The Caezars are back with an upcoming UK tour. If you haven’t
heard been to see them I highly recommend you to go and check this very
talented, unique band….
"Vintage
styled Rock'n'Roll that Tarantino would be proud of" - Timeout Magazine
"I
can certainly see what all the fuss is about"- Mark Lamarr BBC Radio 2
"The
Jim Jones Revue meet The Johnny Burnette Trio"- Mojo Magazine
"Now
is that good time music or what?" Bob
Harris BBC Radio 2
"They're
brilliant, passionate and they experiment too - it's about 70 per cent
Rockabilly with a big chunk of post-punk, with an electricity I love" - Imelda May
"They
have the song writing skills and live ability to re energise rockabilly music
for a whole new generation." Paul
Hastings- Mudkiss Fanzine
"Surf-infused
rockabilly badasses" - Vive Le Rock
Magazine
I say no
more........
I caught
up with Danny
and AJ
right at the beginning of their UK tour to see how they are getting on
and what they have in store for people coming to their show…
Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?
Danny: I'm promoting dates and organising guest lists
for the upcoming dates of our UK tour
AJ: All good, recovering from the first few days of
tour and itching to get back at it
To those not familiar with you, how would you describe your sound?
Danny: MOJO magazine summed us up in a way we quite like
which was "The Jim Jones Revue meet The Johnny Burnette Trio" so a
50s styled punk-rock band put simply I suppose. We're not a Psychobilly band
though, which I guess is why so many people say we sound like The Cramps, which
we quite like as well!
What is it about music that inspires you to write and try to conquer one
of the toughest industries in the world?
Danny: I'm not too sure any artist would be able to
fully answer that question, I guess the main reason is that I love doing it. I
know it's cliche but the conquering of the industry isn't really what drives
you, what drives you is gaining more fans over time and having people respond
positively to what you are performing and how you're playing it. There's no
better feeling in the world than watching people enjoy something you've
invested time and effort into, whether that be through the songs we write or
the events we put on to help share that music.
AJ: Yeah I agree with Danny. It's also, for me, a mixture
of not having to worry about anything when you're fapping out a chord (yes -
even the chord formation), and just the general human desire to drive yourself
and keep improving until you're moldy and worm-sodden in the art'
You have a very unique 60’s Garage/Rockabilly style to you, what
inspires you to make music today in such a commercially dominated industry?
Danny: Because that's the music I love! I was brought up
on Link Wray & The Sonics so I was never going to start singing along to
Britney when I was a kid haha I first heard the White Stripes when I was around
10 and they've become one of my biggest influences personally. Loud guitars and
rock'n'roll are what excite me, whether that's me playing on stage or just
listening to records at home.
AJ: When we first started out we had some interest
from the Venga Boy's manager (yes really),we entertained scanning the contract,
and the nice dinner our manager at the time put on, but that's about it. It's
important that music makes you feel something, whether it be lamenting or the
sort of tone that you feel you could almost bite it's so exciting and
"there". I don't think that's available in a lot of commercial music.
YES you can have fun singing choruses, and respect a song-writer that's invented
something so commercially viable, it all has its place; just not a place we
wanna be.
Where does the inspiration come from? Do you write about the past or are
you writing in the present with a 60’s spin on it?
Danny: I'm not the writer of the Lyrics but when I come
to write guitar lines I'm not trying to sound authentic or old I'm just trying
to put together something that fits. If that sounds like The Shadows then
that's great but if it sounds like The Arctic Monkeys then that's cool too.
AJ: It's hard to give a consistent answer for me
because, we started when I was 17 and back then I didn't care very much.. Haha
but the newer stuff we do, I try to write something a bit interesting or a
maybe try my best to paint a bit of a picture. You always avoid the kind of
"My baby left me and now I'm sad" thing, but being brought up so
heavily into 50s and 60s music ingrains phrasing and melody that you can't
really leave behind.
What are some of the key pieces of gear you use to write your tracks?
Danny: Well story behind both of my guitars is quite
interesting I guess. My dad played in bands for 20 years and had to sell his
beloved Gibson when I came along and my parents needed a new washing machine.
He built his own guitar to use after that (by butchering an old Westbury) as he
vowed to never own an expensive guitar again. When I was 10 years old he had an
accident, which left him wheelchair bound, and unable to ever play again so the
guitar was left redundant. Then, on my 18th birthday it was given to me after no
one had played it for 8 years as a kinda coming of age present I guess. It's
signed by Link Wray and makes every gig I do with it even more special to me.
