Cage the Elephant: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Cage the Elephant grew out of Bowling Green, Kentucky's DIY basement circuit, then relocated to London in 2008 where their scrappy blues-punk found a British audience. Their arc runs from Pixies-indebted garage noise to the psych-pop of Dan Auerbach-produced records. This mix traces the Southern grit, the London detour, and the Nashville orbit they now sit in.

The Kynda mix for Cage the Elephant

• Key Influence · Surfer Rosa by Pixies (1988). The Pixies' loud-quiet dynamics, Black Francis' yelped-to-screamed vocal shifts and Steve Albini's dry, room-mic drum sound are all over Cage the Elephant's early records — Matt Shultz's cracked delivery on 'Aberdeen' and 'Sabertooth Tiger' descends directly from this template. The band have repeatedly named Pixies among the touchstones that reoriented them from Southern blues-rock toward angular alt-rock songwriting.
• Influencia Obscura · Fire of Love by The Gun Club (1981). Jeffrey Lee Pierce's swamp-punk record is the missing link explaining how a Kentucky band could sound both Delta-blues and hardcore at once. Slide guitar, murder-ballad imagery and a singer teetering between preacher and lunatic — the DNA of 'James Brown' and 'Judas' era Cage the Elephant. It also runs through the Kills and Jack White, artists in the band's immediate orbit, making it a shared underground ancestor.
• Local Roots · Celabrasion by Sleeper Agent (2011). Sleeper Agent came out of the same tiny Bowling Green, Kentucky scene, sharing bills, practice spaces and personnel connections with Cage the Elephant's circle in the late 2000s. Their scrappy boy-girl garage-pop documents exactly what a Warren County basement show sounded like in that period, and the two bands toured together as Bowling Green's unlikely double export to national rock radio.
• Beyond the Medium · Post Office by Charles Bukowski (1971). Cage the Elephant's early lyrics traffic in Bukowski's territory: dead-end jobs, cheap liquor, petty crime and self-disgust reported flatly rather than romanticised. 'Ain't No Rest for the Wicked' is essentially a Bukowski vignette set to a blues riff, and Matt Shultz's writing voice — first-person, unheroic, funny in a bleak way — belongs to the same lineage of American low-life confessional prose.
• Peer · Brothers by The Black Keys (2010). The Black Keys were the obvious contemporaries: Ohio-bred blues-rock duo who broke through on the same festival circuit and later became direct collaborators when Dan Auerbach produced Cage the Elephant's 'Tell Me I'm Pretty'. 'Brothers' is the record that proved a garage-blues band could make lush, hook-driven radio music without smoothing out the grit — precisely the path Cage the Elephant followed.
• From the Canon · Melophobia by Cage the Elephant (2013). Recorded in Nashville with Jay Joyce, 'Melophobia' — literally 'fear of music' — was the band's deliberate break from imitation, with Matt Shultz reportedly stripping arrangements down to avoid sounding like his influences. It yielded 'Come a Little Closer' and 'Cigarette Daydreams', added mariachi horns and Alison Mosshart's guest vocal, and reframed them from garage revivalists into songwriters.
• Key Collaborator · Waiting on a Song by Dan Auerbach (2017). Auerbach produced 'Tell Me I'm Pretty' (2015), pushing Cage the Elephant toward warmer, vintage-toned psych-pop and winning them a Grammy for Best Rock Album. His own solo record, cut in Nashville with veteran session players and co-writer John Prine, showcases exactly the craft he brought them: analogue textures, 60s pop chord moves and songs built for tone rather than volume.
• Legacy · Folk Hop N' Roll by Judah & the Lion (2016). Judah & the Lion emerged from the same Nashville-Kentucky corridor a few years behind Cage the Elephant, and their anthemic, banjo-spiked alt-rock follows the path Cage cut open on rock radio: Southern instrumentation, festival-sized choruses and confessional lyrics. The two bands have shared tours and audiences, with Judah Akers' generation treating Cage the Elephant as the local proof it could be done.

What influenced Cage the Elephant

• Nirvana. Second album Thank You, Happy Birthday was influenced by Nirvana. (also via Nevermind) “their exposure to bands such as Nirvana , Foals and Gang of Four helped shape their early alt rock and punk sound” (Wikipedia)
• The Rolling Stones. Early influence noted. (also via Beggars Banquet) “During their early years the band was influenced by classic rock and folk bands such as The Rolling Stones , Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles.” (Wikipedia)
• Pixies. Second album Thank You, Happy Birthday was influenced by Pixies. (also via Surfer Rosa) “heavily influenced by punk rock as well as bands such as Pixies and Nirvana” (Wikipedia)
• Gang of Four. London-era influence. “their exposure to bands such as Nirvana , Foals and Gang of Four helped shape their early alt rock and punk sound” (Wikipedia)
• Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones (1968). Beggars Banquet (The Rolling Stones) — titan for Cage the Elephant “== Members == Current members Matt Shultz – lead vocals (2006–present), rhythm guitar (2015–present) Brad Shultz – rhythm guitar, keyboards (2006–present) Daniel Tichenor – bass, backing vocals (2006–present) Jared Champion – drums, perc…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Jimi Hendrix. Early influence noted. “During their early years the band was influenced by classic rock and folk bands such as The Rolling Stones , Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles.” (Wikipedia)
• Nevermind by Nirvana (1991). Nevermind (Nirvana) — titan for Cage the Elephant “The band's second album, Thank You, Happy Birthday, was released in 2011 and was heavily influenced by punk rock as well as bands such as Pixies and Nirvana.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Beatles. Early influence noted. “During their early years the band was influenced by classic rock and folk bands such as The Rolling Stones , Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles.” (Wikipedia)
• Surfer Rosa by Pixies (1988). Surfer Rosa (Pixies) — titan for Cage the Elephant “The band's second album, Thank You, Happy Birthday, was released in 2011 and was heavily influenced by punk rock as well as bands such as Pixies and Nirvana.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Post Office by Charles Bukowski (1971). Post Office (Charles Bukowski) — culture for Cage the Elephant (openlibrary.org)
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Terry Gilliam (1998). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam) — culture for Cage the Elephant (wikidata.org)
• The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers (1976). The Modern Lovers (The Modern Lovers) — ghost for Cage the Elephant (musicbrainz.org)
• Fire of Love by The Gun Club (1981). Fire of Love (The Gun Club) — ghost for Cage the Elephant (musicbrainz.org)

