Rock pop act ELOUR came together on a whim, as Elizabeth Ghandour a songwriter, singer, and guitarist, wanted to create music, but it did not go as planned as first. So it would form into ELOUR and other band members would soon come on to join in, creating something that would release an EP, and upcoming singles in the next year, plus more in-store! The band discusses these matters below.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Elizabeth Ghandour is the songwriter, lead singer and rhythm guitarist. Joe Scarpellino on bass and Ryan Vee on drums make up the rhythm section, and Ned Barclay rounds out the sound on lead guitar. Joe also provides some vocal accompaniment. Elizabeth used to have an Americana band, but was writing songs that fit her but not the genre, so she started ELOUR as a vehicle for those songs, and over time Ryan, Joe, and Ned came on board.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
The EL comes from Elizabeth and the OUR comes from Ghandour, and is pronounced as “allure.”
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We’re a Minneapolis band, so because of Bob Dylan, Prince, The Replacements, Hũsker Dũ, Semisonic, The Jayhawks, and others, it’s an internationally recognized scene.
4. How would you describe your style?
Elizabeth describes it as Femme Rock. It’s kind of a mix of rock and pop, with a punky attitude. We reference Pat Benatar, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Blondie, Concrete Blonde, Hole, Garbage, and Elastica when trying to give an idea of the sound, but it’s not quite any of those. One difference from those bands is, though ELOUR isn’t a metal band, Elizabeth screams if that’s what’s needed to get the emotion across. The music presents a feminine, and sometimes feminist viewpoint, is emotional and, we hope, cathartic.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
In 2019 an eponymous EP was released. At that time ELOUR was still in the process of becoming what it is today. Looking back, it feels transitional, and we’re really grateful for the patience and effort of Mark Stockert at Underwood Studio in putting it together. The sound grew and clarified over the pandemic years, leading to the release of Blood Running in April this year. Jason Shannon at Zoo School Studio produced, recorded, and mixed, and we feel he nailed what we were going for! You can expect high energy, lots of emotion, some operatic notes up in the stratosphere, and an overall rockin’ experience!
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
There’s some good material that may turn into some single releases in 2024. The limiting factor is finance, not content!
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
For now, we’re looking at gigging mainly in the five state area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakotas. We hope to be found at a number of summer festivals in the area!
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
We want to continue building our audience, get bigger shows, and actually make money!
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
We’re on all the streaming platforms, and you can buy the music as a download from our website (https://elourmusic.com/), Bandcamp, Amazon, Apple, all the places. CDs and vinyl are only available from our website and Bandcamp.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
We’d like them to come away with a sense of energy and catharsis, of knowing we all have our problems and frustrations, but we’re not alone. And HOPEFULLY, they’ll also remember they really liked it, and come back for more!
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