The Elwins Coming to The Royal American: Interview
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| Photo: Jesse Korgemaa |
The Elwins hail from Ontario, but they are no strangers to Charleston. They’ve played in town a number of times, including an appearance at an Awendaw Green Barn Jam back in 2012, and a 2015 date at Palmetto Brewing with an infantile version of Secret Guest. They even went on a fairly large tour with one of my personal favorites, Heyrocco, back in 2015. They’ll be back for another round on October 24th, fresh off the release of their third full-length album, Beauty Community. Joining them will be Rare Creatures and Joel Hamilton of Mechanical River. More info on that here.
You can read our interview with The Elwins below.
You have a new record out, ‘Beauty Community’. How has the response been so far?
So far so good! There’s been a consistent amount of positive feedback on certain songs which has been neat to hear what immediately resonates with the majority of people. It’s also comforting to know that previous fans are responding well to the new songs – in some cases even better than before!
With this being your third record, how has your mindset changed in regards to recording over the years?
Over the years we have changed our writing process and recording process. We have been working more collaboratively and openly. We all have our own unique strengths and it’s been great to take advantage of that in a more meaningful way.
Were there things you wanted to improve upon from ‘Play For Keeps’? How did you address that?
Definitely, yes. We felt pretty soon after coming out of the gates with PFK that the lack of ballads or even like…mid-tempo songs was something of a misstep. So for this album we were very conscious of the fact that we had to include some more diversity within a new batch of songs for people to swallow. I think including an instrumental was another process of that thought. We didn’t know if it would make sense to have it on but it ended up doing the trick.
Tell me about the statues on the album cover. Did you legitimately have them carved, or is that some sort of Photoshop effect?
It’s was a bit of an intense process. First we all got individually 3D scanned in a sphere of 112 DSLR cameras. Then the company that scanned us used the images to create 3D image files of each of us. Those files were then sent to an amazing 3D artist by the name of AndreasJD. He then took the 3D files, imported them into his 3D software and created the scene virtually. In the software he controlled the positioning, surfaces, lighting, camera positioning and camera settings. The image that is the album art is not something that has ever physically existed.
I want to know the secrets behind Feurd’s mustache. How does one acquire such luscious facial hair?
HAHA! Thank you! Essentially it runs in the family. My dad has the same moustache and when we walk around together it’s ridiculous. We should probably get a just for laughs gags routine going. My secret is not trimming and my precious Clubman Moustache Wax. Dats it!
If you had to pick one drink that encompasses the spirit of The Elwins (most notably “This Is It”), what would it be, and why?
V8 Vegetable cocktail, because it has a fun taste but also two full servings of vegetables. Just like our song “This Is It”.
Y’all have played in Charleston a number of times in the past. How did you first hear about the scene here, and what keeps you coming back for more?
We love Charleston so so much. Our great buddy Clay is from there and he and his amazing family have been so kind to us. Whether it’s been giving us a place to write, setting up shows for us or giving us a place to stay they have treated us so well. They are a huge reason we keep coming back…. also Cookout.
Stream The Elwins’ newest album Beauty Community below, and head on out to Royal on Tuesday, October 24th to see them live!