Ellimist Discusses Matters Such as Music, Writing, Playing and Happiness!

Variety go getters ELLIMIST have just released their self-titled album, with further plans on wanting to write more music, play shows, as long as they are happy telling tales is all that matters the most. The band discusses these matters below.

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Ellimist was created by Matt Danger Goorahoo (stage name Anthony); after being inspired by a chance re-reading of KA Applegate’s The Ellimist Chronicles, Matt wrote, recorded, and produced the album in its entirety. Following this, Matt found current guitarist Mike Fitts through a mutual friend in the metal community; we are currently seeking a talented and reliable bassist and drummer to complete our live band! Matt is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, and has performed in numerous metal acts (Forever Forbidden, Virus of Ideals, of note) and is currently the show-runner of the solo metal act ‘Matt Danger’. in his spare time, he enjoys drawing, writing, exercise, and is an amateur mixed martial artist, as well as maintaining a professional career. Mike Fitts is a relative newcomer to the metal scene; he enjoys craft brews, combat sports (though on the spectator side) and venturing out to metal shows, as well as stand-up comedy!!

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Matt: Inspiration for the album was drawn from a chance reading of an old favorite book, the Ellimist Chronicles, an offshoot of the Animorphs series; the book is a relatively short read, but definitely captures the imagination. With the blessing of the Authors of the series (Katherine and Michael Applegate), I began writing! Initially planned as an album for Matt Danger, Ellimist quickly morphed into something entirely new; it was at the conclusion of recording the album that I knew Ellimist HAD to become more than what I initially planned; it was then I began to search for members to create the band; it has been challenging so far to find musicians who are both reliable and skilled enough to play the challenging passages in Ellimist; Mike has really pulled his weight and I’m excited to see how he contributes to the follow up album! That said, we are still hoping to find our permanent drummer and bassist soon, and begin to bring Ellimist to life the way only live music can! Interested parties can contact Ellimistband@gmail.com for more information!

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

Matt is based out of Storrs, Connecticut USA and Mike is based out of Boston, Massachusetts. The local scene in our areas can be a bit demoralizing at times, in honesty. Not sure if it’s a regional thing, or just the state of the local music industry as a whole, especially post-COVID. THAT SAID, there are some incredibly talented musicians here, and there IS a great community to be made; especially in the Boston area; CT is a bit more sparse at times in terms of great venues, however there are quite a few hidden gems, such as Cherry Street Station in Wallingford, and Strange Brew Pub in Norwich! As for local bands, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many of the talented musicians in the region, and watch their growth from local acts to nationally recognized artists! There are too many to mention them all, however a few of our favorites include Orbiter, Acius, Pathogenic, Lame Genie VGM, Wilderun, Destination Dimension, and Framework! CT and MA have, in my honest opinion, some of the best bands in the world! One of my favorite past-times is to venture to new niche venues and check out the local musicians (often without ever hearing anyone on a set bill); I’ve discovered a lot of incredible music that way!

4. How would you describe your style?

That is a difficult question to answer; we play a variety of styles; the beauty of Ellimist is that it floats from genre to genre, which gives us artistic license to explore different sounds and feels; I’ve never liked being stuck in a box, musically; This project allows us to explore a story in different genres, and presents a unique challenge in finding ways to connect everything thematically. Personally, I like to write relatively simple, straightforward riffs which suddenly explode in moments of complexity; this might be due to my habit of being a lazy guitarist, but also because I like the accessibility it brings to learning musicians; that said, there are some challenging passages on Ellimist that I STILL can’t play perfectly live, so I’m not scared of writing difficult music! Mike’s music taste is a little heavier than mine, and his guitar style shows it! That said, he’s proven to be a versatile player and can handle the wide stylistic range that Ellimist demands! We generally characterize our style as progressive metal, because we incorporate different time signatures, vocal styles, and themes into our music! Its challenging, but we love it!

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

We just released Ellimist on 31/7/2021, and the overall response has been positive! Prospective listeners can expect an episodic, imagery evoking album that keeps listeners guessing; our goal was to tell a story through the album in a way that hasn’t been done before, and I think we’ve achieved that! There is a bit of something for everyone on this album; from brutal, heavy riffs to levity, emotive passages and thought-pieces! I think casual and die-hard metal fans alike can enjoy this album for what it is! Especially those that like weird music!

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

We have a plan for the story of the next album, and a handful of riffs! We are hoping to fill out the band first and foremost, so that all members will be able to contribute to new music; that said, I very much have a vision for our follow up and the title is “Devastation of the Large Magellanic Cloud”! Where Ellimist explored Toomin’s journey, DOTLMC will explore Crayak’s ascension to power! We expect it to be at least 3x as heavy as Ellimist, and we are very excited to bring the riffs!

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

We did have some touring plans, but they were made complicated by lineup shifts; once we have completed our lineup, we plan on supporting the album release live, and taking things as far as we can!

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

Mostly, we want to write music; we’d love to be career musicians, though in the genres which we write, that can be a challenging endeavor. That said, as long as we can play shows, make music, and write stories, we are happy! We’d like to create a community for those who feel like they don’t belong; a place where they know they aren’t alone. That is one of the underlying themes of Ellimist, one in which we both can understand. I can’t say that I understand everyone, nor their struggles, but I can say that I know how it feels to feel like you don’t belong anywhere, to always be on the outside; we hope that with this album people will at the very least know that they aren’t the only ones who feel that way.

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

https://ellimist.bandcamp.com

(Please consider buying the album on bandcamp, or a physical copy, which greatly helps support our vision!)

https://www.Ellimist.bigcartel.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMHoMGM8OLA63BS_xX9ZguA

https://www.Facebook.com/Ellimistband

https://www.twitter.com/ellimistband

https://open.spotify.com/album/4ZUUzqiLferysR28S2TQU6

https://www.Tiktok.com/@ellimistband

https://www.Instagram.com/ellimistband

https://www.Reverbnation.com/Ellimist

We are on all the streaming sites;