Im April 2014 ist Paul Basile, der Sänger und Kopf der hoch angesehenen New Yorker Band Great Elk, erneut auf Tournee nach Deutschland gekommen. Paul`s Musik, die man als “Songs, um sich im Schneetreiben des Winters zu verlieben”, bezeichnen kann, wird normalerweise von einer fünfköpfigen Band getragen, die sich immer größerer Popularität in den USA erfreut. Paul`s Stimme ist markant, mit einem tiefen Vibrato gesegnet, gibt er den Songs eine hohe Intensität.
Great Elk haben im Februar 2012 ihr offizielles Debut-Album veröffentlicht. “Autogeography” heißt es, und viele sprechen von einer großen Zukunft dieser Band. Produzent ist James Goodwin, der auch schon für The Bravery, Norah Jones und Bobby arbeitete.
Pressestimmen
“With an EP four years in the making and a solid lineup, the band has started to garner attention for its gritty folk sound and impassioned performance.”- NY Post
“Vibrations,” from Great Elk’s self-released, self-titled EP (out June 22), layers acoustic strumming with echoey electric guitar. And it’s Basile’s voice that’s most revealing and best characterizes the song. His gritty vibrato lends style and soul to his lyrics.”- Magnet
“Led by Paul Basile and Patrick Hay, Great Elk managed something that I have seen few times in a live performance. They, and their band, produced a certain equilibrium between a harmony that engulfs and then, effortlessly, fulfils your want for pace and passion, at precisely the right time.” Wild Honey Pie
“These guys are passionate about everything they are doing and everything that they are trying to accomplish, and that comes across in how they perform.”- Wild Honey Pie
“Great Elk’s upcoming, self-titled EP is a stellar first look at the band…“Vibrations” highlights Basile’s concise yet evocative lyrical style, raspy vocals, and Hay’s expert touch on guitar (making a slide weep like a pedal steel). “We waited for today”, indeed.”- Pop Headwound
“Great Elk is one of those great Brooklyn-based bands with a folksy vibe; their sound is the result of years of collaboration between primary songwriter Paul Basile, a New York native, and guitarist Patrick Hay, a Virginia transplant.”- Hey Brooklyn
PASTE Magazine.com’s ‘Most Listened’ list for 3 weeks +.
“In Latin, it should be highlighted, that Aurora Borealis directly translates as ‘the dawn of the north’ and this is how, decipher it how you will, I would describe the sound of Great Elk.”- Wild Honey Pie
“Fuck bands named after woodland creatures.”- Bathroom at Matchless, Greenpoint, NY