The Cassettes (also known as The Cassettes Musical Explorers Society)
are a Washington, DC based "Mystic Country"/Steampunk band formed in
1999.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 Romanian refugees 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. The band members
have described the band's sound as "steampunk", and also as
"synth-infused country stomp".As originally formed, the troupe
consisted of members of Dead Meadow (Steve Killie, Stephen McCarty)
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, Big Star, 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, 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 more experimental sound influenced by The
Beatles' White Album. 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. The band's 2006 album was described by Allmusic
writer Margaret Reges as "a rollicking air-balloon ride over a
landscape dotted with greasy resonator guitars, screaming accordions,
and trippy theremins".
are a Washington, DC based "Mystic Country"/Steampunk band formed in
1999.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 Romanian refugees 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. The band members
have described the band's sound as "steampunk", and also as
"synth-infused country stomp".As originally formed, the troupe
consisted of members of Dead Meadow (Steve Killie, Stephen McCarty)
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, Big Star, 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, 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 more experimental sound influenced by The
Beatles' White Album. 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. The band's 2006 album was described by Allmusic
writer Margaret Reges as "a rollicking air-balloon ride over a
landscape dotted with greasy resonator guitars, screaming accordions,
and trippy theremins".
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