Twisted Tunes and Psychedelic Views

Photo Connor Syrewicz
Photo Connor Syrewicz

Only a short drive from New Paltz, Rosendale’s Market Market is a small, low-key café that shows films and movies for all the hip underground kids in town. On Sunday, Sept. 19, the café showed the “Major Organ and the Adding Machine” short film, based on the self-titled concept album by the band.

The album, which is a part of the Elephant Six Recording Company Collective (Neutral Milk Hotel, of Montreal, the Olivia Tremor Control, etc.), is a twisted collaborative psychedelic 19-track album filled with fuzz and lots of mush, that is almost impossible to describe. The film has no dialogue and is only accompanied by the songs, making it equally as messy and beautiful. The story is of two kids playing hide and seek who are sent on a mysterious quest by a delusional pastry chef, Madame Truffles. That’s basically the synopsis, but just add in a lot more beards and strange special appearances by Elephant sixers, like Jeff Mangum and Kevin Barnes.

The film was followed by local New Paltz band Breakfast in Fur and Elephant Six’s Elf Power. Breakfast in Fur drew in a large fan base, bringing a fun, dance-like beat to the room. All of the six members rotated instruments throughout the set, adding to their originality and collectiveness while playing an indie-infused rock set supported by its experimental but passionate sound.

Athens, Ga. based Elf Power finished out the show. Dedicated to the late Vic Chesnutt, their latest album Dark Developments, released just five days before the show, making this performance one of the firsts on their newest tour. Drinking PBRs, the five-person band played a surprisingly lack-luster set. The set was too loud for such a small room, causing the lead singer’s voice to be swallowed by the surrounding instruments. Although they had their psychedelic hotspots off 2008’s In A Cave, it didn’t fall through anywhere else in the set.

Eric Harris, drummer for Elf Power, was also the writer and the director of the movie, along with the rest of the bands as supporting actors.

Frederick Arnold, a bartender at Market Market, is friends with Elf Power and was able to get them to the venue. He said there will be other low-key, off-shoot shows and to check out marketmarktetcafe.com for more information.