As awesome a gig as it will be, playing the Pitchfork Music Festival won't be the limit of Denver dudes the Apples in Stereo's summer plans. Fair enough. So, with the aim of bringing the tunes from rarities/B-sides collection Electronic Projects for Musicians to the masses, they've scheduled a summer tour of the U.S. - Source

Offering material from as far back as 1995, this rarities collection scoops up a decade's worth of compilation tracks, Japan-only bonus songs, and other ephemera, including the band's 2006 ode to Stephen Colbert. - Source

However, in an online discussion board, Derek of Of Montreal made the following statement, "nothing's really changed actually. just re- cast and reformed. we're all still here churning it out, and we all still help each other. so..." Apparently the E6 stamp will no longer be printed on new material, but friends they were and friends they all still are. There will be a final E6 compilation due out sometime this fall.

After a news story or two about the end of Elephant 6 Recordings surfaced this week, the unofficial website has made a simple and pronounced statement, "Elephant 6 is not dead.". Enough said?

No, not really. Hilarie Sidney of Apples In Stereo did make a statement to Toronto's Eye Weekly that the Elephant 6 Collective has been laid to rest. "I think that's all over now. Everybody's still friends, but it got really confusing. Robert and I were sick of dealing with the record-label end of it and, honestly, we were just ready to move on, and I think everybody else was too."

SpinART has put up an mp3 of the new APPLES IN STEREO single for a limited time. It's a tune called "Please," and it's pretty swell. The new Apples album drops in October (though copies are circulating around the internet in the usual spots). You can check out the single by clicking HERE. (Look for the link to the download in the bottom left corner of the page!)

Is Excellent Online cursed? Examine, if you will, the evidence: We interview the Candyskins - their label goes under and they split. We interview Symposium - they split. And now comes the latest: We interview the APPLES IN STEREO - they cancel their entire US tour. However, this time there's an up side to the story.

It's pretty rare when we give a full feature on this site to an American artist. But then again, it’s pretty rare when a band like the Apples in Stereo come along. As founders and kingpigs of the critically acclaimed Elephant Six Collective, the Apples are spear-heading a roots pop movement that’s unquestionably the freshest thing in American guitar indie music today. Their new album, “The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone,” pushes the boundaries even farther, with forays into northern soul and Motown. Frontman Robert Schneider is well on his way to becoming the Phil Spector of his generation, handling production duties for the Apples as well as most of the bands under the Elephant Six wing. On the eve of their extensive world tour (see our Tours page for their North American dates,) Excellent Online sat down with Apples keyboardist Chris McDuffie for a brief chat about all things Elephant. Here’s a complete transcript of the interview.

Interview by Shane Brown