Peers and kindred spirits

• Metallica. Played show alongside Metallica. (also via "The Unforgiven", The Metallica Blacklist) “they also played a show alongside Metallica and Greta Van Fleet that same year.” (Wikipedia)
• Foals (2005). Toured with Foals. “The band also toured with The Black Keys on their Turn Blue tour, and then with Foals on their 2014 UK and US tours.” (Wikipedia)
• Sleeper Agent. Both bands part of same Bowling Green scene and close friends. (also via Celabrasion) “The band Sleeper Agent , another Bowling Green music group and close friends with Cage the Elephant, came in second place.” (Wikipedia)
• The Black Keys. Toured with The Black Keys. (also via Brothers) “The band also toured with The Black Keys on their Turn Blue tour, and then with Foals on their 2014 UK and US tours.” (Wikipedia)
• "The Unforgiven" by Metallica. Direct cover relationship of the song itself. “The band contributed a cover of the Metallica song " The Unforgiven " to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist , released in September 2021.” (Wikipedia)
• Expanding Anyway by Morning Teleportation (2011). Expanding Anyway (Morning Teleportation) — geography for Cage the Elephant “Nick Bockrath is part of the band Nicos Gun and previously played bass with Morning Teleportation.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Beck. Beck featured on Social Cues track and co-headlined tour. “Cage the Elephant announced the "Night Running" summer 2019 co-headlining tour with Beck , who is featured on the Social Cues track "Night Running."” (Wikipedia)
• The Metallica Blacklist by Metallica. Band covered Metallica's 'The Unforgiven' for a tribute album. “The band contributed a cover of the Metallica song " The Unforgiven " to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist , released in September 2021.” (Wikipedia)
• Greta Van Fleet. Played show alongside Greta Van Fleet. “they also played a show alongside Metallica and Greta Van Fleet that same year.” (Wikipedia)
• Brothers by The Black Keys (2010). Brothers (The Black Keys) — peer for Cage the Elephant “The band also toured with The Black Keys on their Turn Blue tour, and then with Foals on their 2014 UK and US tours.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Celabrasion by Sleeper Agent (2011). Celabrasion (Sleeper Agent) — geography for Cage the Elephant “The band Sleeper Agent, another Bowling Green music group and close friends with Cage the Elephant, came in second place.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Dave Grohl (1969). Grohl temporarily played drums for Cage the Elephant. “Dave Grohl , the Foo Fighters' frontman and former drummer of Nirvana , temporarily filled in for Champion while he was recuperating.” (Wikipedia)
• Foo Fighters. Cage the Elephant toured supporting Foo Fighters. “the band supported the Foo Fighters , who were on tour supporting their new album Wasting Light” (Wikipedia)
• Muse. Toured as opening act for Muse. “The band toured with Muse as an opening act in the fall of 2013.” (Wikipedia)
• Waiting on a Song by Dan Auerbach (2017). Waiting on a Song (Dan Auerbach) — collaborator for Cage the Elephant “The band's fourth album, Tell Me I'm Pretty, was produced by Dan Auerbach and released in 2015.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Oasis. Opened for Oasis reunion tour. “From late August to early September 2025 Cage The Elephant opened for all stops of the North American leg of the Oasis Live '25 reunion tour.” (Wikipedia)
• Chief by Eric Church (2011). Chief (Eric Church) — collaborator for Cage the Elephant (musicbrainz.org)
• Midnight Boom by The Kills (2008). Midnight Boom (The Kills) — peer for Cage the Elephant (musicbrainz.org)
• AM by Arctic Monkeys (2013). AM (Arctic Monkeys) — peer for Cage the Elephant (musicbrainz.org)

Who Cage the Elephant influenced

• Tell Me I'm Pretty. Critic compares the two albums, drawing a stylistic connection. (via Melophobia) “Tell Me I'm Pretty sits very much in the same league as Melophobia – a confident, eclectic rock record with heaps of personality and charm.” (Wikipedia)
• Folk Hop N' Roll by Judah & the Lion (2016). Folk Hop N' Roll (Judah & the Lion) — legacy for Cage the Elephant (musicbrainz.org)
• How Will You Know If You Never Try by COIN (2017). How Will You Know If You Never Try (COIN) — legacy for Cage the Elephant (musicbrainz.org)