Elefant's drummer, Kevin McAdams, took time away from recording drum tracks to talk about the band's new video, recent tour dates, and the importance of artistic freedom.

Kevin McAdams: Pretty much.  I've been playing around New York City for over ten years.  The first band I played with was actually with Mod [Elefant guitarist].  We met through a Village Voice ad.  We've been playing together now for eleven years.  His band had an ad out, looking for a drummer.  I answered the ad and came in and auditioned and Mod and I just hit it off right away.

QRO: So what was the name of that band?

KMA: It was a band called Sugarglider.  It didn't last all that long, probably ten months or so.  It's sort of the process of us, working together and playing in bands beyond that.  After that band, there was a band called Teenbeaters that we played in together for like a year.  Mod called me down for that band ‘cause they needed a drummer, and he'd started playing with them, so he brought me in.

Shortly after that band broke up, ‘cause the singer left to join a band called Ours, or rejoin that band, I got a call from Diego [Garcia, Elefant singer].  Diego had played in a band called Circus.  He was like, "I'm making a demo, and I'm looking for people", and so I came in to do the demo and started doing drums for it and it was just like a one-day thing, and Diego was like, "Do you know a guitar player?"  And I said, "Of course, my best friend Mod," and I brought Mod into it and we made this demo, and it happened really, really fast and that's what lead to us being signed to Kemado, which was just starting up as a brand new label.

QRO: So are the drums the only thing you've recorded with, or did you play anything before that?

KMA: Before that, I would do some piano stuff.  I've had fragments of songs I've been writing over the years, and never really had a chance to go in the studio or get musicians to record.  Actually, the first chance I had was after The Black Magic Show tour.

KMA: Right after the second Elefant record. 

QRO: Was Mod the other main player on that album?

KMA: Yeah.  It was a really fun experience.  You know, The Black Magic Show was a really strange time for everyone, because we were kind of forced into a situation that we really didn't want to be in.  We really weren't so into Hollywood Records, to be honest.  And, as a lot of young bands do, we were just trying to make the best of the situation we were in.  ‘Cause, basically, Kemado Records was the one we were signed to, and they were the ones to make the deal with the bigger label. 

QRO: So, you didn't switch over to Hollywood.  They switched you. 

KMA: Kemado basically did the deal with Hollywood, as opposed to any other sort of bigger label, I think ‘cause Hollywood was willing to give them the most amount of things that they wanted... distribution and stuff for their other bands.  And I can't say that the interest was really for Elefant.  Which was kind of a tough situation for us ‘cause we really worked our asses off to promote Sunlight [Makes Me Paranoid] and get the band to the best situation possible to further the band.  So, basically Kemado did this deal with Hollywood Records and I can't say that Hollywood really got the band.

QRO: Yeah, it seems like Hollywood is good at picking up bands, from labels or whatever, but once they get them, they don't know how to market them. 

KMA: Yeah, I think you're right.  I think Hollywood Records is the kind of label that... I mean, first off, they're owned by Disney. 

QRO: I know. [laughs]

KMA: Yeah. [laughs] And that kind of makes it tough.

QRO: I don't think they understand the indie scene.  They seem to do okay with the regular pop, or the top 40. 

KMA: I remember when we first started talking to Hollywood, we met with them and it's the kind of thing... it was tough for us because the label, Kemado Records, really had the final say in terms of what would happen, in terms of doing the deal with the bigger label, ‘cause we were signed to them. 

QRO: It seems that [Hollywood] didn't know how to pick the singles.  On the second album, The Black Magic Show, I thought that "Uh Oh Hello" should have been the single and I don't know who decided what the single was gonna be on that album, but I think that was a big misstep. 

KMA: A record label has a certain amount of dollars that they want to put toward something, and it's like having a stopwatch.  It's like, "OK, you have x amount of minutes and we're gonna put x amount of dollars."  The problem, too, with Hollywood, is that they really don't have a lot of experience with breaking rock bands other than something like Breaking Benjamin, which is something that we consider ourselves pretty removed from.  And it somehow came about that "Lolita" was determined to be the first single.  I think it's a good song for what it is, and all that, but I think we were all feeling like "Uh Oh Hello" as being a main single for that record.

