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On the verge: CAGE THE ELEPHANT stampedes to fame

31st July

2010

written by Kenny Howell

Footage by Kenny Howell

Everyone loves a good story: Cage the Elephant has some doozies. There are funny ones, like how the band got its name (a stranger ran up to them, ranting, “You’ve got to cage the elephant, just cage the elephant”). There are scary ones, like the time the group overheard a murder. And there are sad ones, like singer Matt Shultz’s battle with drug addiction. It’s this honest storytelling that powers the bluesy rap-rockers’ self-titled debut album, which has been gaining momentum since its release in April 2009. Third single In One Ear is No. 1 on USA TODAY’s alternative airplay chart, and the album has sold 332,000 copies.

Catch them live: The quintet — Matt, 26; his brother Brad (guitarist), 28; Lincoln Parish (guitar), 19; Daniel Tichenor (bass), 29; and Jared Champion (drummer), 28 — brings its gritty, frenetic sound to the Stone Temple Pilots’ tour starting Aug. 10.

Modest beginnings: Growing up in a Pentecostal household, the Shultz brothers were allowed to listen to gospel music only. But their father, a freight truck driver, was once a musician and occasionally would play a Joe Walsh or Pink Floyd album for the kids.

Dumpster diving: The family lived in a two-bedroom apartment in Bowling Green, Ky., so it wasn’t easy to slip music past their mother. But that didn’t stop them from trying. “We found a drum kit in a dumpster and dragged it into our apartment,” Matt Shultz says. “We used coat hangers as drumsticks.” Brad bought his first guitar from a neighborhood kid for $20. “The back had fallen off, so we duct-taped it on,” his brother says.

To read the complete story visit USA TODAY

Tags: Cage The Elephant