Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't

Like other so-called "bands" in the like-minded Elephant 6 coterie, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't was more of a person than a band. In this case, that person was Pete Erchick, keyboardist and contributor to <a href="spotify:artist:4a2nAPF15Gv8V65Ba3IJSB">the Olivia Tremor Control</a>.

Erchick joined <a href="spotify:artist:4a2nAPF15Gv8V65Ba3IJSB">the OTC</a> following the release of their Dusk at Cubist Castle album, to help reproduce the band's Wall of Sound in a live environment. Erchick became an increasingly active member, contributing "I Have Been Floated" to the group's 1999 effort Black Foliage: Animation Music. Following that album's release, the band splintered into several outfits, including Will Cullen Hart's <a href="spotify:artist:7JJgTy5hFETeQWs8D71mOq">the Circulatory System</a> (with who Erchick recorded and toured), and Bill Doss' <a href="spotify:artist:2jVSpIDyxN7tpkUZpyoVpQ">the Sunshine Fix</a>. During this period, Erchick commenced work on solo projects under the name Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't. The name was drawn from a cutaway illustration in a book Erchick had as a child. In 2000, he contributed to Naked in the Afternoon (a tribute to outside folk musician <a href="spotify:artist:3VFQDTjBkey4UCrrmnreLu">Jandek</a>) as well as the U.S. Pop Live, Vol. 5 compilation.

In August 2001, he issued Individualized Shirts, in conjunction with Cloud Recordings (a label run by <a href="spotify:artist:4a2nAPF15Gv8V65Ba3IJSB">OTC</a>'s John Fernandes and Will Cullen Hart). The disc was typical, though very well-done, Elephant 6 fare: psychedelic swirls of keyboards, folkish guitars, and horns, featuring a long cast of extended family members (including <a href="spotify:artist:4a2nAPF15Gv8V65Ba3IJSB">OTC</a>'s Fernandes and Eric Harris, as well as <a href="spotify:artist:2ooIqOf4X2uz4mMptXCtie">Neutral Milk Hotel</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:38xTceqQAKg4Q2TwFCm902">Jeff Mangum</a> and Scott Spillane). Erchick peppered the release's liner notes with references to '70s baseball players, such as Ed Kranepool and Brooks Robinson. ~ Jesse Jarnow, Rovi