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| Cai.ro |
Nov 4th 2012 – Very few things are as exciting as finding something new you love. Much like archeologists that dig to find hidden treasures, we here at T-Mak World really enjoy trying to find new bands that we love. Once we find such bands, we approach our favourites to request interviews for our Emerging Artist Spotlight series. Today we set our focus on a band from Toronto named Cai.ro. All bands we talked to are asked similar questions to each other so we can get to know them better. The description on Cai.ro’s website reads:
“Cai.ro has been on a steady rise in the Canadian indie music scene since the late 2011 release of their debut EP entitled “Young Love”. NOW! Magazine called them a “must see” in Toronto’s 2011 Indie Week roundup, CMJ.com featured the band in their September artist spotlight and their appearance on BalconyTV.com ranked 2nd worldwide among the site’s weekly video releases.
Nate Daniels (vocals/guitar), Matt Sullivan (drums/percussion), Caitlin Grieve (strings/vocals), Dante Berardi Jr (guitar/vocals) and Wooyoung Kim (bass) have an obvious affinity for haunting quiet and walls of sound. Their music – sometimes orchestral and sometimes minimal – can be characterized as strangely familiar while remaining unmistakably new. “It wouldn’t be hard to picture the members of Cai.ro… chopping up a soundtrack for Darren Aronofsky or the like,” said CMJ’s Alex Eriksen. XM Radio’s Discover Music Canada called them “the love child of Gotye and Arcade Fire,” saying they have “delicate middle ground between busy and restrained.” Alan Cross compared them to the Fleet Foxes, likening “Halfway There” to the gentle sounds of the Seattle band.
Cai.ro is continuing to build on the momentum built in 2011. They are currently being featured in From Far And Wide, a web series showcasing Canadian indie bands (fromfarandwide.com). Their song “All These Colours” has been chosen for the final scenes of the Canadian feature film Locked In A Garage Band. “All These Colours” will also be featured by Monster/Diesel for the worldwide launch campaign of their new “Vektr” headphones.
The band recently performed at The SteamWhistle Unsigned Showcase, played Four NXNE showcases, Three Pop Montreal Showcases and placed 3rd at North American Indie Week 2012 (out of 300+ bands). Cai.ro is looking forward to a busy and exciting fall/winter.
The Young Love EP is available on iTunes.”
Here is what they had to say to us:
1. Hey Cai.ro, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. Let’s start off with the obligatory introductions. Who’s in the band and what instrument does everyone rock?
Nate Daniels – Vocals/Acoustic Guitar
Caitlin Grieve – Vocals/Violin/Strings
Dante Berardi Jr – Vocals/Guitars/Synths
Matt Sullivan – Drums/Percussion
2. How about the history of the band, when did you get started and how did it happen?
Nate: I was playing some low-key solo shows before the band developed. Eventually I got real nice and lonely, not to mention the fact that I felt pretty limited on my instrument and wanted to add some excitement into the mix. I had always imagined these big cinematic build-ups, crashes, and climaxes in my music. It forced me to go searching for other musicians. So slowly I found people through Craigslist, and Jeff, who did our keys saw me at the Cameron House and offered up his services.
3. Who are some of your musical influences?
Dante: That is a very difficult question because we all have such different preferences, backgrounds and upbringings musically. Some of the artists where our influences align are Patrick Watson, Bon Iver, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Grizzly Bear and Foals.
4. So based on the above how would you describe your music to someone that has never heard it?
Nate: The music itself is a lot like a scoring to a movie. It’s a story that needs to be heard in full to understand its entirety. Its music that doesn’t really cater to the A.D.D masses being bred and conditioned by our manic and ever evolving technologically based society, but I think it grows on the A.D.D masses over time. Its poetic, sometimes orchestral, sometimes raw and broken down, and sometimes it’s a driving force that you can’t help move to.
