Red Rocks season is in full swing, highlighting some of the best and most entertaining acts anyone would care to see. We’ve already made it up for a few notable shows, but the best outdoor venue in America still has so much in store, including a showing from Colorado-based folk outfit Elephant Revival.
We’re planning on being in those legendary stands this Sunday, but before we head out there, we thought it would be great to get to know this homegrown band a little bit better. So, we fired off a few choice questions to Daniel Rodriguez, who sings, and plays bass, banjo, and guitar.
TMN: Thanks for taking some time to sit down with us ahead of your first ever headlining show at Red Rocks. Let’s talk about that for a second. As a Colorado-based band, what does this mean to you guys?
ER: It truly is a great honor to be headlining Red Rocks. As a Colorado-based band, it means that the people who have been with us since the beginning can share in this experience with us. To have this world-class and incredibly epic venue in our backyard is a true gift. To be connected as we are to the Colorado music community—coming up through the jams and small venues, to now headlining Red Rocks—sure means a lot!
TMN: This performance closes out a pretty hefty tour in support of your recently released album, Petals. How has the reception been so far?
ER: The reception of our new material and all of the new sounds has been great. It's funny because when Bonnie picks up the cello, Charlie gets on the pedal steel, and I get on a drum, our fans become exposed to a sound that we have never produced live before. On tour, we found a balance of playing material off of our past records as well as off the new record. Intertwining both really helped people to welcome in the new. Mostly, I think people are mesmerized by how many instruments Bonnie can play. And then she sings, and how could that ever not be well received?
TMN: The album is phenomenal, by the way. The procession from start-to- finish was beautifully crafted. Did you write the album with a solid storyline in mind, or is this more so a collection of songs arranged in a specific order?
ER: Many folks have pointed out that they feel this is a conceptual album—that each song is one part of a larger story that the whole album tells. I'm shocked to realize that it does seem like a conceptualized album, because that's not what we set out to do. We just picked the songs that we and our producer were most excited about. Though it wasn't a conscious thing, perhaps it is a mystical thing that it came out sounding so cohesive.
