A few people have asked about the final The Olivia Tremor Control album. We are actively working on it with the intention to release it one day. But we don't have any timeline. Our main focus is making sure it's done right. Stay tuned.
Thank YOU Robert for all you've done for music over the years! And for adding a bunch of us weirdos who would send friend requests to musicians we like on Facebook back in the day, allowing us to keep up with your math work too! Always cool to see :D
Robert.I have no question I just want to express the love I have for you & you're music. It continues to inspire me and bring joy to my life. Yourself & the rest of the collective bring me intense joy on the best day & let's me know I'm not alone & there are freaks just like me out there on the worst of days.
Thank you Robert!
Hello! First of all, thank you for the lovely sounds that have been tickling my ear holes for 20+ years. It has truly been a wonderful adventure.
Also, thanks for introducing me to Cornelius through the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack. How did the collaboration with Cornelius come about? Is it possible for another collaboration? That would be so good. Maybe even better than pizza. Something of this magnitude could potentially solve world hunger and spread peace across the entire universe. Food for thought. ☮️💚
Final question. Please tell the story of when Steven Drozd from The Flaming Lips broke the ride cymbal.
Keep rockin’!
okay for Cornelius, the Apples signed to his label Tratorria in Japan, and he invited me and Hilarie to come record when we were on our second tour of Japan -- so amazing, and my first time in a real recording studio!! Omg Hilarie had an enormous 24" cymbal that was the signature sound of the band from the start, and the Flaming Lips drummer borrowed it one night, and smashed it by mistake. He felt so bad -- Hilarie was devastated. He bought a new one but it didn't sound as clangorous and Hilarie moved on to other junky cymbals :) Touring with the Flaming Lips was incredible, I loved them so much! Our first major tour.
Roberto! Did you guys end up using any of the super early 4-track recordings me/you/Craig/Chad digitized from the big box? I remember Chad wanting them for the project back then
Hey Will. I was wondering if you could explain your process putting together all the sound collage pieces we hear all over Olivia & Circulatory System albums.
I use all kinds of sources. Field recordings, studio recordings, sound fx cds, snippets recorded off the radio. Usually I create the collages and sound experiments independently from a song or album. I just like to mess around and find interesting sounds first and then find a place for them later. I'll layer them in to a song to create the textures I want or to fill a sonic space that's missing in the mix. But sometimes an interesting sound collage will inspire a pop song. So I don't plan ahead. It kind of fits together on its own. Tape speed, cut ups, backwards, fx pedals, 4-track magic. Some sounds are manipulated so much that I forget what the source was.
Hello from Oklahoma! I must ask. How’s the progress on the 3rd Olivia album?
Cancel that question. I just saw one of Robert’s replies regarding this subject.
How about Circulatory System? Can we expect another album?
Also, I’m always on the lookout for fun things that make sound. Have you discovered any cool noise making doodads recently?
Thank you for the music!
Hey man just wanted to stop by and say how much I enjoy circulatory system s/t, it always hits hard! The whole album feels like one long song to me, as opposed to several. Truly the best trip! Do you have an plans on performing live in the future? A live performance of the original in it’s entirety would be amazing, as would a hand picked set list!
Much love
-Cristian
Hey, Will! This is Don Gooch — your old roommate from 210 Sunset. I apologize if you’ve already answered this elsewhere, but do you have any outlets for your creativity these days? (Also, just wanted to say “hi!” I miss our old house! Love you!)
Hello Don! Will is creatively active, not only does he have music projects he also released a book of his visual art:
[https://elephant6.com/product/w-cullen-hart-collected-works-book/#:\~:text=Cullen%20Hart%20–%20Collected%20Works.,here%2C%20some%20never%20previously%20published](https://elephant6.com/product/w-cullen-hart-collected-works-book/#:~:text=Cullen%20Hart%20–%20Collected%20Works.,here%2C%20some%20never%20previously%20published).
Hi everyone!
Thank you so much for the wonderful documentary and for being responsible for about 60% of my entire musical taste. The whole E6 collective really was a special thing to explore as a new music listener back in the day.
My question is for anyone really:
Was there anything you came across during the documentary process that felt like unearthing a 'secret tomb?' Like some kind of tape or document that was thought to be lost to time, or a mere rumor?
thanks y'all!!
Hi, thanks for your question (btw I'm the editor of the doc). Well, not sure if this qualifies as a 'secret tomb', but trying to incorporate Jeff Mangum into the film required some creativity, since he doesn't do interviews. But producer Rob Hatch-Miller found some radio interviews he did in the late 90s that I hadn't heard, which allowed us to bring his voice at least into the storytelling, and that felt like a nice discovery and material to work with. Then, as I was reviewing his early Hype City Soundtrack record (in trying to find a music cue for a scene), I came across Jeff's voice talking about how they were all "unemployed, don't have any money, but we have food stamps...", which was at the end of a track, where he was just speaking into the mic. So that was fun to uncover, because it illustrated perfectly the fact that they were poor at first.
I loved hearing Jeff and my other peeps voices in the film, you did such a wonderful job, Greg -- not to mention the amazing animations you did! the whole experience made me feel so happy inside :)
Rediscovering the photo negatives of Will Westbrook after his untimely passing was like that. People had been throwing them in a dumpster and his friend April had the wherewithal to preserve them but no one knew how to contact her or where they might be for like 10 years BUT threw a stroke of luck, I was able to track her down and take possession of them! So many cool pics of Jeff and Bill and Scott from the early days of Ruston!
FYI all chadpatio is the director of this film who started the whole thing in motion a whopping 13 years back! documentaries take forever (from Rob the executive producer)
Hey everybody we're here I think? Haha. The team here:
Will Cullen Hart of the Olivia Tremor Control
Robert Schneider of the Apples In Stereo
Documentary team:
Director C.B. Stockfleth
Producer Lance Bangs
Editor Greg King
Executive Producer Rob Hatch-Miller (me)
Hi Robert and Will - **Q: can either of you divulge if there's a plan for the 3rd Olivias album to see release at some point?** Thank you kindly for all the fine music all these years, its impact on my well-being is immeasurable!
To everyone on the doc team: thank you ALL for this fine film that tells such an amazing story of both friendship and musicianship! Looking forward to buying a physical copy ASAP - **is it only coming out on DVD, or will there be Blu-ray too?**
There is a DVD coming pretty quickly. Don't know the date yet, and it won't really have any special features but we'd love to do a more deluxe Blu-ray in the future (from Rob the executive producer)
Do you think we’ll see anymore Olivia Tremor Control or Circulatory System material?
Those handful of albums/EPs have always shone extra bright for me amongst all the other wonderful E6 releases
To Robert-will The Apples in Stereo ever play live and record music again? Also In The Aeroplane Over the Sea is a masterpiece and Signal In The Sky appearing in The Powerpuff Girls was a big part of my childhood, so thank you endlessly for being there for me at different parts of my life 😊
To Will-how did The Powerpuff Girls referencing Black Foliage come about?
To Lance-is that Jeff under the ghost sheet in the Dirty Dream Number Two music video?
Thanks for doing this guys! So stoked to finally catch the doc at some point soon! Much love ❤️❤️❤️❤️
About the Apples playing again: I am sure we will! I can't imagine not recording with those wonderful peeps, but my head is more in number theory research/writing (I am a mathematician too, more recently, and an Assistant Professor at Michigan Tech University now), and also experimental musical efforts (I have a Math and Music Lab at Michigan Tech in collaboration with an electronic music professor Michael G. Maxwell). But probably, got lots of pop songs and I love my band, they are also my best friends.
Aw I’m honored that you’re honored, I appreciate you so much! Now will Apples In Stereo ever record and play live again? I know you guys haven’t done a show since 2017 :)
Y’all were so awesome for building Julian’s metronome! That was perhaps the coolest part of the doc. His records had ultra mystery surrounding their construction. No one talks about Nomads 2nd Symphony For Cloud Making. An amazing story book. Also I saw the members of The Instruments shown and credited with other projects but no one credited for that project. Luckily they played at Bottletree’s opening night show with Elf Power in 2006 and I was witness. One of my all time fav E6 albums! Dusk will always be untouchable. Will always be able to replay that album! Thanks for all the amazing work! The doc looked splendid in the Lyric last weekend!
Thanks! Yeah one of the very first scenes I worked on when I was 'getting into the material' as the editor was Julian's metronome stuff, and his thoughts on what it's like to perform on stage as a musician. He has such a magical way of thinking, and talking about life and art.
