Elour (pronounced "allure") is what Elizabeth Ghandour categorizes as Femm Rock. Elizabeth’s direct lyrics, diverse background and uniquely trained voice, combined with Ryan Vee's creative drumming, yield a sound that's both stylish and vibrant.
Growing up in rural Minnesota, the daughter of an American mother and Lebanese father, Elizabeth's early musical influences were way outside the mainstream: the musicals her grandmother loved and the Lebanese folk music her father loved. Her singing ability was recognized at an early age, and lessons came along with it, adding opera and art songs to her already off the beaten path musical palette. It seemed obvious all through her childhood and her coursework at St. Olaf college that her destiny was opera or musical theater, and indeed, shortly after college she moved to New York City for just that purpose.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the aria. Passing by a New York City cafe, she heard folk music and was drawn to it irresistibly. Though she'd never played guitar or written music, she was soon heavily into both. She headed back to Minnesota and added her sound to Minneapolis' rich musical mix with her Americana band, The Heighburners. But after a couple of EPs she noticed she some of her songs didn't fit the Americana mold.
The new sounds were more rocking, angstier, moodier and more directly concerned with her experiences as a female in the big wide world. Though The Heighburners remain extant, Elour was created to present this new material. In November, 2019, the eponymous first Elour EP was released, with four songs. While the EP includes full instrumentation and high production value, Elour live is usually a two-piece consisting of Elizabeth on electric guitar, vocals, and vocal pedals, and Ryan Vee on drums. The subject matter often enough is heartbreak or relationships gone awry, but the performances are energetic and fun, at times even playful!