According to the Philadelphia quartet, Cheers Elephant, the first elephant to arrive in America had the knack of being able to open beer bottles and drink their contents. The elephant developed this ability because the Derby-owned ship carrying him (I’m assuming it was a male elephant) was lacking in potable water, and in turn, the only thing left for the elephant to drink was dark beers. The poor bugger got hooked on the bottle and became written off as a sideshow. After discovering the elephant’s “talent,” the ship-owner, Captain Jacob Crowninshield charged spectators to watch the elephant uncork and drink bottles of beer, while, I’m assuming becoming pissed off his ass. The story makes me think of that elephant on a bottle of Delirium Tremens, and man, that shit can surely turn you into a sideshow if you drink enough of it.
The story only rings partly true, Crowninshield is in fact the first person to bring an elephant to the U.S. arriving on April 12, 1796. He purchased the two year old pachyderm in India for $450 and brought it to New York City – afterwards touring the country with the elephant and later selling it for a profit of $9,550.
I found the story quite interesting and the 10-minutes of Wikapediaing (is this a word yet?) was well worthwhile and I can now use my new found knowledge at my next bout of Trivial Pursuit or something. The story was also interesting enough for Philly’s Cheers Elephant to name their band after the beast that was exhibited in their hometown on Market Street in November 1796 for 25 cents. You’d expect a band that named themselves after a drunken elephant and located in the City of Brotherly Love to play quirky, folky, Philly-esque songs akin to Man Man, Dr. Dog, The Teeth, The Extraordinaries, and the like. There is a bit of that Philly sound in the band’s music, but the group reaches overseas to the country’s ship that delivered the U.S. its first elephant to create their unique sound.
Cheers Elephant sounds more British than most budding Philadelphia bands, blending Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur -era Kinks and other British Invasion psychedelia along with melodic pop, folk, and indie rock. “Here We Are” features wheezing organs and a “Paint It Black” inspired guitar line, while “Space and Time” and “Hey Pagoda” recall the brawny folk-psych melodies of 13th Floor Elevators. The intricately pure, catchy, and care-free tracks that make up the quartet’s debut EP Here We Are certainly show a great deal of potential for the young local quartet.
Philadelphians certainly have plenty of chances to catch Cheers Elephant who are playing a slew of local shows beginning this Saturday, March 8th at The Fire. Check their MySpace page for more dates, tracks, and to buy the EP. Personal favorite “Sunshine Spaceships” below.
[MP3]: Cheers Elephant ”Sunshine Spaceships”