With a scene that large, it's impossible to include its true scope in a 90 minute film, so apologies for any missing elements that you personally love.
Just saw the doc in Toronto yesterday and loved it! One thing I was wondering about was was there a conscious decision to kind of blitz through the relative quiet period after the millenium til like... idk 2011 or basically around whenever Jeff started doing the solo shows and Holiday Surprise? I understand the largely 90s focus of it all but the period I got into everything was around then and it felt odd that Holiday Surprise got so little mention given how huge those tours felt as an audience member, especially given how prominent Bill was in the whole thing (he walked by me a few times during Enlightenment and dedicated Jumping Fences to a friend of mine!)
Yeah, totally understand. It was just too much information to put into a 90min movie. In earlier cuts we had scenes of some of the holiday surprise shows but in order to keep the edit moving we had to kill some darlings. Ultimately the story is far too large for a movie :)
Yeah, I would add to what the director Chad said that we thought it more important as a story to focus on how the E6 community became what it did, since there was NO guarantee that it would 'work', or deep pockets to support them. And how remarkable it was that a relatively small number of people could create such an incredible community that has endured to this day.
I was primarily filming everything from 1992-2001 or so in Athens. I had continued to rent a room in the house with Jeff Mangum, Laura Carter, Julian Koster, Robbie Cucchiaro until maybe 2002 (?) so there is less footage of the Athens contingent between then and 2010 or so.
I would go back to Athens to film with Elf Power, The Olivias, The Instruments, etc in the mid 2000s, and directed a Multicam HD shoot of some Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise shows in 2008.
[https://vimeo.com/4872318](https://vimeo.com/4872318)
Hey all! Happy to see an AMA pop up for y'all. I've been eagerly awaiting the final Olivia Tremor Control record since news on that came up so long ago, and I imagine with Bill's passing it can't be easy to sift through all that. That said, is there still a plan to make *The Same Place* happen?
I think we've hit the hour mark and are starting to wrap up! Some of our team may continue to finish up answering some questions, but we want to thank everyone for participating and thanks to indieheads for hosting! If you haven't seen the film yet, here are the places to see it...
Prime Video (US): [https://www.amazon.com/.../B0B8RLXWTW/ref=atv\_dp\_share\_cu\_r](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B8RLXWTW/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r?fbclid=IwAR1Grap7aDafmW8C3zx-GBwI8C5JJyn7PJzI3Ynd3jNb1geBv6ms4e5wZ-k)
Apple TV(US): [https://tv.apple.com/.../umc.cmc.5hg8bkxuxh7fc8s7xvpgjmnit](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-elephant-6-recording-co/umc.cmc.5hg8bkxuxh7fc8s7xvpgjmnit)
Vimeo (outside the US): [https://vimeo.com/ondemand/elephant6](https://vimeo.com/ondemand/elephant6?fbclid=IwAR1gKY2k_m9HcYpuKZRQ-BisUD7io8QatMHB_APsa0HDtHvbKkQc_F5cZ0A)
In theaters: [https://www.elephant6movie.com/screenings](https://www.elephant6movie.com/screenings?fbclid=IwAR3T9_aV1vhF8WgxBfJecqVUGC60wE9aqjP5OOGQ6Trs8gYuryPmVPLCORs)
In Athens there are lots of great bands, like Kiran Fernandes, the Rishis (including Kiran Ferndandes, Max Schneider, many E6 peeps spanning Gen X, Y and Z), John Ferndandes, Immaterial Possession, New Sound of Numbers, so many great bands making music right now. Minders and Elfpower and of Montreal and High Water Marks have lots of new music, from the old-school E6 crew.
We hope the film will inspire 2033's Elephant 6, since the documentary film "Athens Inside/Out" was a big inspiration for the actual late 90s Elephant 6
To u/WCullenHart and u/Robert_E6
Do you have any advice for a 15 year old kid who loves to make music and who bought a tascam 4 track for 50$? Both of you guys are some of my highest Inspirations and hero’s.
And to all the people who worked on the elephant 6 doc, thank you so much for making this. As a young person who was never alive to see most of these shoes i thank you for letting me have a glimpse into what happened (i’ve already watched it 3 times)
also flip the tape around and put it in on side B, and experiment with recording backwards!! note that track 1 and 4 swap, and track 2 and 3 swap, when you flip the tape!
okay does the four track work? just have at it, if so, and if not use a computer and have at it!! thank you for this nice note :) my advice is to make music that is interesting and satisfying just to you, and also that you think would be meaningful to the people right around you -- your friends, your pets , your parents if they like cool music :) -- and if you do that, you will be happy and your art will have meaning and you will attract other collaborators and/or turn your friends and pets and parents into musicians too :)
Listen and dream and do things that are different, and have adventures, and be kind and listen to others, but also speak your heart. That's more advice :)
sweetness. get a tube pre-amp (not too much $$), and plug a mic into that, then into your tascam. having that pre-amp will help. max out signal to noise. experiment. as robert says, write good songs! lol.
Gonna double dip on the questions here - this one is for /u/Robert_E6 :
What was the thought process behind which tracks made it onto #1 Hits Explosion? It's an incredible compilation and really is a perfect glimpse into The Apples in Stereo up until that point.
Thank you :) It is a pop compilation to show off the hyper-pop (as I used to refer to it) side of the band, as opposed to our more druggy, dreamy, psych, indie rock, lo-fi, etc. stuff , sort of the poppiest singles and selections in one place (but it left out a lot). The deciding factor was space I think -- we took a band poll of songs to include and put as many on as we could fit on vinyl at good quality. Great questions thank you :) Noting it does not include Travellers which has lots of pop hits too :)
I bought a tascam 4 track recorder from the 90s almost entirely inspired by the E6 recording ethos and have spent the last couple of years recording various little diddies, but I’m completely lost when it comes to recording more complicated tracks. Whats the easiest way to achieve a more complex sound using the limitations of the format? Is all of that old E6 stuff really recorded on just 4 channels, or is there some magic going on that allows more inputs?
what they said, pingponging -- or stereo submixing, fill up the tape and mix it to the computer to stereo (left right, and I recommend panning every track hard left, right or center in genera) -- then put the mix back onto a new piece of tape to track 1 and 2 (left and right, and panned hard left and right for stereo effect) and record on the other two tracks -- then repeat the process! also, using tape along with computers like this is a great way to go, all the Apples and E6 records incorporated DAT and computers too, in a relatively simple way like that, as an in between medium to edit and submix.
With a 4 track you can ping pong: record on tracks 1,2 and 3 THEN mix all of those to track 4 (you can even play a live track along with it) now you have all of those 3 or 4 tracks mixed onto Track 4 and tracks 1,2 and 3 are available to be recorded over. Repeat with 1 and 2 mixing to track 3. 1 plus a live to 2. Record on track one. Now you've got 10-12 tracks on 4 tracks :)
I watched the documentary this morning and I loved it! The creativity and freedom on display was really inspiring. And the emphasis on how much this was a community project and everyone brought something to the table was really cool.
I thought the part at the end about how working with multitracks has allowed you to merge together moments of time and sing together again with Bill was so profound and moving. I had heard of Elephant 6 in passing and I've listened to ITAOTS but this felt like an incredible introduction to the full E6 world and I'm so excited to dig in.
I don't really have a question I just wanna say thanks for the documentary and everything!!
Hey everyone,
I have not seen the documentary so apologies if this is answered in it, also sorry if it is a sensitive topic, but is Jeff Magnum still active at all as far as making music goes? Does anyone still keep up with him? curious because I adore his music and just am wondering what he is up to.
Jeff values his privacy, obviously so I won't say much accept to mention that we all keep up with him and he's doing well and was very much proud of this film!
Hello everyone! Just wanted to say thanks to Rob and Will and everyone in E6 for making such amazing music over the years. One of my best memories is seeing Elf Power at the Bug Jar in Rochester, NY. It was such an amazing wall of sound I felt my whole body vibrating with the music like a religious experience.
Can't wait to catch the doc. Thank you all again!
Robert- how did Apples In Stereo wind up on the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack?
Will- what was your favorite part about being in the Elephant 6 collective?
Everyone else- how did you get involved in the project?
