Born from a mere appreciation for hardware and a love for American TV personality Mike Wolfe, Sydney-based five-piece East Of Ely was built on borrowed vintage gear housed at Cavers Inn, nestled above a café in the inner west.
Leap forward to 2014 and the talented collective are proud to announce the release of their debut, self-titled EP and a bout of introductory shows.
Who is East Of Ely? Put simply, five guys who hang out at Cavers Inn hoarding sweet looking musical hardware.
We sound like... Alt pop indie rock… or so we are told.
Our first gig was... At Upstairs Beresford, Sydney. We look forward to heading back there in May as it’s a great venue for Sydney bands.
Upstairs Beresford
When did you settle on the group’s name, and was it a unanimous decision... We were actually called Castile for a month during recording, but it rhymed with another artist making waves at the time. Moeaki could write an essay on the meaning of that name but in the end Michael’s love for Mike Wolfe, the graceful art of picking and pure persistence paid off. East Ely in White Pine County, Nevada is a picker’s paradise.
East Ely, Nevada
In the studio we usually... Drink Kraken before each take.
If we could tour with anyone... Nic: Arcade Fire; Moeaki: Grisly Bear; Dan: St. Vincent; Chris: The Jacksons; Mike: a triple bill with Passion Pit, The Killers (Sam’s Town tour) and Kavinsky playing intervals.
Social media is... A vortex
To date, our most embarrassing moment was the time... Watching Nic and Moeaki trying to get our sampler to work in front of an industry guy. The longest five minutes of our lives and similar to watching two monkeys work in space.
Life on the road can be... Nothing short of awesome.
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains... A couple red bulls, some beer, bottle of Kraken and Fiji Water at room temperature please.
The most scary scenario we've found ourselves in, was... Moeaki driving a minivan fully loaded.
What celebrity would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Dave Grohl. His word is gospel.
East Of Ely Tour Dates
Fri May 16 - Mum @ The World Bar (Sydney)Sat May 17 - Upstairs Beresford (Sydney)
Thu May 22 - The Espy Front Room (Melbourne)
Fri May 23 - The Brightside (Brisbane)
