Though The Garbage Pile was birthed out of my metaphorical creative womb less than six months ago, I’ve already likened fashion to tequila on two separate occasions.
Because, ostensibly, it is the duty of the artistically endowed individual to publicly express their idiosyncratic passions, I’ve decided to launch a libation-related series here atop this blog.
But wait! My inherent need to complicate things protests! In honor of my erratically maximalist tendencies, I’ve added another layer to the cake.
Music. Sweet, sweet melodies to accompany the boozy river flowing down your esophagus. And I’ve provided you with your very own sommeliers. In the form of band members.
What?
I’ll explain. We all know the classic act of pairing wine and cheese. But how does one know precisely what to nibble at along with that chardonnay you picked up at Trader Joe’s? Ideally, through a comprehensive knowledge of that particular wine. Or, if your brain doesn’t happen to house that sort of information, Google.
I see no reason why we can’t create an eHarmony-esque service for music and alcoholic beverages. So, here we go. I’ll provide the up-and-coming talent; they’ll provide their expertly chosen drink pairings for their tuneage.
First to give it a whirl is a six-piece band called Eldren.
“Children and Elders?” Nailed it. But that only partially sums up this Denver group.
Eldren can be likened to a quintessential Italian family dinner table on a Sunday late-afternoon. There’s a LOT going on, but it’s all good and chances are you’re not only going to find something you enjoy, but you’ll experience the almost-tangible feeling that so often hails from music created by a warm, richly passionate group of artists.
“We are Eldren and so are you”, these fellows are known to quip on stage. It’s like one of Nonna’s giant, oozing lasagnas in one sentence. It’s love in sentence form.
Psychedelic, pop, dark, hard-hitting, acoustic, euphoric, rock, cerebral, eerie, caressing, dance fever. Just a few words that come to mind when I listen to Eldren’s recently released sophomore album, entitled “Welcome to Deathville”. Maybe you’re into some folky fiddle, maybe you just like to get down with your bad self and those electronic sounds. The Eldren gentlemen employ both. Hungry yet?
Drinks first. How about we take that aforementioned warmth up a notch with a stiff cocktail?
I posed the question to several Eldren members: What would you ideally sip on whilst kicking back and drifting away to Deathville? Their answers varied almost as much as the range of ingredients incorporated into the album itself. Mezcal sazerac was mentioned. Single malt scotch, margarita (Huzzah!) and pumpkin beer were all offered up. However. Classically trained violinist and chronic over-achiever Josh Lee came out on top with his historically aligned answer.
The Negroni is a palate-cleansing Italian staple of a drink made with equal parts Campari, sweet vermouth and gin and topped with an orange peel. According to Mr. Lee, mothers would give their babies watered-down gin during the black plague due to the astronomical levels of pollution at the time. The juniper berry derived spirit served to sanitize the water. It was seen as a necessary measure to keep everyone alive. Ready….set….connection: the lyric snippet from the opening track of “Welcome to Deathville” stating “Just try to stay asleep from sunrise to sunrise”.
That crafty violinist.
In any case, it’s five o’clock somewhere so make and shake that Negroni and get yourself situated with those Eldren sounds. You can find “Welcome to Deathville” on iTunes and on Spotify.
If you’re interested in seeing Eldren in live action, check their Facebook page or their website for more info.
Because this is the 21st century, you can also find them on Instagram and Twitter
The artwork pictured here today was made by members of Eldren. The group photo of the band was taken by Andrew Rios. Check out more of his work on his website