5. Why should a music fan come and see your show instead of all the other choices available to them on any given night?
Nate: I’d say that if you want a music experience with substance, something that will last past the Youtube 15-minute of fame craze and the Idol show format, then you are welcome to come see us. Music can be fun when it’s poppy, and there is merit in the mainstream genres, but I have always been more attracted to music that inspires me, causes me to have revelations on a more subconscious level. That’s the kind of music we are making.
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| Cai.ro |
6. What is your favorite single line of lyrics the band has written and why?
Dante: My favorite lyric is from a song Nate wrote even before I joined the project. Our drummer Matt and I are trying to bring it back to life and will hopefully one day succeed. It’s called “Madi”. The lyric is “I see strength in numbers, but you alone are quite something”. It’s just a very eloquent way to tell someone they are special or important, has always been one of my favorites since joining.
7. What does the rest of 2012 and 2013 hold for you?
Nate: We are closing up our year with a big ol’ charity event at The Great Hall for Movember with Paper Lions and Graydon James. As for the new year, we’ve got a lot on our plate with a few video releases, a tour in the Spring with some showcases at CMW and we are also planning a potential cross-Canadian tour for July/August.
8. Imagine that you were asked to be the opener for any band’s world tour (both current and historical). Which band and tour would be your dream opening gig.
Dante: I think some of the obvious ones for us would be Radiohead and Patrick Watson. Being fans of them like we all are it would be a dream come true. Also the sounds fit nicely and that is always a bonus. I think a band like Mute Math would be amazing to tour with as well. They are so committed to putting on a visually appealing show. That is very important to us as well. Historical artists I think Jeff Buckley would be my personal choice, not for any other reason besides I’d want to watch him sing and play guitar from side stage every night.
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| Cai.ro |
9. What is the future of the music industry? With the concept of the album and physical CD’s facing extinction, how will we be consuming music in 10 years? Are the economics feasible for emerging artists?
Nate: Interestingly enough, I was just talking about this at Indie Week with a few of the panelists. When I think about the future, I always look to the past. We are cyclic creatures by nature and we are also driven by comfort and nostalgia. That’s why we are advertised to the way we are because marketing companies understand our psychological underpinnings. The way we listen to music now whether it’s online via streaming radio, on our phones, on a record player or even a CD player (remember those) will always fluctuate. 10 years down the road or less I’m sure we will be able to watch holographic concerts in our bedrooms. Does that change the fact that some of us will still enjoy dusting off that box of mix tapes, slipping it into the tape player, and lighting up a joint in our garage while we drift off into memory lane? No.
In certain regards I’m glad I am part of the shift in the industry. I have almost unlimited options in getting my music out to people whether it’s paid or free and let’s be honest here; before the magical contracts of the quarter 19th century, artists were never rewarded for their efforts in the way that we have seen over the last 40 years. It seems like that everyone forgets that being an artist is A LOT of work. It also weeds out the people who really want to be in this business. And we don’t plan on going anywhere.
10. Where can people get your music/CD, is it being sold anywhere?
11. At the end of 2011 we did our picks for top 10 albums of 2011. What album do you think we should include in our top 10 albums of 2012 article?
Dante: In no particular order:
M. Ward – A Wasteland Companion
Kathleen Edwards – Voyager
Pink Floyd – The Wall (Reissue) *HAD TO DO IT [Ed. Note – I am glad you did!]
Bahamas – Bar Chords
Sigur Ros – Valtari
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
Purity Ring – Shrines
Bloc Party – Four
Patrick Watson – Adventures In Your Own Backyard
Grizzly Bear – Shields
Circa Survive – Violent Waves
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| Cai.ro |
11. Any closing remarks for our readers?
Nate: If you LOVE music, support it. This means, clicking ‘like” on your favorite artists facebook profiles, tweeting about them before their show, listening to their music with your friends in your car, and paying for the live experience when you can afford it. This goes a long way for artists.
Closing:
Thanks so much to Cai.ro. We hope that you can see them live and clicking on the link will give a list of upcoming shows.
The band’s website is here and as you would expect they are on Twitter and Facebook. In the meantime check out a couple of videos below.
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| Cai.ro |
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