Because of the guitar being so precious though, my friend “Little Carl” and I
built another guitar in the same way, inspired totally by dads guitar, which I
now use as my main instrument.
AJ: My unpredictable Recording King resonator is
providing me with a lot of crunchy joy at the moment, along with a 60s Reslo
vocal mic, but I haven't managed to steal that off my Godfather yet for live
use.
Do you have any information regarding upcoming releases, projects in the
pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
Danny: Well, we have an upcoming single release on
Darrel Higham and Imelda May's label Ambassador Records called "Even The
Graveyard's Dead" B/W "Oh! Odette" that will be released
digitally in the next few weeks with the physical vinyl 45rpm release coming in
a couple of months depending on how long the pressing takes. Hopefully there'll
be the third album in the winter too but the songs aren't written yet.
What are the 5 albums and artists that have influenced you the most?
Danny:
1) Here
Are The Sonics - The Sonics
2) Link
Wray The Early Recordings - Link Wray
3) White
Blood Cells - The White Stripes
4) Veni
Vidi Vicous - The Hives
5) Goo -
Sonic Youth
AJ: I can't talk so much for albums because I tend to
pick and choose my favourite singles and take inspiration from any old rubbish
that catches my ear, but yes to The Sonics, Link Wray and The Hives. I also
borrow chord shapes and the odd progression from Bob Wills And The Texas
Playboys, and wouldn't be anywhere without Mr. Hank Williams!
What other artists do you really like at the moment and why?
Danny: The Wytches are my favourite band right now and I
love their blend of grungy surf music, they have such a great sound. I'm also a
big fan of The Amazing Snakeheads because of how dark their music is and The
Fat White Family are ace too because they have that real element of danger in
their live show, like anything could happen at any moment. The Wave Pictures
recent work with Billy Childish has a great garage rock vibe to it too which
I'm a fan of and I'm looking forward to seeing The Ex Hex on their UK tour as
they've got such great energy in their records.
AJ: Yea I love the Fat Whites and Snakeheads at the
moment, I think Danny's covered all bases on that one. But also seem to have
found myself listening to a lot of dodgy 60s/70s country recently. Statler
Brothers, Kenny Rodgers, maybe we shouldn't print that.
What’s the best gig you have ever done and why?
Danny: Definitely a toss up between main stage Saturday
at Viva Las Vegas, our trip to Moscow and opening for Imelda May at the 3Arena.
I think I'd have to say Vegas, we played at 1am to a packed room of about 5,000
people upstairs at The Orleans Hotel and it was just amazing. Moscow was
amazing though to a smaller sold out crowd of 400 people which meant the gig
was just totally mental but I didn't have my own guitar so couldn't let lose in
the same way as other shows.
What’s the worst gig you have ever done and why?
Danny: I'd have to say Denton Labour club always sticks
in my mind with the DJ more focused on telling the crowd what flavour crisps
there were on the table than what records he was playing. It was also a weird
split-level stage with a terrible northern rock'n'roll social club crowd. It
was the first gig we ever played Heartache Overload at though so it wasn't all
bad I guess.
AJ: Hahaha! Yes!! I got picked up out the toilet bowl
on my first date that too.
You have a UK tour coming up, where are you looking forward to playing
the most and why?
Danny: I'm looking forward to Southampton because it's
about as close as I get to playing to a home town crowd personally but I think
Bristol will be great as we have quite a large following down there and well,
Sheffield obviously because it's sold out!
AJ: Yea I can't wait to do Bristol, as it's my home.
Live music is always electric there too. Also, being in the West we don't have
to settle for Strongbow cider.
Why should people come and see you on your next tour?
Danny: I think live is where the band truly come into
their own and what makes us unique. A lot of Rockabilly bands in particular are
very hung up on the fashion and sound of their instruments, so much so that
they forget that rock'n'roll is meant to be wild, fast and out of control.
That's exactly what we try and deliver every time we set foot on-stage,
otherwise you might as well be sat at home listening to our records.
AJ: To criticise my new facial hair!!
If you weren't a musician what would you be?
Danny: I am studying a degree in music industry
management at the moment in my third year so really want to end up in the music
industry at some level as I enjoy booking the gigs and dealing with promoters
etc. I am considering law school as well in order to become an entertainment
lawyer so that may be what I end up pursuing.
AJ: I prefer either a) something that's not in an
office, or b) something in an office I can do hungover!!
Go and check them out and remember you can purchase
tickets and receive updates from the following places:
http://www.thecaezars.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thecaezars?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/The_Caezars
https://soundcloud.com/the-caezars
