EL VY is an American
indie rock duo that consists of
Matt Berninger (lead vocalist of
The National) and
Brent Knopf (founding member of
Ramona Falls and
Menomena). The duo released their debut album, ''
Return to the Moon'', in October 2015.
History
Berninger and Knopf met when The National and Menomena shared a bill in
Portland, Oregon on October 24, 2003, at Holocene. The two became friends and kept in touch, periodically playing gigs together in subsequent years.
EL VY released its debut studio album, ''
Return to the Moon'', in October 2015,
which Berninger, inspired by both ''
Grease'' and ''
We Jam Econo,'' imagined "as a sort of punk rock musical following the adventures of Didi and Michael—named after the
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...
's
D. Boon and
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter.
Watt co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ...
." EL VY tours as a four-piece, with
Matt Sheehy on bass guitar and
Andy Stack
Ann Rae Rule (''née'' Stackhouse; October 22, 1931 – July 26, 2015) was an American author of true crime books and articles.
She is best known for '' The Stranger Beside Me'' (1980), about the serial killer Ted Bundy, with whom Rule worke ...
on drums.
On January 11, 2016, following the death of
David Bowie, EL VY performed a cover of Bowie's
"Let's Dance" on
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, collaborating with Colbert's house band,
Jon Batiste &
Stay Human.
In October 2016, EL VY contributed a song and videogame to
Dave Eggers'
30 Days, 50 Songs project, entitled "Are These My Jets".
Members
Official Members
* Matt Berninger – lead vocals, lyrics
* Brent Knopf – music composition, production, keys, guitars, synths, programming
Touring Members
*
Andy Stack
Ann Rae Rule (''née'' Stackhouse; October 22, 1931 – July 26, 2015) was an American author of true crime books and articles.
She is best known for '' The Stranger Beside Me'' (1980), about the serial killer Ted Bundy, with whom Rule worke ...
(of
Wye Oak) – drums
* Matt Sheehy (of
Lost Lander) – bass guitar
Collaborators
During the recording of ''Return to the Moon,'' EL VY collaborated with several artists, including drummers Drew Shoals (of
Train) and John O'Reilly Jr (
fun. and others), violinist Lauren Jacobson (
The Lumineers and others), and background vocalists
Ural Thomas,
Moorea Masa
Moorea ( or ; Tahitian language, Tahitian: ), also spelled Moorea, is a high island, volcanic island in French Polynesia. It is one of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward Islands, a group that is part of the Society Islands, nort ...
, Allison Hall, and Margaret Wehr. A unique art card was created by John Solimine for each song on the album. ''Return to the Moon'' was mastered by
Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, mixed by Craig Silvey at Toast (assisted by Eduardo de la Paz). EL VY later enlisted
Andrew Joslyn for strings on "Are These My Jets".
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
References
External links
*
Under the Radar
{{Authority control
Indie rock musical groups from Oregon
American musical duos
American supergroups