Representative Albums: "'Neath the Pale Moon", "The Cassettes
Biography
Not to be confused with the British indie group of the same name, Washington, D.C.'s the Cassettes dream in Technicolor, churning out rock tunes with a psychedelic vibe and a garage rock fervor. The band initially emerged from Shelby Cinca's four-track recordings that didn't fit in with the angst-ridden sound of his noisier outfit, Frodus. In 1999, Cinca teamed up with his high school buddy, Dead Meadow bassist Steve Kille, and the duo began writing songs inspired by their parents' record collections. After recruiting Kille's girlfriend, Jennifer Potter, to play second guitar and sing backup vocals and Stephen McCarty to drum, the group went into the studio to record their debut full-length. Soon after that album set sail, and only months before the release of their second full-length, O'er the Mountain, Kille, Potter, and McCarty parted ways with the band. Left to his own devices, Cinca contacted tabla player Saadat Awan, who had expressed an interest in collaborating with Cinca a few years prior. Inspired by Beatles songs like "Honey Pie" and "Rocky Raccoon," Cinca decided that the group's sound needed an overhaul. With the addition of Stephen Guidry on accordion and Arthur Harrison on Theremin in 2003, the Cassettes transformed their sound from sunshiny power pop to pounding psychedelic, country-infused rock. They released their third full-length album, 'Neath the Pale Moon, three years later. ~ Charles Spano & Margaret Reges, All Music Guide
The Cassettes were originally formed as an outgrowth of front-man Shelby Cinca’s four-track recordings: odd pop nuggets that diverged from the teeth-gritting angst of his previous project, Frodus. The son of Romanianrefugees who fled from the Iron Curtain in search of the America of Jazz Era music and films, Cinca was indelibly influenced by both his pianist father, who played in clubs off the coast of the Black Sea in the 1960s, and his mother, an author, film critic and Elvis fan. The songs of the Cassettes undoubtedly reflect this heritage and themselves had served as a sort of sonic refuge from the hectic touring schedule of the punk rock lifestyle.
As originally formed, the troupe consisted of members of Dead Meadow and Weird War, and remained together long enough to produce two albums which pulled from classic rock n' roll influences of such bands as Badfinger, Wings, and T. Rex. The albums were released both in the United States and abroad. However, this initial group of collaborators members were unexpectedly called onto other travels and they parted ways with good wishes upon the eve of their debut album's release. In the months after the release of the eponymous first album and just before the release of the already completed second album, The Cassettes’ line-up began to evolve.
In late 2002, from an apartment overlooking the streets of Paris, Shelby contacted D.C.-area musician Saadat Awan, who had years before pledged his percussion skills to the band, should he ever be needed. Having spent periods of his childhood with his parents in Pakistan, Awan had begun delving into the art of tabla, a percussion instrument used for centuries in the music of the South Asian Subcontinent. He was quickly put to work learning the drum lines from the earlier music and before long had augmented the band's sound with his own vocals and tabla playing. At this time Shelby made a decision to steer the future of the band's sound towards a Rocky Racoon/Honey Pie influenced path. In an attempt to approach things differently he switched to playing a Resonator Guitar and focused on fingerpicking to compensate for lack of bass guitar and to augment Saadat's unique rhythmic stylings.
Having moved to Washington D.C. from the depths of Louisiana sometime in 1998, close friend and kindred soul Stephen Guidry was recruited to record on some demo songs being produced in the Norwegian Cabin (a studio locale in Arlington, Virginia). His journey away from the swampy flatlands had originally been for the sake of university scholarship, but it was the music that kept him in the District (though his mind often wandered back to his family farm at Pointe Blue). Within a few months, he had joined the band as an official member on analogue synthesizer and Cajun-style accordion. The trio would be in Europe within the year, touring in support of O'er the Mountain (2003) and consuming great amounts of bread and cheese in cobbled alleys and coffee shops.
In the meantime, however, even before their trip to Europe, at their second show in the states as a trio, there had been a moment of prescience as an indirect result of Stephen having forgotten his power supply somewhere in Virginia. Arthur Harrison (who also played with Stephen in the DC based cabaret troupe, The Parlor Scouts) was in the vicinity of the show and happened to have one of his theremins in his car, was recruited on the spot to fill in for Stephen's missing keyboard sounds. Although his exact history is shrouded in mystery, Harrison had been making electronic music in the DC area since at least the 1980s and had spent years perfecting his oscillators and theremins. He was performing with just these instruments at a planetarium when he was met by Stephen and later, Shelby. As proved by his impromptu performance, the affinity between the group was unmistakable and Arthur would end up officially joining the band at the end of 2003.
The Cassettes continued to hone their sound, diligently recording new material, refining previously recorded works, and consistently playing on the eastern seaboard of the United States. In 2006 they signed to Buddyhead Records after completion of their 3-years in making the album entitled "'Neath The Pale Moon" which brought long-time Frodus producer Jonathan Krienik (Conglomerate International) back into the fold to refine The Cassettes' synth-infused country stomp.
