Eli Hansen (Real Numbers)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2023? (In order 1-5)
- Lightheaded - Good Good Great (Slumberland)
- Smashing Times - This Sporting Life (K/Perennial)
- Roy Werner - Imagine My Surprise (Moon Glyph)
- Cut Worms - Cut Worms (Jagjaguwar)
- Cindy - Standard Candle Demos (Sloth Mate Productions)
What band did you discover in 2023 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? How so?
Suzanne Ciani. I didn't so much discover her this year but Jan 2023 was when I bought a copy of Seven Waves. This kinda kicked off a fascination between myself and Jeff Cornell (Real Numbers guitarist). I tracked down a DVD of the A Life In Waves documentary and Jeff started getting into modular synthesizers. Will Real Numbers go new age? No, but can you imagine??
How will you remember 2023 (in terms of music)?
A couple things!
1) Beloved Radio launched in Jan of 2023 and I've been doing monthly shows all year. It's been a great experience sharing music and refining my chops. Check it out, every weekend! My show is every 3rd Sunday at 4 pm Central. A year's worth of my shows are all archived here.
2) Back in high school and college I was obsessed with the Beatles but my collection then was all CDs. Over the years I had picked up a handful of LPs but only the USA versions on Capitol. Due to Capitol's mangling of the discography, I knew at some point I should have nice non-USA copies of all the albums. In early spring I found several sealed UK '70s pressings at a local antique store which got the ball rolling. Come December, I've mostly completed my mission. I've been collecting vinyl for years and it always bothered me that a group that was so important to my musical development was so poorly represented in my collection. But mostly it feels good to rehear this stuff with new ears!
What can we look forward to from you in 2024?
A new Real Numbers track is coming out early 2024! Can't say much more about it at this time but we are very excited about it. We'll also be recording more and playing some shows!
What records are you looking forward to most in 2024?
More Lightheaded material (see #1 spot above). They are from New Jersey and sound like Pet Sounds Wrecking Crew Julee Cruise or something. Also the new Umbrellas LP coming out in January.
With physical media sales seemingly less popular than ever, what are some the best ways that fans can help to support the musicians when they go to a live show?
Buy a record/tape. It will sound better than streaming. Buy a shirt. Don't wear band shirts? No problem, wear it as pajamas. Let the band sleep on your couch.
Eli Hansen – social media links
- Instagram: @real.numbers