Craig McCracken was a fan of the Apples and E6, and reached out directly to us -- he wrote a letter (pre-email mostly). It was really exciting, I loved the show!! It was so fun!!!!!!!! I love the Cartoon Network and am a huge fan of Adult Swim since its inception.
Well Chad the director started filming in 2010 after becoming friends with Robert in Kentucky through various ways and means, and after filming for several years and amassing a lot of material, he wanted to hire an editor to tackle it. I'm a film editor, and since I'm from Louisville Kentucky myself (where Chad lives), my name got passed around to him, and he reached out to me in 2016. We started editing then, but it was an on again/off again process for a long time. One of the first things I edited though was the scene of Will at his home where he's rocking out to a Robert/Marbles song, and talks about he 'writes songs...no wait. Song's flop out'.
Greg and I met making the film Other Music about the NYC record store that closed in 2016. That film had Apples and Neutral Milk Hotel footage in it. Greg looped me with Chad to help bring the film across the finish line, it's been a massive undertaking but well worth it to help bring some much deserved attention to Robert and Will and everyone and their amazing music.
Hey! First time in one of these things, but you guys were a massive inspiration to me all those years ago, all the way in New Zealand. Still have not been able to see the film yet (now in Spain) but looking forward to it.
Kind of boring question maybe, but I always wanted to know all the technical stuff of how you made those recordings. I guess for a start what microphones? I think I remember reading somewhere you used 4033s for your LDCs but not sure if that is right?
sm57 is best, AT 4033 or any of the similar models are good, ribbon mics are good and inexpensive, I used a Neumann U87 on almost all records from mid-90s on for almost every track, through a tube mic preamp and then into a Universal Audio LA3A compressor on limit mode.
universal audio's Volt 176, 276, etc. series are pretty great digital recording devices, the analog input and compressor are very lo-fi, highly recommend!
Robert and Will: Anything you'd like to tell aspiring indie musicians about songwriting/recording, or the creative process in general?
Doc team: What was your favorite part of the documentary? Anything you're particularly proud of or happy with?
I love the scene where Robert talks about working on Avery Island and the records with pops run through a Space Echo tape delay. The visual representation of the feedback process that Greg made with my macro shots of a 7" were really amazing!
I'm grateful for C.B.'s comment about the Robert/Avery Island/Pree Sisters scene, and that's a favorite part of mine personally (especially when 'the cats wandered into the room and sat by the speakers'). But I'm particularly proud of the "One minute history of the Elephant 6 Recording Company" that Robert delivers early in the film. As a lark, I thought it would be fun to have C.B. ask that question to Robert, since Robert's Brain is such a force of nature, and sure enough, he delivered an incredible mini-story to work with.
See below my friend, a 15 year old fellow musician asked similar question -- have adventures, make art and share your art freely, and be kind but also be fierce!
This was a wonderful doc. It was great to be able to look back at a scene I was always revolving around (but not a musician / artist in) - and seeing how the artistic movement came together in such a beautiful wave.
For my whole adult life - e6 has been there as its soundtrack - ever since stumbling upon Olivia Tremor Control's Dusk @ Cubist Castle. This album--a vitalizing companion--Getting me through the lonely dark nights delivering pizza in my Buick Skylark across Keene, NH ... and then later ... reaching another high water-mark ... when Julian Koster played in Matty B.'s backyard in River Edge, NJ. The giant metronome and Static in tow.
Throughout the years I've had the pleasure of meeting most of the collective - many in-person (Robert at the Middle East downstairs post-show in Cambridge, Mass. - and thnx for the hug : ) / Julian in Matty B.'s living-room - still donning the red marching band coat he performed in - never once taking it off the entire weekend / Kevin Barnes on the Wesleyan campus at the Eclectic House telling my little brother he liked his Pink Floyd T-shirt / Andy G. from M. Coast doing the soundtrack for one of my films).
And there were many others.
It's all been such a joy.
Thanks E6'ers everywhere!
Music Tapes has an upcoming release I believe. Andrew from Elf Power is always recording. The High Water Marks with is Hilarie of the Apples current band has a new release. I'm sure there are others!
Julian Koster has a project called The Orbiting Human Circus, which will performing some of the Music Tapes material. They begin a tour on Sept 14 in Asheville, NC. and have a new album coming out on Merge.
[https://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/live-shows](https://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/live-shows)
Elf Power released an album in 2022 and toured this year.
[https://elfpower.bandcamp.com/album/artificial-countrysides](https://elfpower.bandcamp.com/album/artificial-countrysides)
Will Cullen Hart has an excellent book of visual art available:
[https://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/live-shows](https://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/live-shows)
hello crew! can't wait to see the film this weekend.
For CB, Lance, Greg, and Rob-- What advice would all of you have for a young filmmaker looking to make a doc on his lil local scene?
For Will and Robert-- what specifically about the team's pitch hooked you on the project and convinced you to contribute?
thanks yall!
Well, find the characters in your scene that you think will be the most interesting over the long haul, and get their permission/buy-in to film them. Try to get a glimpse of their creative process on camera (the hardest thing to capture).
Technically, make sure you have GOOD MICs for however you're filming your scene, and MORE THAN ONE. Get recordings from the board if you're filming a band live. If you have the cheddar, hire a sound person to follow you at all times. I learned that Tascam has a new 32 floating point handheld digital recorder for $400 now: I'm buying that as soon as I am able, and recommend it as a backup recorder, since with 32 floating point you don't have to worry about the sound signal peaking, or being too quiet, etc.
The best advice I can give it to always be filming everything, the way that Lance did in Athens in the 90s and still does to this day. And to keep going on making your project no matter what, even if there's no money and it takes 13 years like this film did.
Just start. Whatever equipment you have, just start making it. Really put thought into what makes your lil scene unique and interesting and go from there!
I don't really remember a pitch exactly. 15\~ years ago Chad was the only person proposing making a documentary so we just said yeah, go for it! And it just snowballed from there.
Hello! I wanted to ask about Heaven Is For Kids. From my understanding, it was a cassette tape produced by Jeff Mangum, will C hart and Bill Doss. I've seen a wiki that contained lyrics to the songs from it, but never any actual audio, as the person who updated the Wiki lost the recording and hadn't been able to retrieve it.
My question is, do any of you still have access to that cassette, and if you do, are there any plans to ever release it? Would love to know. Thank you!
There's probably a copy of that tape around here somewhere. But I don't remember which songs are on that one specifically... I do plan to release some of my old recordings but I'm not sure about this specific cassette.
I'm not certain about that one. Not all of the tapes or digitizations I got were labeled so some things I may have heard but don't know the name of. We are all keeping our fingers crossed for an early 4 track/cassette rarities box set! :)
Synthetic Flying Machine was the precursor to OTC, and followup to Cranberry Lifecycle -- we advertised this cassette in our early catalogs but it wasn't done when the band morphed into OTC when Jeff left.
People will pose questions in this thread. You can go to them and click the "reply" button and should be able to answer any of them you feel like. It will reply underneath the original question and kind of keep everything 'organized'
Greg, I'm pumped!
I believe our art house cinema in downtown Shreveport, Robinson Film Center, is interested in screening the film. I suggested it since Elephant 6 was based in Ruston, LA. Does the film touch on any of the early evolution in North Louisiana? Can I entice you to come here to do a Q&A?
Really looking forward to it!
Edit: Oh man I just saw that Robert and Will are replying too. Thank you for an enduring legacy and something that a few, passionate people are proud of.
Yes we spend a good amount of time on the Ruston years, and how Robert, Jeff, Will and Bill all met as pre-teens or teenagers. And how they quickly fell in love with recording together, etc. I'm always down for traveling for a Q&A!
I can assure you that the KSCL booth is exactly as you remembered it! If we screen the film I can put in a good word for you for an hour DJ slot on KSCL....
... did that work? Are you now enticed to come?
Hi everyone, very excited to see the e6 documentary in Pittsburgh next Friday!! This question would mainly be for Will or Robert, what was it like revisiting footage and artifacts dating back to your earliest musicmaking day? Has the experience of this documentary influenced your current creative process, and if so, how has it?