KMA: I think "Uh Oh Hello" was a little more immediate, and something people could grab onto more.

QRO: It would be nice if, I guess on MySpace you could do this, or iLike, if you got enough people involved, you could find out which songs people are listening to the most, and not necessarily just the first one that comes up on the player.  You know what I mean?

KMA: That's part of the problem with dealing with certain record labels, especially a label that really doesn't get a band, and I think that's really what came down to Hollywood.  I think aesthetically, we were just a mismatch.  I think what we were going for and what Hollywood was going for were just very different things.  I think they just sort of looked at us in terms of our live show.  You know, Diego's a charismatic front man and I think we put on a good live show and it seemed a little over the top.  I think they were just looking for a commercial, sort of instantaneous breakthrough.  And for us, we're trying to do something a little artistic.  Even though we write pop songs, there's an artistic bent behind it.

QRO: Does it seem like Coachella was your last big gig before you kind of split up for a while?

KMA: No, actually, Coachella in a strange way was a big opportunity.  We played that show, and it really went off well.  We had a really good show, and it sort of started the little bidding war that happened on the band.  We had a lot of other major labels interested in the group before Kemado ended up doing the deal with Hollywood.

I would say the last major thing that we've done before we went on hiatus for a bit was, we did the Bue Festival in Argentina.  We played there in November 2006.  We played that with Patti Smith and Beastie Boys.  It was a great show.  We had a great time and Argentina was really receptive to Elefant because, in part because Diego's ancestry's Argentine, and "Lolita" had been pumped as a single down there.

QRO: It seems like South America really gets crazy about music because they don't get that many shows down there.

KMA: You're totally right.  I feel like Argentina was really supportive of the band.  Also, we'd played in Mexico.

QRO: When y'all played those shows, did Diego sing in Spanish or Portuguese?

KMA: Yeah, Diego can sing in Spanish.  We've been considering doing a song straight up in Spanish.  That might happen at some point in the near future ‘cause Diego's fluent in Spanish, of course, and our support down there's just been great.  I definitely anticipate us going back to Argentina.

QRO: Why did y'all decide to take a hiatus, and what's been going on while the band's been on hiatus other than you and Diego recording some material?

KMA: I think the major thing for us going on hiatus was just a matter of the whole Hollywood situation.  Just speaking for everybody involved, including Diego, none of us were really excited about dealing with that whole situation.  That's just the bottom line.  The record label didn't get the band, we worked with the producer they wanted us to work with, then we played ball with them the whole way.

QRO: Did it seem like they dropped you, or did y'all drop them?

KMA: It's kind of a combination, you know.  We made this record for them.  We made The Black Magic Show, and despite whatever, I know it's a mixed received record but I do think it's a really good record.  I think the songs on it are strong.  I feel like Hollywood just really didn't know what to make of the band.  I think they got excited about Elefant in a way because other people were excited about Elefant.

QRO: You needed to take a break, right? 

KMA: Well, yeah.  You start to reevaluate things.  We made that album; we toured for it.  Hollywood was confused, and they were like, "Oh, this isn't selling a million copies off the bat.  What do we do with this band?" And they were trying to feel us out, toward the end of the campaign [for The Black Magic Show], whether we wanted to make another record with them and we just tried to avoid them because honestly we knew they weren't the right place for us to be.

QRO: Do you think that they impeded you creatively during Black Magic Show?  I thought it was a real consistent album.

KMA: You know, I actually think it's a really good record.  I think it was just a matter or aesthetic.  If I were to criticize anything about Black Magic Show, that would probably be the aesthetic of the record.  I think it just came across as a little too polished.  It's a weird record because the production is so commercial sounding but the record itself is dark and a little strange.  You have that sort of sentiment mixed with this commercial ambition of Hollywood Records trying to eek a hit out of it some way and trying to turn it into something that they saw.  It just got a little strange. 

