YOU SHOULD BE LISTENING TO: Wilkes-Barre reggae rock band Elephants Dancing
City: Wilkes-Barre
Genre(s): Reggae, rock, beach rock, hip-hop
Years active: 2015-present
Sounds like: As the weather gets warmer, you want some cool, funky sounds to jam out to with the windows rolled down as you head to your favorite vacation spot – Elephants Dancing has got you covered.
You don’t even need to turn up the bass to feel these breezy vibes – these fun, positive songs are perfect for chilling out or dancing the night away both lyrically and musically, influenced by roots reggae, island hip-hop, and beach rock with bits of pop punk, rap, hard rock, and even classical music thrown in that you may not notice in the grooves of their groove.
These free-flowing rhythms, melodies, and raps may seem out of place in Wilkes-Barre, hours away from sandy beaches and peaceful relaxation, but with the late, great George Wesley paving the way, this optimistic new generation of young artists doesn’t focus so much on borders and genre labels, instead imparting wisdom and worldliness way beyond their years. These elephants playfully stomp on your conventions and expectations as they gleefully get down.
For fans of: Sublime, 311, Dirty Heads, Pepper, Mike Pinto, Ballyhoo!, Tribal Seeds, Iration, Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, The Expendables, and SOJA
Number of albums/EPs released: Two (one EP, “Clear Skies,” in 2016 and one full-length album, “Rituals,” in 2017)
Latest release: “Get Tropical,” a new full-length album coming out June 3
Fun fact: Elephants Dancing and the Herd, the band’s record label/event coordinators/promotional team, are positively sponsored by Kevin. We’re not sure who Kevin is, but he sounds like cool guy.
Online: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube, and elephantsdancing.com
Upcoming shows:
April 29: Move Music Festival at Parish Public House (388 Broadway, Albany, NY) with Molina, Band of Ghosts, The LateShift, and The Alchemystics, 7 p.m.
May 12: Reggae Night Beach Party at The Keys (244 Penn Ave., Scranton) with Rich Janov and Stratus Fear, 9 p.m.
May 13: Franklin’s (53 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre), 10 p.m.
May 16: The V-Spot (906 Providence Rd., Scranton), 8 p.m.
May 19: Irish Wolf Pub (503 Linden St., Scranton) with Shock Value, 9:30 p.m.
June 3: “Get Tropical” release party at Bart and Urby’s (119 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre) with Joint Operation, 8 p.m.
See photos of Elephants Dancing performing at The Other Side in Wilkes-Barre last year here.
Photo by Robb Malloy/Moon’s Eye Media