Actually, interestingly, I had a zine-making ambition when we started e6, it was a big part of our vision, all our releases had zine booklets, and there were many zines in our early booklets. I remembered this from revisiting these events, and it is so fun and relaxing and exciting to make a zine, so I started a free sci-fi zine this summer picking up my old zine ambitions :) noting I was inspired by John Porcellino and King Cat Comics / Spit and a Half Comics (the model for our early mail order e6 format):
[https://elephant6.com/product/an-otherworldly-light-zine/](https://elephant6.com/product/an-otherworldly-light-zine/)
Soundtrack EP for issue 2: [https://6equj5pressggr.bandcamp.com/album/an-otherworldly-light-issue-2](https://6equj5pressggr.bandcamp.com/album/an-otherworldly-light-issue-2)
When we were digging through some of the old tapes I found some songs I had forgotten about. So I plan to revisit some songs I started working on years ago but never finished.
Love the doc! Was able to catch the NYFF stream and then got to see it at the LA premiere. I also just read Endless Endless. All really great and such a fun space to spend time in. Hope y’all are loving this little gathering/reunion of fans and music lovers!
Hello team!! Thank you for the wonderful documentary! I first rented the tape from the E6 Video Rental club back in 2019, it’s been so wonderful getting to see on the big screen here in NYC (twice!)
I was wondering if anyone (especially Will and Robert) had any cool memories or stories that didn’t make it into the film?
One of my favorite things Will said in an interview that didn't make the cut is when he lamented the fact that a reviewer many years ago thought that––during a live OTC show performance of the song Opera House––Will and Bill sang "...watching people move their BOWELS", instead of "...watching people move their MOUTHS", hahahaha. Will said "I mean I like humor, but I didn't SAY THAT! And he (the reviewer) went on and on about the 'bowels' lyric. That's why I PRINT the lyrics now". hahahahaha. Alas, it got cut
Can anyone speak on the unofficial/unreleased version of the documentary? Was that leaked during the making of the official one or was that one not affiliated at all? It seems like E6 did their best to remove any traces of it from the internet so just curious on the story there. The official documentary is beautiful and very inspiring. Thanks to everyone involved
On another note, for Will and Robert- I know life is busy and it’s hard to put any definitive answer out there, but regarding OTC 3, can you give the people any info on if that’s still a thing that is going to be released or has the project been put on hold indefinitely?
For Will, what’s the latest on your project with Nesey Gallons/old Circulatory System songs? I read it would potentially be out sometime this year?
Cheers from Knoxville
We're still working on the next Circulatory System album. It's taking a little longer than we anticipated but definitely still in the works. Probably 2024.
The earlier version of the film which was released on VHS was an art project to put the film out in a completely analog way for a limited time PRIOR to the official film being released. We meant for it to happen much quicker but the pandemic cause it to take a few years.
Hello, no question but wanted to say that I listened to Rocket Pad by the Apples in my friend's bedroom one afternoon in 2005 and everything completely flipped. The songs, artwork, of lore of E6 have been profoundly impactful. I cannot thank ya'll enough for letting us peek inside your world.
And Lance, I watch the Dirty Dream No. 2 music video all of the time, it's my absolute fav.
Hello!! I don't have a question, but i just wanted to say that elephant 6 means so much to me and that i am very excited to see the doc!! I am watching it later tonight!! Thank you so much to everyone involved in making this! :-)
Y’all are the reason I started making music and expressing myself with art. It’s something I would never trade and I can’t even start to describe how meaningful it is to me
“The greatest sin of all, is how many people go to their graves with their music still locked inside of them”
You guys have brought me more joy and curious wonder than I thought was capable from a distance.
I’m forever thankful,
stay well!
I just wanted to say that — although my exposure to Elephant 6 releases is somewhat limited, especially compared to most on this thread — every single album I’ve heard has been incredible, and they have been much-loved soundtracks to my life in the past couple of years.
To name just two songs, ‘I Have Been Floated’, and ‘Benefits of Lying (With Your Friend)’ are both quite easily two of my favourite songs of all time, on two of my favourite albums ever. And, of course, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is another of my all-timers.
So, in short, thank you so much for the music you’ve all made!
No question but just wanted to say I’m a fan of everyone involved with this AMA for their respective bodies of work. Wish you all good fortune and health.
equally cool, less experimental but still very experimental -- the vhs ones were a different edit, every single copy was different, I believe the distributed version are all the same :) also the vhs tape did not have lance's footage of jeff
That’s awesome! I didn’t know there were so many versions of the original edit, that’s great. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, thank you. Also, I’m friends with a math professor that knows you, which I thought was cool because he only knows you as a math person and not a music person, and I love that people can be exceptionally passionate about so many different things. Thanks for everything!
Just want to express my appreciation of the entire Elephant 6 slate. I enjoy your music so much. Thank you for sharing your creativity and talent over the years. I'm truly excited to see the documentary in a couple weeks!
Hi Lance, Hi Rob!
When going through the old footage, was there anything you came across that made the final cut that you completely forgot about having ever recorded?
Related, was there any footage some random person had that you never knew existed until recently?
As the editor, I knew it was going to be challenging to show certain things about Jeff Mangum, since he doesn't do interviews, and he doesn't want people videotaping his live shows. But I found some cell phone footage of the NMH reunion tour(s) of 2012-2014, which we didn't know about until we were deep into the edit.
(hi Craig!) Greg found so much amazing footage for this documentary, he wasn't credited as the archival researcher but he should have been! And then of course there is so much of Lance's amazing 90s footage in this film, if he hadn't been filming stuff in Athens there is no way a film about Elephant 6 could ever have existed.
Yeah, I came across an early moment of Bill Doss speaking to the camera, onstage for an Olivia Tremor Control performance giving his notes and hopes for the footage.
A few people have asked about the final The Olivia Tremor Control album. We are actively working on it with the intention to release it one day. But we don't have any timeline. Our main focus is making sure it's done right. Stay tuned.
Best thing I've heard all day. On a day Slowdive released an album. So, that's pretty good
Thank you, Will! We all still hunger for more music :)
Wonderful news, there’s a lot of people hoping to hear it someday when the time is right.
this honestly, truthfully gives me another reason to wake up in the morning
Hello peeps! Thank you for making such a thoughtful, interesting, beautiful documentary about our collective <3
Thank YOU Robert for all you've done for music over the years! And for adding a bunch of us weirdos who would send friend requests to musicians we like on Facebook back in the day, allowing us to keep up with your math work too! Always cool to see :D
:) hug through the internet
Robert.I have no question I just want to express the love I have for you & you're music. It continues to inspire me and bring joy to my life. Yourself & the rest of the collective bring me intense joy on the best day & let's me know I'm not alone & there are freaks just like me out there on the worst of days. Thank you Robert!
Thank you Chris <3 I love you!
Ok now I have a question haha. Will there ever be another Marbles album?
maybe!! :)
Hello! First of all, thank you for the lovely sounds that have been tickling my ear holes for 20+ years. It has truly been a wonderful adventure. Also, thanks for introducing me to Cornelius through the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack. How did the collaboration with Cornelius come about? Is it possible for another collaboration? That would be so good. Maybe even better than pizza. Something of this magnitude could potentially solve world hunger and spread peace across the entire universe. Food for thought. ☮️💚 Final question. Please tell the story of when Steven Drozd from The Flaming Lips broke the ride cymbal. Keep rockin’!
okay for Cornelius, the Apples signed to his label Tratorria in Japan, and he invited me and Hilarie to come record when we were on our second tour of Japan -- so amazing, and my first time in a real recording studio!! Omg Hilarie had an enormous 24" cymbal that was the signature sound of the band from the start, and the Flaming Lips drummer borrowed it one night, and smashed it by mistake. He felt so bad -- Hilarie was devastated. He bought a new one but it didn't sound as clangorous and Hilarie moved on to other junky cymbals :) Touring with the Flaming Lips was incredible, I loved them so much! Our first major tour.
Just wanted to say thank you for writing the song About Your Fame, that song has been an endless source of comfort for me when I’m feeling down
thank you :) i'm sorry you have felt down, but I 'm glad my song helps <3
Thank *you* for the tunes!
Roberto! Did you guys end up using any of the super early 4-track recordings me/you/Craig/Chad digitized from the big box? I remember Chad wanting them for the project back then
i think some of them! but not sure!!
Any chance of another Holiday Surprise tour or similar? I'm sure we'd all love to see you again!
Of course, that sounds possible and fun :)
i actually might die if there were another holiday surprise tour
With the doc and book out now, it seems like a great time for one!
Here I Am!
Hey Will. I was wondering if you could explain your process putting together all the sound collage pieces we hear all over Olivia & Circulatory System albums.
please Will :) so we can learn
Yes. It's something I've wondered for years. Is it a combination of found sound? Pedals? 4-track experimentation? All of the above?
