Get to know Elim

Future Promotions recently sat down with Mike and Mark Longhelt of the group Elim to see what they had to say.


FuturePromotions: You have a very unique sound, where did the concept for this band come from?

Mark: We wanted to write music not only that we liked, but what people enjoy and connect with and also unique to our talents. Kinda put our own stamp on it. Our spin on pop/hip hop! We both come from a background of being front men for separate rock bands. Mine was The Common Threat which was similar to Rage Against The Machine and Mike's was Dreaming of Eden which was a lot like Saosin (emo/screamo rock). While we were busy with both of those projects we began doing some hip hop stuff on the side just for fun more than anything. We named it 703 Boys and just kinda got around to making music when we had the time. We never really had any ambition of making it our full-time project. But over time Mike got a lot better at writing beats and the production side of things so it became something we were doing with much more regularity. And we found ourselves falling into our niche of pop/hip hop/electronica. Eventually both of our bands took a back seat to what we believe is the genre and project that we are supposed to involved in. 


Mike: So we decided to change the name to ELIM, shoot a video, release an EP, and the rest is history!

Who came up with the name Elim and does it have a certain meaning?

Mike: It was pretty much a mutual thing. We had been searching for a name change from 703 Boys for quite some time. To be honest it seemed we were never gonna settle on something. But one day Mark said "Why don't we just name it ELIM?" and we both just kinda knew that was it!


Mark: The name has a couple different meanings actually. First of all, it has Biblical meaning. When the Hebrews were freed from slavery in Egypt and they crossed the Red Sea the first place they came to was a resting place or oasis that they named Elim. Which is actually still there to this day.Secondly, it has family meaning. Back in 1972 our grandparents bought a piece of property with the dream of having it be a place where they could spread love to people that were in desperate need of it. Over the years they had all sorts of people live there; runaways, broken families, homeless, and even our family. Eventually the county came to them and said that they had to change the name of the street, and after deliberation they decided on Elim based on the idea that the property was an oasis for the hurting and a haven for love and generosity.That is kinda how we feel about our music. We want our music and our lives to exude love to a hurting and broken world. That is our mission. So that's why it just seemed right when that name was mentioned.

Which song is your personal favorites?

Mark: My personal favorite is "On Top Of The World". 
It's kinda my story from a life of hustlin and strugglin to restoration, freedom, and accomplishment. It means a lot to me cuz it is me.
Mike: I find it hard to choose a favorite but would probably have to say Can’t Stop Us because the premise is that no matter what any individual says, they can’t stop us from reaching our destiny. 

What is the best part about performing?

Wow! What ISN'T great about performing? We both love it so much! From the hard work behind the scenes to the bright lights and sense of freedom from expressing yourself through something you love to do! 
But if we had to pick a particular aspects that we enjoy the most I'd have to say it's the sheer joy we get from simply being on a stage. We love it. It's a high like no other. The feeling of connecting with people through music that you have written is something that cannot be substituted. Now you got me wanting to go play a show!!!!


So far what has been your best expierience?

Mark: Just all the love and support we've gotten from our friends and family! It really has been overwhelming to realize that so many amazing people have our back and truly believe in who we are and what we are doing. I don't know if we'll ever be able to really convey just how much they all mean to us, but I know we hope that we do the most with every opportunity we get to show them. 

Who inspires your songs?

Mike: It's more of a "what" than a "who" I think. It really can be the most random thing, and more often than not it is. We kinda live in the mindset of constantly writing. Whether it be the music, a hook, or lyrics. Our brains are so incredibly immersed in music that we're just constantly coming up with new stuff, and we're really blessed in that sense to be almost obsessed with something that you honestly love to create and to perform.

When can we expect some new music?

Mike: Very soon! We're currently working on 3 new tracks, and we're hoping to release them as soon as possible. Our goal is to put out, or at least finish, a minimum of 1 new song per month. And since we do EVERYTHING ourselves it makes it a lot easier because we don't have to work around anyone else's schedule.

Any last shoutouts?

Elim: We just wanna express again how eternally grateful we are to everyone that has helped us along the way, and have been pillars of love and support throughout our journey! We look forward to amazing things in our future, and hope to be able to share it with every single person we come in contact with. From dear old friends to the new ones we meet everyday. 
We love you all and know for certain we could never do this without you!!