DJ Ducky Interviews Toronto Songwriter Three Headed Elephant

Like any good little millennial, the first obligation I had when I heard that my co-host and I were given a show on Freeform Portland last year was to create an Instagram.

With our measly 50ish followers, we don’t have much reach, but given the current state of the nation (awful) and a growing desire to use our radio platform for more than just the same Clairo/Phoebe Bridgers/etc. on repeat, we decided to put out a call to our small group for truly independent musicians to send us music so that we could play them on our show. 

With any call to action online, you’re bound to get a few weirdos and/or nudes. 

Luckily, I got neither! We ended up with an artist we like, who deserves to be heard and known, and kindly granted us an interview – our first one ever! Needless to say, I’m excited the whole process went much more smoothly than I thought it would, but I’m also very excited to introduce the artist: Wolfgang, AKA Three Headed Elephant. 

It’s truly crazy what the Internet is capable of… 

Sometimes kindness, sometimes awful, always mesmerizing. 

You can check out one of our new favorite Toronto musicians’ music here:

Listen to Three Headed Elephant on Bandcamp or Spotify, and Soundcloud for covers and tinkerings

Follow Three Headed Elephant on Instagram

And read what Wolfgang of Three Headed Elephant has to say about the creative process below…

Ducky: Tell me about your artist name and how you came up with it…

Wolfgang: I’m Wolfgang also known as Three Headed Elephant. The name Three Headed Elephant was inspired by Buddhism imagery.

Ducky: Where are you located? 

Wolfgang: I’m from Toronto, Ontario. 

Ducky: What/Who inspired you to make music?

Wolfgang: My father is an accordion player so I grew up always listening to music and surrounded by music always… I think subconsciously this is what inspired me to make music at a very young age.

Ducky: How would you describe the music you typically create and gravitate toward?

Wolfgang: I would say my music is blues/folk/soul/funk… it jumps from genre to genre. I don’t want to limit myself to one thing…

Ducky: I listened to “So Happy” first since you sent it to me and loved the way it captured the emotion you must have been feeling when you wrote it and feels like it nicely captures an exact moment in time. Definitely a great song for summer and spending time outside with the guitar riffs! Your sound reminded me of Eef Barzelay/Clem Snide mixed with lofi (obviously)/surf indie. Is that a totally inaccurate depiction? 😂

Wolfgang: I really love what you said about “So Happy” it definitely has a beach chill type vibe to it so that is funny you said surf indie. 

Ducky: What would you say the process is and inspirations are for your songwriting?

Wolfgang: I just write… My process is very simple. Whenever I feel inspired by anything I write about it and then I try to find ways to sing about that particular thing.

Ducky: If you could play on a stage at any festival, which one would you choose? 

Wolfang: I would love to perform at Osheaga one day.

Ducky: How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business? (Good or bad?)

Wolfgang: I think the internet has impacted the music industry in a wonderful way because now anyone can put their music out there and the sense of community on social media is heartwarming, to say the least. 

Ducky: Speaking of the internet… Are you a vinyl/cd/tape or digital/streaming listener?

Wolfgang: I have a vinyl collection… but I mostly listen to stuff online these days.

Ducky: Which famous musicians do you admire and why?

Wolfgang: Some of my inspirations are Ian Curtis, Florence Welch, David Bowie and Brittany Howard. I really love Florence Welch and her energy. The way she dances on stage and sings, she is very captivating to watch. I also really admire Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes, the way she sings, you can tell she is singing straight from her soul… she really tugs on my heartstrings every time I listen to her.

Ducky: Do you have any hobbies or creative passions outside of music-making that you like to use to help you in your creative process?

Wolfgang: I love to dance. That definitely helps me in my creative process… lol

Ducky: And finally, what’s one song that changed your life?

Wolfgang: One song that changed my life… that is tough because I feel that there are so many songs that have really changed my life but one particular song I always seem to gravitate back to is “Giving Up” by Donny Hathaway.

DJ Ducky’s favorite song from the debut album by Three Headed Elephant:Let Me Carry Something for You

This song, along with all others on the debut, have the ability to both transfix and calm the listener in their sheer simplicity. While there are lofi vibes and folksy lyrics throughout the entire debut (which a lofi lovin’ girl like me adores), “Let Me Carry Something for You” is the song that spoke to me most. It’s refreshing to hear something so bare bones and raw which reminds me of the indie folk artists in the DFW area I often listened to in college. And that raw emotion speaks to Three Headed Elephant’s desire to tap into those blues and soul inspirations. This song in particular has such a powerful emotional element in its uncomplicated lyrics and speaks to the true heart of a rock solid relationship – the willingness and longing to be a backbone and solid foundation for another human being, even when you have your own shit to carry. 

Let Me Carry Something for You takes a cliche relational notion and turns it into a beautiful portrait of that longing you feel when you empathize and sensitize to the plight of those around you. And I couldn’t think of a better song for the world today.

DJ Ducky and her co host DJ Petrie are the amateurs behind Invasion of the Indiesauruses | Fridays 6-8am.