Elf Service

Fourteen years into a largely unheralded career, Elf Power are still at it, even if they never made the big time – in fact, they never got close. Led by frontman Andrew Rieger, this indie-rock band has been the odd man out in some buzz-worthy scenes. Despite their association with the Elephant Six collective, an affiliation of likeminded under-the-radar bands, Elf Power never got to the level of peers like Apples in Stereo, who at least landed on Colbert. Hailing from Athens, Georgia, Elf Power arguably epitomize the scene’s college-rock aesthetic better than any contemporary band, but that didn’t stop acts as divergent as Drive-By Truckers and of Montreal to have a larger cultural impact. Maybe their lack of crossover success has to do with the songs themselves – their lovely delicacy feels like a secret you want to guard, and consequently fans clutched this group to their bosom, never letting the wider world discover them. Rieger was recently asked to name the best band from Athens no one’s ever heard of. Surprisingly, he didn’t name his own group – he would have been justified if he had. They’ll be performing at Modified with Vic Chesnutt, who collaborated with Elf Power on October’s Dark Developments.
Sat., Nov. 8, 8:30 p.m., 2008