Roll of the Dice: 6 questions with Elle Belle

Los Angeles based band Elle Belle are preparing for the release of How Do I Feel on Little Record company. The album, available here, on 1 September, follows the band’s Christopher Pappas as he navigates his own health concerns and personal losses while a global pandemic rages, only exacerbating every obstacle he fights to overcome. Ahead of the release, Pappas took some time to chat with TGEFM for our latest Roll of the Dice interview.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats in advance on the release of the How Do I Feel. What was the process like in fleshing out that record and bringing it to life compared to Post Everything?

Thank you. The process was a bit of a blur because of everything that was happening in my life. I’m actually not completely sure how it got made. Surely with a lot of help and guidance from the producer Pierre de Reeder and the great players that played on it. The first song I wrote for the record was Saturday, and that emotional space of feeling so out of control and trying to put my feet back on the ground set the tone of the whole process. Really this record was made by the seat of my pants. 

What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?

A big one was Marshal Crenshaw‘s song “My Biggest Waste Of Time”. I became obsessed with that song and basically tried to write it 10 times for this record. 

Throughout the writing/recording process you were faced a litany of obstacles related to facing an autoimmune disease in the midst of a global pandemic, loss of friends, health concerns for members of your family and a cancer scare.  How did the musical process impact your healing and coping?

Music has always been an incredible outlet for me. I’m not sure what I would have done without it. Sometimes it all comes down to keeping my brain occupied. Singing instead of screaming. Writing instead of spiraling. It definitely helps me metabolize these things in life that happen. 

One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?

Friends of mine started a new band called Tragic Magic – definitely ones to watch. I also had the pleasure of working with a band called Dogs in a Pile. I helped them write and produce their latest record and I’m really happy to see those guys start to take off. 

Not to put the cart before the horse, but what’s next for Elle Belle after the release of How Do I Feel?

I love putting the cart before the horse. I’ve already got about 10 new songs in various stages (not even counting the 7 or so outtakes from HDIF that I will probably tinker with). That being said – I’m done with the record format for now. I just want to keep releasing songs as fast as I can for a while. I can’t sit still and let songs ruminate. I need to be constantly creating and releasing or things sour on the vine for me pretty quickly. 

Was there anything we missed or that you’d like to put more focus on?

Since this interview was dice based – I’m disappointed that you didn’t ask about my hoard of D&D dice and other trinkets. Though, I find most people don’t want to talk about D&D as much as I do, so I forgive you. 

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Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.