The Show
Cage the Elephant brought their funky, soulfully psychedelic sound to the stage at the Santa Barbara Art Foundry for their episode of Live from the Artists Den. Thriving off the energy of the crowd of 400 invited guests, frontman Matt Shultz delivered an epic performance in an intimate setting, hurling himself around the small space like a man possessed, while the rest of the band equaled his intensity. The set, drawn mostly from the band’s Grammy-nominated album, Melophobia, ended with a shirtless Shultz held aloft by the cheering crowd, a triumphant exclamation point to an unforgettable night.
Frontman Matt Shultz delivered an epic performance in an intimate setting, hurling himself around the small space like a man possessed, while the rest of the band equaled his intensity.
Behind the Den
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Cage The Elephant
Cage the Elephant formed in 2006, quickly earning a reputation for its raucous live shows and triumphant festival appearances, complete with stage diving and crowd surfing. Bandmates Matt Shultz, Brad Shultz, Daniel Tichenor, and Jared Champion met growing up in Bowling Green, KY. After a well-received showcase at South By Southwest, the band moved to England to pursue a full-time career in music. In 2008, the band released its self-titled debut album in the UK, followed by a US release in 2009. The album featured the breakout single “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” which reached the Number 3 spot on the Billboard Alternative songs chart and was featured in numerous commercials and TV shows. In 2011, the band released its follow-up album, Thank You, Happy Birthday. The album debuted at Number 2 on the Billboard 200, topped the iTunes Top Downloads chart, and was named one of the best albums of the year by Rolling Stone. After touring for nearly five straight years, the band took time off to work on new material. On October 8, 2014, the band released its third album, Melophobia. The album was chosen as the “Album of the Week” by USA Today and was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Alternative Music Album.” Cage the Elephant’s fourth album, Tell Me I’m Pretty, won a Grammy for Best Rock Album in 2015 and the band released Unpeeled in 2017 followed by their fifth studio album, Social Cues, in 2019.
The Venue
The Santa Barbara Art Foundry opened in 2013 in Santa Barbara’s vibrant arts district, the Funk Zone. A family business headed by Ian McTavish and his son Andy, the foundry is one of the few art foundries in the world where the public can view artisans in the process of creating sculptures out of molten metal and glass. The foundry also houses an art gallery and the Fox Wine Company’s first tasting room in Santa Barbara. Photography courtesy of Markus C.S. for Artists Den Entertainment.
