The Cassettes

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, Rovi