Jeff Elbel + Ping's Newest Album is Engaging, Straight-up Rock 'n' Roll

Jeff Elbel says his band has the talent of a major rock band and a sound that can fill an arena, but enjoys playing in record shops, coffee shops and out on the street—for friends and neighbors.

The band, Jeff Elbel + Ping, releases Peanut Gallery, Friday, its first recording since The Eleventh Hour Storybook in 2005. The four-track EP features songs with different personalities that result in a combination of the strengths from the 12-person band. 

Elbel has been in bands and recording since the early '90s and has worked on production for other regional acts and played in other bands in the past four years. He built his recording studio in his Wheaton home six years ago, and has used it in mixing and production for other groups.

"It's exciting to finally have something out with our name on it," he said.

Elbel talked to Patch about the band’s sound and Peanut Gallery a week before its release.

Wheaton Patch: Jeff, tell us about the album.

Jeff Elbel: This record is a lot more like the records I grew up liking where you’re representing a band. So, it’s a big band—we have up to 12 people in the group at a time … but what you hear in the mix … represents one person that participates in the Ping sound.

This is a straight-ahead, rock 'n' roll band with a good sound. I don’t have to worry about it being thin because we do have so many people involved. We’ve got Hammond organ, electric piano, violin, three guitar players, bass, drums, lots of percussion, male and female vocals—so it’s a nice big sound.

It’s modeled on bands from the ‘70’s. One of my favorites is a band called Delaney and Bonnie … who made their mark playing with George Harrison and Eric Clapton in England. They were fronted by a husband-and-wife team so it was a really good male and female vocal blend and a lot of good old-school rhythm and blues but with Motown grooves in the base lines. (Others include) The J. Geils Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and The Rolling Stones. The wittier side of things might be fueled by They Might Be Giants.

Patch: What do you hope people take away from this album?

Elbel: The music is really engaging … it’s about community. The way I connect to everybody is through music, so I want to extend that to everybody.

We’re not a cool band—we’re an inviting band. We want everybody involved—we want everybody to enjoy it and feel like they own a little bit of it and can recognize a little bit of themselves in whatever the songs are about. I tend not to write songs about cars and girls or anything like that. I tend to write about family and gratitude and life. But it’s not somber; it’s upbeat and usually kind of tongue in cheek. There’s a little bit of everything.

“I Can Change” “Man, ol’ Jonah, he was in a jam / Didn’t like the job he had / Didn’t want to preach to the sinning folk / And let ‘em know the Lord was mad”

“I Can Change” is kind of the rock 'n' roll boogie song … it’s built like those old Rolling Stones and Grateful Dead songs that pull some old stories and character sketches out of the Bible. It’s kind of (about) stepping back and recognizing something in yourself that needs to be fixed, (but) it’s still a fun, kid-friendly song. It’s got a lot of spirit and a lot of energy.

The song describes a pair of characters who “made good” upon second chances in life, with a singer determined to make a similar change. The blend of male and female vocals and barnstorming rock 'n' roll of Stacey Krejci’s bass recall classic '70s rhythm-and-blues artists such as Delaney and Bonnie.

“In a Place Where Shadows Grow” “When you handed me the keys / I was never more alive / I’d like to give them back today / I’ve been a pretty reckless driver.”

The anthem-like roots-rock of “In a Place Where Shadows Grow” comes from the point of view of someone who has betrayed their closest companion, and dealing with the self-recrimination that comes from that and wondering if forgiveness is even on the table—especially from yourself.

I wanted something with substance and texture—but (something) that’s approachable by people … that’s more on the serious side of what we do. 

The presence of violinist Matt Gadeken draws out familiar influences in “In a Place Where Shadows Grow,” including Camper Van Beethoven and the Jayhawks.

“Your Wicked Mirror” “… When we wed, That’s when you changed your tune, You turned the chapel bells, Into chimes of doom … And you say it’s all because we lost the Garden, Don’t blame me for the hard-headed things you’ve done”

“Your Wicked Mirror” has a rhythm-and-blues tone. It’s about the woman who’s had enough with her no-account man and she’s letting him have it.

People tend to be surprised—when they find out that I wrote that song … and wonder how I can write a song that angry and accurate (about a woman and her boyfriend or husband) … I can say that I’ve been married 20 years—I’ve seen it happen, and it’s usually my fault.

The song has a bluesy swagger with a hint of The Staples Singers, featuring a vocal performance by Maron Gaffron, Mike Choby’s gospel organ and a “heroic” guitar solo from John Bretzlaff. 

“Comfort Me” “… Each night when I kneel to pray, Praying for deliverance, Praying for relief, Praying for your presence to comfort me”

“Comfort Me” is a simple prayer—a prayer for courage and strength and comfort—in trying times, whether they’re personal or struggles that everyone is going through right now.

The song’s spacious and moody vibe features a blend of sounds including Ginger Gonzalez’ flute and Andrew Carter’s slide guitar, recalling shimmering textures of Daniel Lanois’ Belladonna EP, while Andrew Oliver’s tom-toms pound like U2.

It’s got a rich, earthy vibe. It’s very simple—but to me it sounds very full at the same time. It’s a nice one to play live with a big group because you can start really quiet and build it with energy.

The Jeff Elbel + Ping release of Peanut Gallery includes a free concert from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 at Val’s Halla Records, 239 Harrison St., Oak Park.

The Peanut Gallery EP may be purchased in physical or digital format from marathonrecords.com. There is also a free live album by Jeff Elbel + Ping available from marathonrecords.com.