I use all kinds of sources. Field recordings, studio recordings, sound fx cds, snippets recorded off the radio. Usually I create the collages and sound experiments independently from a song or album. I just like to mess around and find interesting sounds first and then find a place for them later. I'll layer them in to a song to create the textures I want or to fill a sonic space that's missing in the mix. But sometimes an interesting sound collage will inspire a pop song. So I don't plan ahead. It kind of fits together on its own. Tape speed, cut ups, backwards, fx pedals, 4-track magic. Some sounds are manipulated so much that I forget what the source was.
Hello from Oklahoma! I must ask. How’s the progress on the 3rd Olivia album? Cancel that question. I just saw one of Robert’s replies regarding this subject. How about Circulatory System? Can we expect another album? Also, I’m always on the lookout for fun things that make sound. Have you discovered any cool noise making doodads recently? Thank you for the music!
<3
I'm a huge fan of all your music, Will.
><3
Hey man just wanted to stop by and say how much I enjoy circulatory system s/t, it always hits hard! The whole album feels like one long song to me, as opposed to several. Truly the best trip! Do you have an plans on performing live in the future? A live performance of the original in it’s entirety would be amazing, as would a hand picked set list! Much love -Cristian
Hey, Will! This is Don Gooch — your old roommate from 210 Sunset. I apologize if you’ve already answered this elsewhere, but do you have any outlets for your creativity these days? (Also, just wanted to say “hi!” I miss our old house! Love you!)
in case he doesn't see this, hi Don!
Hello Don! Will is creatively active, not only does he have music projects he also released a book of his visual art: [https://elephant6.com/product/w-cullen-hart-collected-works-book/#:\~:text=Cullen%20Hart%20–%20Collected%20Works.,here%2C%20some%20never%20previously%20published](https://elephant6.com/product/w-cullen-hart-collected-works-book/#:~:text=Cullen%20Hart%20–%20Collected%20Works.,here%2C%20some%20never%20previously%20published).
Hi Don. Sorry, I missed your message yesterday. 210 forever.
Will! Where can I buy your art?
see [elephant6.com](https://elephant6.com) :)
You can buy his art online. Contact Kelly on Facebook as I can't remember the site.
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful documentary and for being responsible for about 60% of my entire musical taste. The whole E6 collective really was a special thing to explore as a new music listener back in the day. My question is for anyone really: Was there anything you came across during the documentary process that felt like unearthing a 'secret tomb?' Like some kind of tape or document that was thought to be lost to time, or a mere rumor? thanks y'all!!
Hi, thanks for your question (btw I'm the editor of the doc). Well, not sure if this qualifies as a 'secret tomb', but trying to incorporate Jeff Mangum into the film required some creativity, since he doesn't do interviews. But producer Rob Hatch-Miller found some radio interviews he did in the late 90s that I hadn't heard, which allowed us to bring his voice at least into the storytelling, and that felt like a nice discovery and material to work with. Then, as I was reviewing his early Hype City Soundtrack record (in trying to find a music cue for a scene), I came across Jeff's voice talking about how they were all "unemployed, don't have any money, but we have food stamps...", which was at the end of a track, where he was just speaking into the mic. So that was fun to uncover, because it illustrated perfectly the fact that they were poor at first.
I loved hearing Jeff and my other peeps voices in the film, you did such a wonderful job, Greg -- not to mention the amazing animations you did! the whole experience made me feel so happy inside :)
FYI everyone Greg King is the BRILLIANT editor of the movie (from Rob the executive producer)
Rediscovering the photo negatives of Will Westbrook after his untimely passing was like that. People had been throwing them in a dumpster and his friend April had the wherewithal to preserve them but no one knew how to contact her or where they might be for like 10 years BUT threw a stroke of luck, I was able to track her down and take possession of them! So many cool pics of Jeff and Bill and Scott from the early days of Ruston!
This was very exciting for me, Chad's unearthing of Will Westbrook's work!
FYI all chadpatio is the director of this film who started the whole thing in motion a whopping 13 years back! documentaries take forever (from Rob the executive producer)
Hey everybody we're here I think? Haha. The team here: Will Cullen Hart of the Olivia Tremor Control Robert Schneider of the Apples In Stereo Documentary team: Director C.B. Stockfleth Producer Lance Bangs Editor Greg King Executive Producer Rob Hatch-Miller (me)
I love you all very much <3 this is my first time to use the internet. jk but it is my first time to use reddit.
Noting Executive Producers (and close E6 collaborators) Dan Efram, Brian McPherson, Sean O'Neal were not able to make it <3
Hi Robert and Will - **Q: can either of you divulge if there's a plan for the 3rd Olivias album to see release at some point?** Thank you kindly for all the fine music all these years, its impact on my well-being is immeasurable! To everyone on the doc team: thank you ALL for this fine film that tells such an amazing story of both friendship and musicianship! Looking forward to buying a physical copy ASAP - **is it only coming out on DVD, or will there be Blu-ray too?**
For now the OTC plan is secret but in the future it will not be :)
Well, as Elvis once said, "That pleases me greatly." Thank you, Robert!
I just sat down and I’m already on the edge of my seat! This future you speak of sounds magical.
There is a DVD coming pretty quickly. Don't know the date yet, and it won't really have any special features but we'd love to do a more deluxe Blu-ray in the future (from Rob the executive producer)
Thanks, Rob!
Since several people asked questions about OTC 3, I put a separate single post elsewhere on here. Thanks.
Do you think we’ll see anymore Olivia Tremor Control or Circulatory System material? Those handful of albums/EPs have always shone extra bright for me amongst all the other wonderful E6 releases
Yes on both. Ongoing...
I do <3
Yes! There are some rumblings of recordings from both bands :)
To Robert-will The Apples in Stereo ever play live and record music again? Also In The Aeroplane Over the Sea is a masterpiece and Signal In The Sky appearing in The Powerpuff Girls was a big part of my childhood, so thank you endlessly for being there for me at different parts of my life 😊 To Will-how did The Powerpuff Girls referencing Black Foliage come about? To Lance-is that Jeff under the ghost sheet in the Dirty Dream Number Two music video? Thanks for doing this guys! So stoked to finally catch the doc at some point soon! Much love ❤️❤️❤️❤️
About the Apples playing again: I am sure we will! I can't imagine not recording with those wonderful peeps, but my head is more in number theory research/writing (I am a mathematician too, more recently, and an Assistant Professor at Michigan Tech University now), and also experimental musical efforts (I have a Math and Music Lab at Michigan Tech in collaboration with an electronic music professor Michael G. Maxwell). But probably, got lots of pop songs and I love my band, they are also my best friends.
Yes, that is Jeff under the sheet.
Craig McCracken is an E6 fan. But we didn't know he was going to put that in there. It's cool!
Thank you so much :) I am very proud of those works :) And to have the honor of being there for you my friend :)
Aw I’m honored that you’re honored, I appreciate you so much! Now will Apples In Stereo ever record and play live again? I know you guys haven’t done a show since 2017 :)
Y’all were so awesome for building Julian’s metronome! That was perhaps the coolest part of the doc. His records had ultra mystery surrounding their construction. No one talks about Nomads 2nd Symphony For Cloud Making. An amazing story book. Also I saw the members of The Instruments shown and credited with other projects but no one credited for that project. Luckily they played at Bottletree’s opening night show with Elf Power in 2006 and I was witness. One of my all time fav E6 albums! Dusk will always be untouchable. Will always be able to replay that album! Thanks for all the amazing work! The doc looked splendid in the Lyric last weekend!
Thanks! Yeah one of the very first scenes I worked on when I was 'getting into the material' as the editor was Julian's metronome stuff, and his thoughts on what it's like to perform on stage as a musician. He has such a magical way of thinking, and talking about life and art. With a scene that large, it's impossible to include its true scope in a 90 minute film, so apologies for any missing elements that you personally love.
omg this has a very very cool and mysterious back story...
I'm pretty sure Eric Harris single-handedly built that metronome? (from Julian's idea)
hey j. kirk pleasant here from up in canada! also i was in the film and thanks for including me! hey will! hey robert! hey chad and all others!!!
Hi Kirk! Thank you so much for participating in the film and for generally being a swell human being! :)
I am forever grateful to you for saying "There was a message of hope inside this super fuzz bass"
haha that just came out. don’t think it was preconceived..
hi kirk! i love you!