QRO: But y'all did push the limits somewhat in the "Lolita" video, or the "Misfit" video, whichever one had partial nudity.

KMA: You know, that's a really good point.  "Lolita" has partial nudity in that video, and I kind of have to scratch my head as to what Hollywood Records was going for.  Like, they're fucking Disney. [laughs]

Elefant's video for "Lolita":

QRO: Was it their concept then?  I thought maybe they were trying to invite some of Diego's model friends.  I wasn't really sure what was going on. 

KMA: Well, it's funny because the original "Misfit" video had a lot of, some of, Diego's friends who were models and stuff in that video, even though there wasn't any nudity.

But "Lolita" was definitely a submitted treatment.  I have to say that we like the video that happened for "Lolita" but ... I do have to say that, because they're owned by Disney, I have to wonder what exactly their angle was, necessarily.  I think they were looking for us to provide some sort of edge for that record label.  I think Hollywood Records is so much sort of like clean-cut, goody-two-shoes kind of acts, that they were looking for us to provide some sort of edge to them.  I mean, we can do that, but it doesn't seem so cohesive in terms of what they're looking for.

QRO: Sometimes spending all that time and money on glossy videos can really eat up your funds and limit what you can do for the future. 

KMA: Yeah, sure, especially with video budgets and things of that nature.  I mean, half the time theses days, if you make a video, it's just going to end up on YouTube anyway.  It's not like there's a whole lot of push on MTV or anywhere else to get a video out there. 

Elefant playing "Misfit" live at Gramercy Theater in New York, NY on January 16th, 2010:

QRO: I was going to mention about the "Lou" video.  If you look for Elefant on YouTube, it doesn't readily come up.

KMA: Which video?

QRO: The "Lou" video; the new video, "Lou".  It doesn't really come up if you do a search on YouTube for Elefant.  ... Maybe YouTube goes by how many plays a video gets.  I don't know how they really sort them. 

KMA: You know what I think?  I think that has something to do with it.  I have noticed that it is picking up in terms of search and things of that nature.  I think it takes a little time.  We really haven't gone after it aggressively in terms of the way a normal major label would in terms of YouTube and hits and things.  The whole attitude behind that video was to just make something very low budget and fun. 

QRO: Right.  It's really fun.  I like it. [laughs]

KMA: Thank you. 

QRO: It makes me laugh every time I see it. [laughs]

KMA: You know, it was just sort of a fun thing to do, and it was just something different.

Elefant's video for "Lou":

If we'd presented that [video] to a major label or Hollywood or anything like that, I'm sure they would have like, "You guys are crazy for doing that."  For us, it was just something different.  We wanted to keep it low budget and fun and just something that people could relate to and just see we do have a sense of humor about ourselves.  And I don't necessarily know that that comes across all the time, you know. 

QRO: It does to me.  I've always noticed it.  That's one thing I like about you guys is you don't take yourselves so seriously.  In the show and the music, I can feel the sense of humor in the music and the presentation.

KMA: That's awesome.  That shows that you really understand what we're doing.  There are other people and other writers who take themselves really seriously, and music, too seriously, than they should, and we're up there having a good time and putting shit out there and they're just reading into it way too much.

QRO: One thing I noticed when you played live was that Diego always had some kind of scarf or something weird going on with his clothes, so I knew he had a sense of humor.  And you're a great showman on the drums.  The closest person I can compare you to is Keith Moon, just ‘cause you're so flashy.  You aren't so much on the cymbals as him, but I really enjoy watching you play.

KMA: I think all of us just try to tap into putting on a show.

QRO: Yeah, but so many drummers just sit back there and just play the beat and they don't do that much.  Some of them spin the drumsticks and that's about it. 

KMA: Right.

QRO: And that's one thing I like about the Elefant band is that you are trying to be very good showmen, and you're all very talented.

KMA: That's very cool that you appreciate that.  We're just trying to put on a fun show, you know.  We're trying to make it as fun for us as it is for everyone else in the audience.

