Elephant Stone

Elephant Stone

Elephant Stone is a Canadian indie rock band from Montréal, active from 2009 to the present. The group’s core members are Rishi Dhir, Miles Dupire-Gagnon and Gabriel Lambert. Its music sits within indie rock, neo-psychedelia, psychedelic pop and psychedelic rock.

Background

The band develops from the work of multi-instrumentalist Rishi Dhir, who is the central creative force behind the project. Dhir is a founding member of Montréal pop and psyche group the High Dials. He leaves that band in 2006 and spends the following years studying Indian classical music. During that period he also plays sitar on recordings by the Black Angels and the Earlies.

In 2008, Dhir returns to writing pop-oriented material, and Elephant Stone takes shape around his interest in combining strong pop songwriting with raga influences. The band’s debut album, The Seven Seas, receives a Polaris Music Prize nomination and is long-listed for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize.

Recording style and releases

Elephant Stone records The Glass Box EP using an all-analogue process at Breakglass Studios in Montréal. The sessions use a vintage Neve console and a 16-track 2" tape machine. The result is a five-song release built around power-pop and psychedelic material. The EP is issued digitally and on 12-inch vinyl.

Members and live lineup

The band is listed with Rishi Dhir on vocals, bass, sitar and geetar, Gab Lambert on geetar, bass and backing vocals, Bobby Fraser on keys, Mike O’Brien on geetar, bass and backing vocals, and Jules Pampena on drums and backing vocals.

Tours and collaborations

Elephant Stone tours with the Brian Jonestown Massacre in North America and plays dates in the UK and Europe, as well as North American shows with fellow Montréal group The Besnard Lakes.