Rishi Dhir speaks about Sacred Sound, the sitar, and why ASHA is the most personal record Elephant Stone have made

Transmission 379: Interview with Elephant Stone

Rishi Dhir has been writing, recording, and mixing Elephant Stone records in a soundproofed room in his Montreal basement for the better part of two decades. The tenth album, ASHA, arrives August 28 via Elephants On Parade/Little Cloud Records. It is named after his mother, who died during its making; ASHA is the Sanskrit word for hope.

Title: Asha
Artist: Elephant Stone
Release Date: 2026-08-28
Genres: Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Label: Elephants On Parade, Little Cloud Records
Description: Elephant Stone's Rishi Dhir on ASHA, grief, sitar, and twenty years of psychedelic rock. Out August 28, Little Cloud Records.

The nine-track record moves from the abrasive sub-two-minute lead single “Everything Evil” , a direct response to the current political climate, through more expansive terrain, closing with “Spirit, Take Me Away” featuring Amy Millan of Stars and Broken Social Scene. “Fascists Killed Yer Rock ‘N’ Roll” is also on the tracklist. Dhir produced, engineered, and mixed the album himself at Sacred Sound, his home studio, with Miles Dupire on drums, Jason Kent on guitar and piano, and Robbie MacArthur on guitar. Limited-edition vinyl is available for pre-order via Little Cloud Records.

Featured image: © Titouan Massé

What music had an impact on you during your early years, and what led you to start playing in bands?

I guess it really started with The Beatles and The Who. My older brother introduced me to them when I was 7 and I was hooked right away. As for playing music, I guess it was just the joy of music that made me want to make it.

When did you first pick up the sitar, and what drew you to it?

Bought my first sitar on a family trip to India in 1997. I bought a student model from a store in Delhi. I was exposed to a lot of Bollywood as a child, so the sitar was just a sound my ear was tuned to. I thought it would be an interesting thing to toy with.

How did growing up between cultures shape your musical identity?

I am really stuck between two worlds. East and West.

What does Montreal mean to you as a place to make music?

It’s my home. So in a sense, it’s me. Complicated, confused, joyous, apprehensive.

How did Elephant Stone begin?

Elephant Stone began out of an existential crisis in 2006. The life of a touring indie rock musician in my old band The High Dials had started to feel hollow and empty. I was looking for meaning and purpose. I wanted to see if I had anything to say and give back to the world.

What does Sacred Sound look like, and how did it become your base of operations?

It’s my home studio; a soundproofed room I built in my basement/garage. Elephant Stone HQ. All our records are written, recorded, and mixed there. It gives me the freedom to experiment. My wife and I bought a house in 2018 and that’s when Sacred Sound came to life.

ASHA is named after your late mother. What was the process of deciding how personal to make this record? How did your mother influence your relationship with music over the years?

I only write about what I know and think I understand. So in a sense, I never really decide how personal to make a record… it just comes out that way. A dear friend and my mother passed away during the writing and recording of this album. That loss sits at the center of everything here. These songs were written before her passing, but with her death their meanings shifted… some of them completely. ASHA is the Sanskrit word for hope, and my mother’s name. This feels like the most honest album I’ve ever made.

What was the hardest song to finish?

“Fascists Killed Yer Rock ‘N’ Roll.” The title and the riff go back to 2013. I was on tour with The Black Angels and had a conversation with Christian about what killed rock and roll; what happened to its rebellious spirit, its purpose. That stayed with me. The riff itself was more bluesy at first, almost Zeppelin-esque. It just took a long time to find its place and purpose. And then you look around at what’s happening in the world and suddenly it all made sense. Here we are.

How do you think about Elephant Stone in relation to your other projects?

Elephant Stone is me unfiltered. It’s what I think about every day and every night. The words, the meaning, my daily thoughts put into song. It’s my baby. As long as there’s a Rishi, there’s going to be an Elephant Stone.

What do you think rock music is still capable of that other genres aren’t?

Honestly, I don’t really see music in terms of genres or styles. I just see music as music. It can make you dance, make you cry, make you laugh, make you angry, get you hyped up. Music, and art in general, is one of the most important and necessary things in life. I don’t draw lines between styles.

Is there a book, film, or painting that has changed how you think about making art?

During COVID I decided I wanted to learn more about art history, so I bought a book called History of Art and really got into it. Learning about art opened my eyes and ears to the power of contrast — the parallels between visual art and music. The Baroque era in particular really changed how I think about what art can mean.

Are you working on new material?

Not really. Whenever I finish an album the well runs dry and I need to replenish it. Right now I’m focusing on other things: practicing sitar and tabla, picking up a few Kinks tunes, just playing music for the sake of music rather than creating. And honestly, I’m so preoccupied with releasing ASHA — the videos, the campaign, everything that entails — that new material feels far away right now. But you never know…

Photos courtesy of Elephant Stone

Matteo Damiani

Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others