Elijah
Woodstock’s begotten son Elijah; photographed by Shervin Lainez.
Elijah Wolf-Christensen—or just Elijah if you will—is the latest signee to the DIY imprint of good will & good times Old Flame Records. Taking cues from arguably one of the most frightening moments in the entire “Twin Peaks” series (the climax-cliffhanging-closer that ends the final episode of season two, episode 29 that is never to be watched unless you have already digested the other 28 episodes plus the obligatory pilot), Elijah comes from the Music Conservatory of Purchase background (among luminaries like Mitski, Photay, etc); the artist’s Woodstock, NY youth further provided an unprecedented connection to nearly every great iconic artist and group you can dream of.
Synths and cymbal taps mark the introductory cue to Elijah’s “How’s Annie”, where the catchy synth hooks come in, as the bass keys expand and contract in the foreground. Cascading stair steps of notes while penning city bright tales of romances past, romances that remain to realized, and more culminate together in narratives that wrap stories from the summer to soften the cold winter spell bummers that freeze forward into the second, and third months (extending their season, while summer remains forever brief & fleeting). The refrain of “down the river, down the mountain” brings about the Woodstock/Purchase sunny sound where the discovery of new loves, new lives, and more makes everything new. Another great accomplishment of Elijah’s title cut “How’s Annie” is how the heart guided inspirations move the disparate points and places of town & country a little bit closer, and more snug together. Elijah joins for the following insightful interview round.
how your Woodstock, NY upbringing impacted your outlook and creative perceptions.
Woodstock is a place where tons of the greats come to live & create. Living in Woodstock I got to witness some of this. You could walk down the street & run into David Bowie on any given day. I use to help out at the Levon Helm studios so I got to watch him drum and create with his band. I also helped out at an awesome studio I went on to record material at, called Dreamland, where I got to witness Beach House, Yeasayer, Dr. Dog & so many others create the albums I love so much. Besides all of the great music connections, the Catskill mountains are also an incredible & lush place to create music. Those mountains & rivers will forever influence who I am & the music I make.
Also how did your attendance of The Music Conservatory of Purchase further enhance your creative vision? Seems like many of your contemporary luminaries have also come out of there.
Purchase was an incredible place to train for me. I got to tour & collaborate with people like Mitski & Evan Shornstein, aka Photay, as well as watch them grow into the incredible artists they both are now. You could go to the campus venue and see bands like Porches play. My fellow classmates and friends consistently kept me on my toes, and were so inspiring to me. Attending recitals, studying with some of the best composers and musicians, witnessing this was something I am so thankful for. Purchase is a magical place for creating. Even when we went out on the road last summer, we would meet someone on the other side of the country at a show who went to purchase at some point, or worked with someone who went there.
Describe how you first came around to discovering Twin Peaks, and how did that series impact the single “How’s Annie”, the penultimate final rhetorical refrain that closes out the second season/season series finale?
I had been a huge David Lynch fan for awhile now, but it took awhile for me to take on Twin Peaks. Since then I’ve watched the series (& follow up movie) four or five times now. An old friend I was romantically involved with kept telling me to watch it. This past winter I found myself home from tour, experimenting with new sounds & song ideas. I needed inspiration desperately, so I decided to see if I could pull any influences from it. I began watching it & fell in love. It was the perfect combination of folklore and experimentation. Dark & light. To me this represented the greater questions I have in life, as well as exploring new ways to tell stories. Everything about it inspired me; the music, the reoccurring melodic themes, the reoccurring imagery, etc… The last phrase of the second season “How’s Annie” to me was less of a question & more of a statement. It came to me at the end of a romantic chapter in my life & inspired me to write the song. Not only is it a good way to end a chapter, it’s also a damn good way to start the next one. I have so much music & inspiration that has come from this. So yeah, this represents the beginning of this chapter, which is really exciting.
Tell us too about the making of your forthcoming Old Flame EP?
This was an incredibly enjoyable process. The first two songs were recorded right here in Brooklyn, where we all live. We all got into the studio & just played the songs over and over again, during one of the few snow storms we got here this past winter. This was a cool place for us to experiment with some cool synths / sounds. Wild Child, the oldest of them all, was recorded back at school last spring. Everything I know was recorded all over last fall after we had finished a long tour. We had actually recorded much more material in various locations, and threw most of it out. These were the songs that made the cut. My dear friend & fellow collaborator Trevor Fedele then worked on mixing & mastering the EP out in LA. We definitely kept the creation of this EP in the family.
Other big things in your world that have you inspired?
Growing up with members of the Bad Brains was a huge inspiration for me. I love those dudes & their music. Recently I’ve been incredibly inspired by Arthur Russell, Blood Orange, Drake, Car Seat Headrest. & most importantly right now: NYC. Living in New York City is the biggest influence in my music. I love this city so much. I love all of the talent here, the excitement, the energy. I can’t get enough of it, I love this city & all of the crazy industrial sounds that help inspire me to want to find new timbres to create with.
Elijah’s How’s Annie EP is available now from Old Flame Records.