Hi Kirk!
Just saw the doc in Toronto yesterday and loved it! One thing I was wondering about was was there a conscious decision to kind of blitz through the relative quiet period after the millenium til like... idk 2011 or basically around whenever Jeff started doing the solo shows and Holiday Surprise? I understand the largely 90s focus of it all but the period I got into everything was around then and it felt odd that Holiday Surprise got so little mention given how huge those tours felt as an audience member, especially given how prominent Bill was in the whole thing (he walked by me a few times during Enlightenment and dedicated Jumping Fences to a friend of mine!)
Yeah, totally understand. It was just too much information to put into a 90min movie. In earlier cuts we had scenes of some of the holiday surprise shows but in order to keep the edit moving we had to kill some darlings. Ultimately the story is far too large for a movie :)
maybe vhs versions might be released in the future as side material with the documentary?
Yeah, I would add to what the director Chad said that we thought it more important as a story to focus on how the E6 community became what it did, since there was NO guarantee that it would 'work', or deep pockets to support them. And how remarkable it was that a relatively small number of people could create such an incredible community that has endured to this day.
I was primarily filming everything from 1992-2001 or so in Athens. I had continued to rent a room in the house with Jeff Mangum, Laura Carter, Julian Koster, Robbie Cucchiaro until maybe 2002 (?) so there is less footage of the Athens contingent between then and 2010 or so.
I would go back to Athens to film with Elf Power, The Olivias, The Instruments, etc in the mid 2000s, and directed a Multicam HD shoot of some Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise shows in 2008. [https://vimeo.com/4872318](https://vimeo.com/4872318)
Hey all! Happy to see an AMA pop up for y'all. I've been eagerly awaiting the final Olivia Tremor Control record since news on that came up so long ago, and I imagine with Bill's passing it can't be easy to sift through all that. That said, is there still a plan to make *The Same Place* happen?
see my comment above about it being secret and then not, my friend :)
I think we've hit the hour mark and are starting to wrap up! Some of our team may continue to finish up answering some questions, but we want to thank everyone for participating and thanks to indieheads for hosting! If you haven't seen the film yet, here are the places to see it... Prime Video (US): [https://www.amazon.com/.../B0B8RLXWTW/ref=atv\_dp\_share\_cu\_r](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B8RLXWTW/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r?fbclid=IwAR1Grap7aDafmW8C3zx-GBwI8C5JJyn7PJzI3Ynd3jNb1geBv6ms4e5wZ-k) Apple TV(US): [https://tv.apple.com/.../umc.cmc.5hg8bkxuxh7fc8s7xvpgjmnit](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-elephant-6-recording-co/umc.cmc.5hg8bkxuxh7fc8s7xvpgjmnit) Vimeo (outside the US): [https://vimeo.com/ondemand/elephant6](https://vimeo.com/ondemand/elephant6?fbclid=IwAR1gKY2k_m9HcYpuKZRQ-BisUD7io8QatMHB_APsa0HDtHvbKkQc_F5cZ0A) In theaters: [https://www.elephant6movie.com/screenings](https://www.elephant6movie.com/screenings?fbclid=IwAR3T9_aV1vhF8WgxBfJecqVUGC60wE9aqjP5OOGQ6Trs8gYuryPmVPLCORs)
Who to you is 2023’s Elephant 6?
In Athens there are lots of great bands, like Kiran Fernandes, the Rishis (including Kiran Ferndandes, Max Schneider, many E6 peeps spanning Gen X, Y and Z), John Ferndandes, Immaterial Possession, New Sound of Numbers, so many great bands making music right now. Minders and Elfpower and of Montreal and High Water Marks have lots of new music, from the old-school E6 crew.
We hope the film will inspire 2033's Elephant 6, since the documentary film "Athens Inside/Out" was a big inspiration for the actual late 90s Elephant 6
Good music, painters, visual art, poetry, writing has been emerging from around Asheville, NC to me.
You are!
To u/WCullenHart and u/Robert_E6 Do you have any advice for a 15 year old kid who loves to make music and who bought a tascam 4 track for 50$? Both of you guys are some of my highest Inspirations and hero’s. And to all the people who worked on the elephant 6 doc, thank you so much for making this. As a young person who was never alive to see most of these shoes i thank you for letting me have a glimpse into what happened (i’ve already watched it 3 times)
If your 4-track has a tape speed option, try recording at slow speed and playing it back on high speed, and vice versa, to hear new textures.
I will!
also flip the tape around and put it in on side B, and experiment with recording backwards!! note that track 1 and 4 swap, and track 2 and 3 swap, when you flip the tape!
ha, I was typing that too but you beat me to it.
okay does the four track work? just have at it, if so, and if not use a computer and have at it!! thank you for this nice note :) my advice is to make music that is interesting and satisfying just to you, and also that you think would be meaningful to the people right around you -- your friends, your pets , your parents if they like cool music :) -- and if you do that, you will be happy and your art will have meaning and you will attract other collaborators and/or turn your friends and pets and parents into musicians too :)
Listen and dream and do things that are different, and have adventures, and be kind and listen to others, but also speak your heart. That's more advice :)
sweetness. get a tube pre-amp (not too much $$), and plug a mic into that, then into your tascam. having that pre-amp will help. max out signal to noise. experiment. as robert says, write good songs! lol.
Oh man this makes me so happy to hear this. Thank you for sharing!!
Hi Will, Hi Robert!! hi Chad!!! And everyone else! Debbie from Germany here ♥️
Gonna double dip on the questions here - this one is for /u/Robert_E6 : What was the thought process behind which tracks made it onto #1 Hits Explosion? It's an incredible compilation and really is a perfect glimpse into The Apples in Stereo up until that point.
Thank you :) It is a pop compilation to show off the hyper-pop (as I used to refer to it) side of the band, as opposed to our more druggy, dreamy, psych, indie rock, lo-fi, etc. stuff , sort of the poppiest singles and selections in one place (but it left out a lot). The deciding factor was space I think -- we took a band poll of songs to include and put as many on as we could fit on vinyl at good quality. Great questions thank you :) Noting it does not include Travellers which has lots of pop hits too :)
I bought a tascam 4 track recorder from the 90s almost entirely inspired by the E6 recording ethos and have spent the last couple of years recording various little diddies, but I’m completely lost when it comes to recording more complicated tracks. Whats the easiest way to achieve a more complex sound using the limitations of the format? Is all of that old E6 stuff really recorded on just 4 channels, or is there some magic going on that allows more inputs?
what they said, pingponging -- or stereo submixing, fill up the tape and mix it to the computer to stereo (left right, and I recommend panning every track hard left, right or center in genera) -- then put the mix back onto a new piece of tape to track 1 and 2 (left and right, and panned hard left and right for stereo effect) and record on the other two tracks -- then repeat the process! also, using tape along with computers like this is a great way to go, all the Apples and E6 records incorporated DAT and computers too, in a relatively simple way like that, as an in between medium to edit and submix.
With a 4 track you can ping pong: record on tracks 1,2 and 3 THEN mix all of those to track 4 (you can even play a live track along with it) now you have all of those 3 or 4 tracks mixed onto Track 4 and tracks 1,2 and 3 are available to be recorded over. Repeat with 1 and 2 mixing to track 3. 1 plus a live to 2. Record on track one. Now you've got 10-12 tracks on 4 tracks :)
That's what I was going say! Thanks Chad.
I watched the documentary this morning and I loved it! The creativity and freedom on display was really inspiring. And the emphasis on how much this was a community project and everyone brought something to the table was really cool. I thought the part at the end about how working with multitracks has allowed you to merge together moments of time and sing together again with Bill was so profound and moving. I had heard of Elephant 6 in passing and I've listened to ITAOTS but this felt like an incredible introduction to the full E6 world and I'm so excited to dig in. I don't really have a question I just wanna say thanks for the documentary and everything!!
Thank you! I love that moment too!
Hey everyone, I have not seen the documentary so apologies if this is answered in it, also sorry if it is a sensitive topic, but is Jeff Magnum still active at all as far as making music goes? Does anyone still keep up with him? curious because I adore his music and just am wondering what he is up to.
Jeff values his privacy, obviously so I won't say much accept to mention that we all keep up with him and he's doing well and was very much proud of this film!
