MUSIC

The sound

SCENE SCRIBE

By Michael Swanger scenescribe@mchsi.com

Dutch rocker Elle makes her American debut

The phone

(She laughs)

rang from Rotterdam, Holland. It was Elle, lead singer and guitarist from the Dutch electro-punk-metal rock band Elle Bandita. She was busy running errands, preparing for her debut American tour, so there were plenty of questions to be asked… but hers first.
“What is Des Moines like?” asked the slinky 23-year-old rocker, who plays an all-ages show on Wednesday, March 24 at the Vaudeville Mews. It’s her third American stop on a tour that begins in Austin at SXSW.
“Oh, you’ll like it,” I said. “The outsiders think we grow corn in our backyards, but we have more than 250,000 people living here who know better. We even have running water.”
“What should I do in your town?” she said with a thick Dutch accent.
I rattled off a list of attractions, restaurants and specialty shops you won’t find in a CVB brochure.
“What’s the scenery like? We’re traveling in a van. I don’t have a driver’s license, so the guys in the band get to drive while I get to enjoy the view.”
I told her the landscape is mostly flat, but it stretches as far as the imagination, and once it gets inside your head you can’t forget it.
“It’s fucking amazing we get to play the U.S.A. I’m really looking forward to it,” Elle said.
Then it was my turn.
“What are your expectations of American audiences?” I asked.
“I hear lots of good stories about the band scene there and lots of DIY stuff going on there,” she said. “I want to explore that because in Holland — and I don’t want to be negative — but the musicians, when they get together they can really be bitching on each other. It’s a very competitive atmosphere sometimes. I don’t see a lot of support for local players. I really hope it’s not like that in the U.S.”
I paused without comment. Next question. “What made you want to play rock ‘n’ roll?”
“At first, listening to Nirvana, which was a big influence on me as a musician and a little kid,” she said. “I grew up in a suburb of Rotterdam where nothing much was going on. I begged my parents for a guitar at age 12 and made a scene of my own.”
“Americans still have yet to fully embrace the idea of female rock stars, let alone female rock guitarists, unless you’re Chrissie Hynde, Joan Jett, Courtney Love or Avril Lavigne. Does that bother you?”
“Let me tell you, it’s not just an American thing, it’s a worldwide thing,” said Elle, who started touring Europe after the release of her 2006 solo EP, “Love Juice,” headlining shows in Oslo, Moscow, Berlin, Napels and Brighton. “But I don’t want to focus on me being a girl… Just do it and don’t spend a lot of time thinking of your gender. It’s about what you say that counts.”
Still, after playing across Europe as a solo act, bandleader and member of the all-girl rock band The Riplets (R.I.P.) and having garnered critical acclaim for her 2009 album, “Queen of Fools,” Elle has her doubts as to whether fans are willing to accept her for her music and not just her slinky clothes.
“In the beginning, there was a lot of negativity. Guys were like, ‘Let me help you with the settings on your amp’ and I was like ‘fuck off,’” she said.
“Sometimes I wonder if I were a man if people would still like my music, ya know?” she continued.
“What do you think?” I responded.
“Of course, it’s genius!” she laughed.
But in all seriousness, Elle said, she wants audiences from around the world to be inspired by her music.
“I tell them to do what they want and fuck the rules,” she said. “I know that sounds punk, and I don’t mean it in a punk way. But they shouldn’t give a shit about what other people think. Do what your heart tells you to do.” CV