Tom Lynch

Eric Elbogen, aka Say Hi to Your Mom, has now constructed four homemade, lo-fi, sweet and smart full-length records--"Discosadness," "Numbers and Mumbles," "Ferocious Mopes," "Impeccable Blahs"--heavy on concept, filled with swarming pop hooks, minimal electronics, Elbogen's often-whispery delivery and his curious ability to turn a simple, straightforward lyric into a sea of possibility. "Impeccable Blahs," the band's latest, released last year, was basically a concept album about life as a vampire--witty at times, sad at others, the record was one of the most enjoyable albums of 2006.

"2006 was a very exciting year for me," Elbogen says. "The record, out of the gates, ended up selling more and getting more press than any other of my records." Elbogen, who releases the records himself, is surprised by this, adding, "It's getting harder and harder to be an indie-rock band, and I guess make a living doing this. There's so much stuff coming out--people will get excited, but the shelf life is getting shorter and shorter. Especially right now--I'm curious to see what's gonna happen with this tour, so many crazy, big records are coming out, everyone's on tour, on their way to Austin and back."

He says he's not deterred, however. "I can't imagine not doing it," he says of being a musician. "This is what I do. Fortunately or unfortunately, the business is entwined with the art for me. But I get past that when I'm on stage and I see that we're bringing joy to people that are there--at that point I'm not thinking about numbers."

He was based in New York for nearly a decade, but, as of last fall, relocated to Seattle. "I really needed a break from New York, I just needed to move someplace where I didn't have to have six roommates, where I could find parking for the van and not worry about getting the window busted. I've always liked this part of the world--it was always one of my favorite parts of the tour."

For the tour, Elbogen's touring with a supporting bassist and drummer--and he says he hopes the next record will be out by fall. "I've actually been working on three or four different records that are stylistically different from each other," he says. Any of them concept records, like "Impeccable Blahs"? "One of them is a concept record, but I haven't fully committed."

Say Hi to Your Mom plays March 8 at Schubas, 3159 North Southport, (773)525-2508, at 9pm. $12.

(2007-03-06)

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