I think that's also where it comes into us not taking things so seriously.  It's kind of tough when you have certain music journalists who take things so seriously.  We'll be doing something that's kind of a goof and for fun on stage and kind of laughing at each other for doing shit and they read into it so seriously, and it's like, "Whoa, where are you coming from?"  Music is supposed to be fun.

KMA: I think it's a natural thing.  I think we're sort of a mix of personalities.  We all get along with each other.  When we're on stage, it's a matter of just having fun.  Like, I'll give goofy looks to Jeff [Berrall, Elefant bassist], or goofy looks to Mod or Diego.  We're just out there and it's like, "OK, we're just gonna have fun with this, with what's happening."  I don't think it's anything overly thought out.

QRO: It's just a natural flow then, I guess?

KMA: Yeah, it's just enjoying our time on stage together. 

QRO: And sharing the energy on the stage?  Some bands rely on the audience too much for energy. 

KMA: But we do, too.  We definitely feed off the audience for energy, and if they're really excited about things.  I'll stop a show halfway in there to engage a crowd.  I think that's the beauty of doing a live show is for the unexpected things.  You know, for things that people aren't planning on.

To me, that's why I go to see live shows, is for, to see the unexpected, what sort of things can happen.  Otherwise, you can just sit home and listen to a record.  Why else go to a live show?

QRO: Is anybody a bigger influence in the band than the others?  Is there a leader, or are y'all pretty much equal as far as leading the music? 

KMA: Diego pretty much brings in the songs. 

QRO: The lyrics or the melody?

KMA: Elefant's pretty much a vehicle... it's pretty much built around Diego's tunes.  And what we do is sort of flesh them out.  He'll come in with the raw structure.

QRO: Does he start with lyrics or music or a combination?

KMA: It's sort of a combination.  I would say it's music with maybe a basic vocal melody and we just fill it out from there. 

QRO: I know you just recorded the song "Lou".  Are you going to try to record more material or are y'all recording more material right now?

KMA: We basically have a record done.  So we're basically just getting it mixed.  We're just finishing mixes for that.  The tough thing about the band is we've written a lot of material over the years and I would say that only like a fifth of it has been released, in terms of just having two full-length records and an EP and stuff like that.

QRO: Yeah, I think the standard right now is about one in three songs in most bands, so you're a bit higher.  But, you know, sometimes you can combine songs. 

KMA: Sure.

QRO: As far as the band's sound, is it going to evolve?

KMA: I think we definitely have a reverence for the New York City kind of sound and traditions that have developed here in terms of rock music.  In terms of evolving, I think there are definitely different steps you can take within rock.  You know, we're not trying to reinvent the wheel or anything like that.  We definitely have a reverence for pop songwriting and creating hooks, and wanting to make songs that we can all connect with, and hoping that other people might like, too.

KMA: Well, right now, we're just finishing up mixing the record and basically we have a lot of good interest in the record from some different labels, and we'll just figure out what the right home is for it and we'll take it from there.

QRO: I really don't like the whole single process.  Now it's just that you can do an iTunes download and it kind of kills the idea of an album somewhat.  

KMA: Yeah, there's definitely that aspect of things.  Musically, it's different, definitely changed a lot in the last, I could say ten years, but even less than that.

QRO: The idea of ‘selling out’ is not really an issue anymore.  Now it's just however you can make money, right?

KMA: You know, it's funny you bring that term up, because I'm not even sure you can ‘sell out’ anymore. [laughs]

QRO: Yeah, I know. [laughs]

KMA: There's just so little money in the industry.

QRO: Exactly.  That's what I understand.  People used to make a big deal about that.  I'm like, "They're just trying to make money." 

KMA: Yeah, it's just really tough.  The whole dynamic of the music industry's changed a lot, so if you're able to get an advertising situation, that it's a great opportunity.  But even still it's, like in terms of, if you would say, ‘selling out’, it's not even that much money, you know.  Overall, it's more for exposure and to get you more people into what you're doing.

QRO: Yeah, I know about sync pay. 

