Download Caesars MP3s
You might not know much about Caesars right now, but you soon will. The band, which is set to take your ears by storm, has been part of the Swedish music scene for a number of years, an environment that has given the world acts such as The Hives-who cite Caesars as a major influence-and many others, including Soundtrack of Our Lives.
Known as Caesars Palace in their homeland and formed in 1995 by singer/frontman C�sar Vidal-whose influences range from the early 'Stones to Dylan to Bowie-Caesars have carved out a unique sound of their own. Theirs is raw 'n' dirty garage meets power pop style, with a quirky psychedelic edge thrown in, ably aided and abetted by a swirling farfisa organ. Throw in angst-ridden moments of tenderness with some full-on no-nonsense fun rock/pop, plus some melodies and lyrics to die for and basically you've got it.
The band's founding members go back a long way, to kindergarten in fact. "I met Jocke when I was about 2 years old and we've both always been into music," says C�sar. "I wanted to form a band and needed musicians to produce the sound I wanted. I got Jocke to join, and he suggested getting David on bass." That was in 1995. "I originally played bass," says Jocke. "I didn't consider myself as a guitarist, rather I saw myself as a songwriter and instrumentalist. I was cheating my way through guitar. In fact I still am."
Those who have heard any of Caesars' early records will ignore Jocke's modesty; and as co-producer on the band's music he's brought a special sound to the band, not least in the form of the old farfisa organ, which has become an essential part of Caesars' ouevre.
After signing to the independent Delores Records in 1995 the band recorded a 3-track EP, Shake It, followed by a 7-track 16 minute mini album in late 1996. "Our sound really changed when I found an old farfisa organ," says Jocke. Indeed much of what we hear in the band today, with influences such as west coast US psychedelic rock and an almost Spectoresque sound, stems from that moment.
Of all the extras you're my favourite stand-in,
When no-one else is around there's always you,
I don't care if you're older than my mother,
Coz I don't want to hang out with those teenage freaks.
(You're My Favourite)
The band released Youth Is Wasted On The Young in 1998, which features instant classics such as Sort It Out, Anything You Want and You're My Favourite and then went on to record and release two other albums in Sweden, Cherry Kicks and Love For The Streets, achieving Gold level sales, but also influencing a generation of Swedish garage bands, such as the aforementioned Hives. But the rest of the world was denied the chance to hear the band's records...until now. In 2002 plans were put into motion to finally give the music a proper airing, on Virgin Records.
The coming year will see Caesars continuing to tour the UK in support of their next UK single, "Jerk It Out". The band is also heading to the US for their first North American tour with friends Soundtrack of Our Lives, then it's back to Europe to celebrate the release of 39 Minutes of Bliss... with a flurry of UK and European dates.
Life has taken a new turn for Caesars. "It feels like a new band," says bass-playing David. "People in Sweden think they know what we're about, but in the UK and elsewhere no-one knows us. We're playing the old songs but we're much better prepared now." And drummer Nino can't wait to impress audiences in the UK, Europe and beyond. "We want to get more people into our music and we're really looking forward to getting started."
Wind me up, put me down, start me off and watch me go,
I'll be running circles around you sooner than you know.
As Caesars get ready to take the world by storm, are they ready for world domination? "World domination?", ponders C�sar. "It's not necessary. But it would be nice."
