Meet Wolf van Elfmand

A self-portrait by, Wolf van Elfmand

I did the thing where I tried not to look at the page or lift my pen. But then I painted some of it in for a little extra pizzazz.

Would you rather…

get in contact with ghosts or aliens? What would you say?

Aliens, no question. I’d probably just listen to whatever they had to say.

Some questions with Wolf van Elfmand

What is your least favorite chore?

Dusting

What is it about country and Americana music that attracts you to the sound? Have you always felt this way about the genre?

Folk and country music are genres that are driven by the lyrics and storytelling. A lot of the 60’s and 70’s folk singers that I listened to while finding my sound challenged me to create that same kind of imagery and emotion with lyrics. Playing bars in Texas and the Southwest in my 20's definitely deepened my love of country music and the culture around it. I’d never played for folks who were two-stepping; it makes you want to swing harder and play tighter to really give the dancers something to move to. My entrance into Americana came in my late teens from Townes Van Zandt’s cover of Dead Flowers on the Big Lebowski soundtrack. I think that’s where it started. There's also the Dylan to Guthrie path that so many of us go down which then led me to Alan Lomax’s anthology of American Folk Music.

Someone hands you the aux cord at a party, what are you putting on?

Depends on the party. But today I’m feeling J.J. Cale’s “What Do You Expect” off Shades.

Your album “High Desert Valley” was recently released. What was it like putting the whole thing together?

The concept behind the album was to record vocals and guitar live, with minimal production, to emulate what my solo shows sound like. I linked up with Ryan Howe, a Brooklyn based producer, and spent 3 evenings in his studio capturing a handful of takes. After picking our favorites we listened for a couple weeks before adding the final touches like some harmonies, wurlitzer, bass and a few other things sprinkled in there. For me, there’s a lot of vulnerability in tracking live because you get what you get and you can’t change much. I just had to set my intention for a clean, smooth delivery and hope we’d get something special.

How do you feel now that all the work is behind you? Are you looking to keep recording? Play some shows?

I feel alright, I’m glad to have it out there. I like making records and am always trying to conceptualize different projects. I’m currently working on the next one but then I might have to take a little hiatus from the studio to write a bit more.

If you had to be on one reality TV show, which one would it be? What would you do?

Oh man, I can’t say I know much about reality TV. I have watched a good amount of The Great British Bake Off so I suppose that one. That or FBoy Island.

What is your favorite restaurant in New York City? What do you get there?

I live in Red Hook and really like going to Somtum Der on Van Brunt. It's incredible Northeastern Thai food. I always get the Tum Thai and Pad Kraprao.

What was going on in your life while writing/recording “High Desert Valley”? Can you see its influence in the music?

Well, there was a global pandemic, I moved from Denver to Brooklyn, I was unemployed for 14 months, and a couple other little things. I can very much see its influence on the music. One of the reasons I’m always keen on making albums is to capture that timestamp of what you’re going through, what’s happening around you, and how you process all of it into music. Sometimes I write to express those things and sometimes I write to escape them.

Rock paper or scissors which are you picking? Why?

I can’t disclose this information in the rare instance word gets out. I’d be ruined.

Kicking Back With Wolf Van Elfmand