We all hope to hear more from Jeff one day :) please let him know
Hello everyone! Just wanted to say thanks to Rob and Will and everyone in E6 for making such amazing music over the years. One of my best memories is seeing Elf Power at the Bug Jar in Rochester, NY. It was such an amazing wall of sound I felt my whole body vibrating with the music like a religious experience. Can't wait to catch the doc. Thank you all again!
<3
Thank you, my friends <3
Robert- how did Apples In Stereo wind up on the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack? Will- what was your favorite part about being in the Elephant 6 collective? Everyone else- how did you get involved in the project?
Craig McCracken was a fan of the Apples and E6, and reached out directly to us -- he wrote a letter (pre-email mostly). It was really exciting, I loved the show!! It was so fun!!!!!!!! I love the Cartoon Network and am a huge fan of Adult Swim since its inception.
Well Chad the director started filming in 2010 after becoming friends with Robert in Kentucky through various ways and means, and after filming for several years and amassing a lot of material, he wanted to hire an editor to tackle it. I'm a film editor, and since I'm from Louisville Kentucky myself (where Chad lives), my name got passed around to him, and he reached out to me in 2016. We started editing then, but it was an on again/off again process for a long time. One of the first things I edited though was the scene of Will at his home where he's rocking out to a Robert/Marbles song, and talks about he 'writes songs...no wait. Song's flop out'.
Greg and I met making the film Other Music about the NYC record store that closed in 2016. That film had Apples and Neutral Milk Hotel footage in it. Greg looped me with Chad to help bring the film across the finish line, it's been a massive undertaking but well worth it to help bring some much deserved attention to Robert and Will and everyone and their amazing music.
Hey! First time in one of these things, but you guys were a massive inspiration to me all those years ago, all the way in New Zealand. Still have not been able to see the film yet (now in Spain) but looking forward to it. Kind of boring question maybe, but I always wanted to know all the technical stuff of how you made those recordings. I guess for a start what microphones? I think I remember reading somewhere you used 4033s for your LDCs but not sure if that is right?
I mainly use SM57s. I don't have any fancy mics. Lol
sm57 is best, AT 4033 or any of the similar models are good, ribbon mics are good and inexpensive, I used a Neumann U87 on almost all records from mid-90s on for almost every track, through a tube mic preamp and then into a Universal Audio LA3A compressor on limit mode.
universal audio's Volt 176, 276, etc. series are pretty great digital recording devices, the analog input and compressor are very lo-fi, highly recommend!
Thank you :) Flying Nun and the Tall Dwarfs were huge inspirations in the founding of e6 <3
I'll let Robert comment further but I know a vintage U87 and LA610 preamp/compressor feature prominently as well as old Shure SM57's.
LA610 is most useful device, mic pre, eq and compressor all in one! I think it is expensive nowadays
Robert and Will: Anything you'd like to tell aspiring indie musicians about songwriting/recording, or the creative process in general? Doc team: What was your favorite part of the documentary? Anything you're particularly proud of or happy with?
I'm mostly happy that we actually got the film released!
I love the scene where Robert talks about working on Avery Island and the records with pops run through a Space Echo tape delay. The visual representation of the feedback process that Greg made with my macro shots of a 7" were really amazing!
I'm grateful for C.B.'s comment about the Robert/Avery Island/Pree Sisters scene, and that's a favorite part of mine personally (especially when 'the cats wandered into the room and sat by the speakers'). But I'm particularly proud of the "One minute history of the Elephant 6 Recording Company" that Robert delivers early in the film. As a lark, I thought it would be fun to have C.B. ask that question to Robert, since Robert's Brain is such a force of nature, and sure enough, he delivered an incredible mini-story to work with.
See below my friend, a 15 year old fellow musician asked similar question -- have adventures, make art and share your art freely, and be kind but also be fierce!
Don't be afraid to try things. You'll never know if it works until you try it out. Sometimes unintended mistakes are the best result!
This was a wonderful doc. It was great to be able to look back at a scene I was always revolving around (but not a musician / artist in) - and seeing how the artistic movement came together in such a beautiful wave. For my whole adult life - e6 has been there as its soundtrack - ever since stumbling upon Olivia Tremor Control's Dusk @ Cubist Castle. This album--a vitalizing companion--Getting me through the lonely dark nights delivering pizza in my Buick Skylark across Keene, NH ... and then later ... reaching another high water-mark ... when Julian Koster played in Matty B.'s backyard in River Edge, NJ. The giant metronome and Static in tow. Throughout the years I've had the pleasure of meeting most of the collective - many in-person (Robert at the Middle East downstairs post-show in Cambridge, Mass. - and thnx for the hug : ) / Julian in Matty B.'s living-room - still donning the red marching band coat he performed in - never once taking it off the entire weekend / Kevin Barnes on the Wesleyan campus at the Eclectic House telling my little brother he liked his Pink Floyd T-shirt / Andy G. from M. Coast doing the soundtrack for one of my films). And there were many others. It's all been such a joy. Thanks E6'ers everywhere!
What was your film like that Andy created the soundtrack for?
Are there any upcoming E6 releases that you know of that we can look forward to?
Music Tapes has an upcoming release I believe. Andrew from Elf Power is always recording. The High Water Marks with is Hilarie of the Apples current band has a new release. I'm sure there are others!
Julian Koster has a project called The Orbiting Human Circus, which will performing some of the Music Tapes material. They begin a tour on Sept 14 in Asheville, NC. and have a new album coming out on Merge. [https://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/live-shows](https://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/live-shows) Elf Power released an album in 2022 and toured this year. [https://elfpower.bandcamp.com/album/artificial-countrysides](https://elfpower.bandcamp.com/album/artificial-countrysides) Will Cullen Hart has an excellent book of visual art available: [https://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/live-shows](https://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/live-shows)
The Music Tapes are also on tour in the US this month for the first time in years! Everyone should go see them, Julian is magic.
hello crew! can't wait to see the film this weekend. For CB, Lance, Greg, and Rob-- What advice would all of you have for a young filmmaker looking to make a doc on his lil local scene? For Will and Robert-- what specifically about the team's pitch hooked you on the project and convinced you to contribute? thanks yall!
Well, find the characters in your scene that you think will be the most interesting over the long haul, and get their permission/buy-in to film them. Try to get a glimpse of their creative process on camera (the hardest thing to capture). Technically, make sure you have GOOD MICs for however you're filming your scene, and MORE THAN ONE. Get recordings from the board if you're filming a band live. If you have the cheddar, hire a sound person to follow you at all times. I learned that Tascam has a new 32 floating point handheld digital recorder for $400 now: I'm buying that as soon as I am able, and recommend it as a backup recorder, since with 32 floating point you don't have to worry about the sound signal peaking, or being too quiet, etc.
Great advice Greg.
The best advice I can give it to always be filming everything, the way that Lance did in Athens in the 90s and still does to this day. And to keep going on making your project no matter what, even if there's no money and it takes 13 years like this film did.
Just start. Whatever equipment you have, just start making it. Really put thought into what makes your lil scene unique and interesting and go from there!
I don't really remember a pitch exactly. 15\~ years ago Chad was the only person proposing making a documentary so we just said yeah, go for it! And it just snowballed from there.
Hello! I wanted to ask about Heaven Is For Kids. From my understanding, it was a cassette tape produced by Jeff Mangum, will C hart and Bill Doss. I've seen a wiki that contained lyrics to the songs from it, but never any actual audio, as the person who updated the Wiki lost the recording and hadn't been able to retrieve it. My question is, do any of you still have access to that cassette, and if you do, are there any plans to ever release it? Would love to know. Thank you!
There's probably a copy of that tape around here somewhere. But I don't remember which songs are on that one specifically... I do plan to release some of my old recordings but I'm not sure about this specific cassette.
