala is available on the website. 

The inaugural Hall Of Fame Gala will honor the 2024 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inducted recordings on its 50th Anniversary, including De La Soul's 3 Feet High And Rising, Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction, Buena Vista Social Club's Buena Vista Social Club, and Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, as well as recordings by Donna Summer, Charley Pride, Wanda Jackson, Kid Ory's Creole Orchestra, the Doobie Brothers, and William Bell. 

This year's show will be produced by longtime Executive Producer of the GRAMMY Awards, Ken Ehrlich, along with Chantel Sausedo and Ron Basile. Musical Direction by globally renowned producer and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. The Gala is presented by City National Bank. 

An online auction is currently underway alongside the Hall Of Fame Gala, featuring a vast collection of guitars signed by an array of major artists including Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, and many others, as well as Platinum tickets to the 2025 GRAMMY Awards and more. Proceeds will benefit the GRAMMY Museum. Click HERE for more info. 

The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame was established by the Recording Academy's National Trustees in 1973. The inducted recordings are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. With 10 new titles, the Hall currently totals 1,152 inducted recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. Recipients will receive an official certificate from the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum. See the full list of past inducted recordings here.

GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala 2024 Performers Announced