KMA: It gives bands some freedom though, too.  Like even for us, we‘ve made this record without a label over our shoulder.  We've been able to make this record on our own, and in that sense, we can shop it the way we need to or want to, which is pretty cool.

QRO: Right.

KMA: Ultimately, that's what it comes down to, making music that you believe in and you think is fun and you want to share with people and hopefully, it communicates to people.  And take it from there, rather than worrying about whether you're having a hit single or some shit like that, you know.  When you make stuff that you believe in and hopefully people will enjoy.

QRO: How are your new shows being received?  I know you played in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, which I thought that might have been interesting.

KMA: Yeah!

QRO: How are they being received?  Are you still seeing there's a lot of interest, people showing up and knowing who you are? 

KMA: You know, there is, and I have to say, I'm always pleasantly surprised by it, maybe ‘cause I'm a little more pessimistic than some other folks.  The fact that anybody cares, it‘s always refreshing to me.  I mean, being able to see kids there, who are always really excited to see us.  You always wonder.  It's been years since we really toured or anything.  You always wonder if anyone remembers or if anybody cares.

QRO: Or if the sound that people are interested has changed?  There's like trends and people are like, "I'm so over that."  You know what I mean?

KMA: Yeah.  I think I'm pleasantly surprised by the fact that we've seemed to have a loyal fan base.  ‘Cause you know there's always trends in music, and there's been this sort of retro ‘80s thing that's happened and we've sort of been lumped into that and you always wonder if people are going to really give a shit beyond it.  It's like you sort of had this window and after that, does anybody care?  But surprisingly enough, people do.  They enjoy the band and the songs and come out to the shows.

QRO: How many new songs are y'all doing at the shows now?

KMA: Quite a bit.  We've been doing probably about eight songs off the first record [Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid] and about five or six new songs.  So we haven't actually been doing any Black Magic Show songs as of yet.  We'll probably start doing some in the future.

I think the newer material is more in line with the first record.  That's why we've kept it like Sunlight and then the new album material, but we're going to start bringing some of the second record stuff into it.  And the response to the new material has been great.

QRO: How do you think it's more similar to the Sunlight sound? 

KMA: I think it's sort of the idea of bringing back the innocence that was involved with the first record.  We made that album; there weren't really any expectations of anything.  We made this record and we're like "OK.  Well, we're going to introduce it to the world and see what the hell happens," and I think that's sort of the mentality again.

Elefant playing Sunlight's "Bokkie" live at Gramercy Theater in New York, NY on January 16th, 2010:

QRO: As far as the sound on The Black Magic Show, why are y'all stepping away from that?

KMA: I think there's a bunch of reasons.  I think it has to do with the association of the former label we were on and pressures we were under with that situation.  And that record tended to be definitely a lot more melancholy. 

QRO: So when y'all decide to start to get back together and actually make songs again as far as a band? 

KMA: We started demoing new material in probably January 2007.  We were playing until August or September of 2007.  Actually, there were some new tunes on the new record that were written during that time frame.  There was maybe a three- or four-month period when we weren't really doing something and then we got back together.  There wasn't really that big of a break. 

QRO: What about the mellower stuff that Diego was working on?  I saw some video of him online on YouTube of playing with a guy on cello and he did some mellow stuff at The Bowery Hotel.

KMA: The cellist is a guy named Danny Bensi.  He actually played on The Gallery Girl EP.  He did the cellos on that, and he's been a friend of ours for a long time. 

QRO: Will there be some mellower songs like that on the new release, or y'all don't know yet?

KMA: We did one or two tracks that we have Danny on doing cellos.  I don't know that they're gonna make the record.

QRO: Cellos and violins and all kinds of instruments that are kind of offbeat, that haven't necessarily been incorporated in rock in a while, are definitely getting more popular.

KMA: And I think it's a great thing, you know.  Just being able to take things that are outside of the normal drums, bass, guitar, vocal is great.  We have a track on the record where we have like a mini steel drum - Mod played some stuff on that and we're really just open to putting some different instruments down and just seeing what flies, you know?

Elefant playing "Ester" live at Gramercy Theater in New York, NY on January 16th, 2010: