Friday 19 November 2010

CAVE



Our current favourite drone-pysch-nu jazz collective are CAVE who are signed to Drag City- "they're the best, duh!"- and have been making busy since 2006 creating music to make the kids stroke their chins and move their feet. Just don't ask them how they make their sound. "We play music and it just comes out a certain way, we're not really sure how exactly... "

Hmm, so far so cryptic. Perhaps that's why they didn't get the props they deserved when they visited London a few weeks back. It seems us Londoners aren't that friendly to a band in need: "It was all going fine until our van broke down and people dont really seem to be super nice when you're homeless. No one offered us anywhere to stay" they moaned, perhaps unaware that they were talking to people who avoid eye contact on the tube at all costs. They didnt let that get them down though. They are pretty mellow sort of dudes and they vowed that when they return next week they are going to have "a really good time". Lock up your daughters now.

Where they are from, Columbia in Missouri, seems like a much friendlier kind of place. The kind of place that would not only offer up a floor to some hairy kraut rockers, but invite them in for a game of beer pong with some of those awsome red cups they have at american house parties. Everyone yammers on about LA and the whole Smell scene but for our money Columbia sounds just as cool. Known as college town USA its liberal and progressive. While the band admit that enthusiasm for Obama ("who?") has waned somewhat the majority of the population support the legalisation of cannabis, and the city has a great track record of making same sex couples feel welcome. Perhaps this is why it has such a vibrant hipster and psych music scene, spawning not only CAVE but their buddies Mahjongg, Lazer Crystal and the now defunct Warhammmer 48K. Together the bands are known as the Columbia Diaspora which is basically a fancy way of saying that they share studio space, play on eachother's records and ocassionally engage in a bit of inter band spooning (probably) Anyway, CAVE reckon there are all sorts of exciting things going down musically in ol' Missouri and urge you to check out HEATER and Jerusalem and the Starbaskets as soon as you can. They really are rather good.

After their "seemingly never ending European tour" is over the band have all sorts of projects in the pipeline including the release of a full length album in December (so far they've been more EP kinda guys) And what about 2011? " On New Years Eve we're playing a special show at the Hideout in Chicago. Then this March we're heading to New Orleans to play at our friends Mr Quintron and Miss Pussycat's house during Mardi Gras"

Let's hope they make them feel more welcome than we did. Oh, and in case you were wondering, their favourite caves are the Mark Twain complex (so called because the writer mentioned them in 5 of his books) They're in Missouri and they were discovered in either 1819 or 1820 by a dog who was chasing a panther (yep, you heard) and unearthed himself a geological treasure. Tours are one hour and 20 minutes ("A light jacket or sweater is recommended") and they also have a fudge shop. What's not to love?

http://www.myspace.com/realreelpro

http://www.marktwaincave.com/

No comments:

Post a Comment