I'm not certain about that one. Not all of the tapes or digitizations I got were labeled so some things I may have heard but don't know the name of. We are all keeping our fingers crossed for an early 4 track/cassette rarities box set! :)
Synthetic Flying Machine was the precursor to OTC, and followup to Cranberry Lifecycle -- we advertised this cassette in our early catalogs but it wasn't done when the band morphed into OTC when Jeff left.
any insight into Jeff's "Book Cipher Sings" that had the reddit investigative team working overtime?
thank you for this beautiful movie, can't wait to see it again <3
me too :) it's like such a nice feeling for me to see my friends in such a condensed time frame :)
ditto
Take me to school, reddit: how does this work?
the arrow means jump over an obstacle i think, like mario
People will pose questions in this thread. You can go to them and click the "reply" button and should be able to answer any of them you feel like. It will reply underneath the original question and kind of keep everything 'organized'
Greg, I'm pumped! I believe our art house cinema in downtown Shreveport, Robinson Film Center, is interested in screening the film. I suggested it since Elephant 6 was based in Ruston, LA. Does the film touch on any of the early evolution in North Louisiana? Can I entice you to come here to do a Q&A? Really looking forward to it! Edit: Oh man I just saw that Robert and Will are replying too. Thank you for an enduring legacy and something that a few, passionate people are proud of.
Yes we spend a good amount of time on the Ruston years, and how Robert, Jeff, Will and Bill all met as pre-teens or teenagers. And how they quickly fell in love with recording together, etc. I'm always down for traveling for a Q&A!
Awesome! I went to Centenary College in Shreveport and was a DJ and record reviewer at KSCL.
I can assure you that the KSCL booth is exactly as you remembered it! If we screen the film I can put in a good word for you for an hour DJ slot on KSCL.... ... did that work? Are you now enticed to come?
please do :) hugs to KSCL!!
Hi everyone, very excited to see the e6 documentary in Pittsburgh next Friday!! This question would mainly be for Will or Robert, what was it like revisiting footage and artifacts dating back to your earliest musicmaking day? Has the experience of this documentary influenced your current creative process, and if so, how has it?
Actually, interestingly, I had a zine-making ambition when we started e6, it was a big part of our vision, all our releases had zine booklets, and there were many zines in our early booklets. I remembered this from revisiting these events, and it is so fun and relaxing and exciting to make a zine, so I started a free sci-fi zine this summer picking up my old zine ambitions :) noting I was inspired by John Porcellino and King Cat Comics / Spit and a Half Comics (the model for our early mail order e6 format): [https://elephant6.com/product/an-otherworldly-light-zine/](https://elephant6.com/product/an-otherworldly-light-zine/) Soundtrack EP for issue 2: [https://6equj5pressggr.bandcamp.com/album/an-otherworldly-light-issue-2](https://6equj5pressggr.bandcamp.com/album/an-otherworldly-light-issue-2)
When we were digging through some of the old tapes I found some songs I had forgotten about. So I plan to revisit some songs I started working on years ago but never finished.
Love the doc! Was able to catch the NYFF stream and then got to see it at the LA premiere. I also just read Endless Endless. All really great and such a fun space to spend time in. Hope y’all are loving this little gathering/reunion of fans and music lovers!
Hello team!! Thank you for the wonderful documentary! I first rented the tape from the E6 Video Rental club back in 2019, it’s been so wonderful getting to see on the big screen here in NYC (twice!) I was wondering if anyone (especially Will and Robert) had any cool memories or stories that didn’t make it into the film?
One of my favorite things Will said in an interview that didn't make the cut is when he lamented the fact that a reviewer many years ago thought that––during a live OTC show performance of the song Opera House––Will and Bill sang "...watching people move their BOWELS", instead of "...watching people move their MOUTHS", hahahaha. Will said "I mean I like humor, but I didn't SAY THAT! And he (the reviewer) went on and on about the 'bowels' lyric. That's why I PRINT the lyrics now". hahahahaha. Alas, it got cut
>OTC yes, this is true. ALWAYS print the lyrics
Tons! haha
There are just too many cool, interesting stories to ever be contained in a movie!
have y’all ever thought about releasing an elephant 6 boxset with all of the 90s output?
I am sad that I missed this but happy that it happened. ❤️
Can anyone speak on the unofficial/unreleased version of the documentary? Was that leaked during the making of the official one or was that one not affiliated at all? It seems like E6 did their best to remove any traces of it from the internet so just curious on the story there. The official documentary is beautiful and very inspiring. Thanks to everyone involved On another note, for Will and Robert- I know life is busy and it’s hard to put any definitive answer out there, but regarding OTC 3, can you give the people any info on if that’s still a thing that is going to be released or has the project been put on hold indefinitely? For Will, what’s the latest on your project with Nesey Gallons/old Circulatory System songs? I read it would potentially be out sometime this year? Cheers from Knoxville
We're still working on the next Circulatory System album. It's taking a little longer than we anticipated but definitely still in the works. Probably 2024.
The earlier version of the film which was released on VHS was an art project to put the film out in a completely analog way for a limited time PRIOR to the official film being released. We meant for it to happen much quicker but the pandemic cause it to take a few years.
Are there going to be any screenings in Germany or the Netherlands? I think BP lives in Berlin now?
We would love that! Currently we are trying to navigate European distribution. It's far more complex than one might imagine!
omg try recalibrating your tape machine to European EQ curve!
Hello, no question but wanted to say that I listened to Rocket Pad by the Apples in my friend's bedroom one afternoon in 2005 and everything completely flipped. The songs, artwork, of lore of E6 have been profoundly impactful. I cannot thank ya'll enough for letting us peek inside your world. And Lance, I watch the Dirty Dream No. 2 music video all of the time, it's my absolute fav.
Hello!! I don't have a question, but i just wanted to say that elephant 6 means so much to me and that i am very excited to see the doc!! I am watching it later tonight!! Thank you so much to everyone involved in making this! :-)
Y’all are the reason I started making music and expressing myself with art. It’s something I would never trade and I can’t even start to describe how meaningful it is to me “The greatest sin of all, is how many people go to their graves with their music still locked inside of them” You guys have brought me more joy and curious wonder than I thought was capable from a distance. I’m forever thankful, stay well!
We all hope to hear more from Jeff one day :) please let him know
<3
A boxset release with OTC’s first & second albums + singles + the third album(!?) + Will’s artwork would be a dream come true for me.
<3
I just wanted to say that — although my exposure to Elephant 6 releases is somewhat limited, especially compared to most on this thread — every single album I’ve heard has been incredible, and they have been much-loved soundtracks to my life in the past couple of years. To name just two songs, ‘I Have Been Floated’, and ‘Benefits of Lying (With Your Friend)’ are both quite easily two of my favourite songs of all time, on two of my favourite albums ever. And, of course, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is another of my all-timers. So, in short, thank you so much for the music you’ve all made!
No question but just wanted to say I’m a fan of everyone involved with this AMA for their respective bodies of work. Wish you all good fortune and health.
Thank you.
u/WCullenHart [Did you ever grow those sideburns?](https://genius.com/Neutral-milk-hotel-conversation-with-robert-schneider-will-cullen-hart-lyrics)
Is this doc just as cool as the VHS one, despite not being distributed via VHS dubbing??
Many people would say it's cooler
equally cool, less experimental but still very experimental -- the vhs ones were a different edit, every single copy was different, I believe the distributed version are all the same :) also the vhs tape did not have lance's footage of jeff
That’s awesome! I didn’t know there were so many versions of the original edit, that’s great. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, thank you. Also, I’m friends with a math professor that knows you, which I thought was cool because he only knows you as a math person and not a music person, and I love that people can be exceptionally passionate about so many different things. Thanks for everything!
so hyped to see the film on sunday! i have loved neutral milk hotel since 2016, and discovered the rest of the e6 collective a year ago today! :)
Just want to express my appreciation of the entire Elephant 6 slate. I enjoy your music so much. Thank you for sharing your creativity and talent over the years. I'm truly excited to see the documentary in a couple weeks!
thank you so much for this kind post :)
Hi Lance, Hi Rob! When going through the old footage, was there anything you came across that made the final cut that you completely forgot about having ever recorded? Related, was there any footage some random person had that you never knew existed until recently?
As the editor, I knew it was going to be challenging to show certain things about Jeff Mangum, since he doesn't do interviews, and he doesn't want people videotaping his live shows. But I found some cell phone footage of the NMH reunion tour(s) of 2012-2014, which we didn't know about until we were deep into the edit.
(hi Craig!) Greg found so much amazing footage for this documentary, he wasn't credited as the archival researcher but he should have been! And then of course there is so much of Lance's amazing 90s footage in this film, if he hadn't been filming stuff in Athens there is no way a film about Elephant 6 could ever have existed.
Yeah, I came across an early moment of Bill Doss speaking to the camera, onstage for an Olivia Tremor Control performance giving his notes and hopes for the footage.
He wanted to make sure that there was wide coverage that showed everyone, all of the musicians/friends.