A few years back, a bunch of members from the monstrous and mysterious Elephant 6 Collective got together for the "Holiday Surprise" tour. The 2008 shows featured a number of artists from acts like Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control and Of Montreal, among others, jamming onstage and switching up instruments to play each other's tunes. Apparently, it must have been a blast, because the collective have announced that they are doing it again early next year. So far only one Canadian date -- March 18 at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern -- has been announced.
Pitchfork reports that this year's tour will not only feature the sounds of several acts but will showcase short films and anchor itself upon audience participation games led by Music Tapes singer Julian Koster. The Elephant 6 orchestra will feature Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, Peter Erchick, John Fernandes, Julian Koster, Scott Spillane, Andrew Rieger, Laura Carter, Derek Almstead, Heather McIntosh, Bryan Poole, Theo Hilton and Robbie Cucchiaro, among others, performing tracks by Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, Circulatory System, the Music Tapes and more.
While there's no guarantee that notoriously reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel frontman Jeff Mangum will take part in the event, it must be noted that he did make a couple of appearances during the 2008 tour.
Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise tour:
2/24 Roswell, GA - WhirlyBall Atlanta
2/25 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder (Florida State University)
2/26 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
2/28 Austin, TX - Emo's Inside
3/1 Dallas, TX - The LOFT at the Palladium
3/3 Phoenix, AZ - The Duce
3/4 Los Angeles, CA - The Satellite
3/5 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
3/8 Portland, OR - Backspace at the Someday Lounge
3/9 Seattle, WA - The Vera Project
3/11 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
3/12 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
3/14 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
3/15 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
3/16 Kalamazoo, MI - The Strutt
3/17 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
3/18 Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
3/19 Buffalo, NY - Big Orbit's Soundlab
3/20 Easthampton, MA — Flywheel
3/22 Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory
3/23 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
3/24 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
3/25 Charlottesville, VA - The Southern Cafe and Music Hall
3/26 Raleigh, NC - Kings Royal Barcade
Pitchfork reports that this year's tour will not only feature the sounds of several acts but will showcase short films and anchor itself upon audience participation games led by Music Tapes singer Julian Koster. The Elephant 6 orchestra will feature Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, Peter Erchick, John Fernandes, Julian Koster, Scott Spillane, Andrew Rieger, Laura Carter, Derek Almstead, Heather McIntosh, Bryan Poole, Theo Hilton and Robbie Cucchiaro, among others, performing tracks by Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, Circulatory System, the Music Tapes and more.
While there's no guarantee that notoriously reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel frontman Jeff Mangum will take part in the event, it must be noted that he did make a couple of appearances during the 2008 tour.
Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise tour:
2/24 Roswell, GA - WhirlyBall Atlanta
2/25 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder (Florida State University)
2/26 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
2/28 Austin, TX - Emo's Inside
3/1 Dallas, TX - The LOFT at the Palladium
3/3 Phoenix, AZ - The Duce
3/4 Los Angeles, CA - The Satellite
3/5 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
3/8 Portland, OR - Backspace at the Someday Lounge
3/9 Seattle, WA - The Vera Project
3/11 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
3/12 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
3/14 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
3/15 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
3/16 Kalamazoo, MI - The Strutt
3/17 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
3/18 Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
3/19 Buffalo, NY - Big Orbit's Soundlab
3/20 Easthampton, MA — Flywheel
3/22 Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory
3/23 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
3/24 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
3/25 Charlottesville, VA - The Southern Cafe and Music Hall
3/26 Raleigh, NC - Kings Royal Barcade