The Cavemen Go
Encyclopedia
The Cavemen Go are an American
indie rock
quartet, active since 2003. The group is composed of songwriter Jeremy Sage (vocals and guitar
), Bob Breychak (drums
), Emily McMinn (keyboards
, microkorg
and vocals) and Joe Clark (bass guitar
and vocals). Initially a product of the New Haven, CT.
garage-rock mini-explosion of the early 2000s (including bands like The Battlecats, The Vultures, The Frills and others), the Cavemen Go have since expanded their sound to include elements of indie-rock, pop, folk and country.
, opening for Mike Viola
(of the Candy Butchers) and Jed Parrish (of the Gravel Pit
). By the time the EP was released in the Fall of 2003, the band had added keyboardist and vocalist Steve Rodgers to the group.
Throughout 2004, the band played a series of shows around the Connecticut
, New York
and Massachusetts
area garnering the attention of local press and bookers. During the summer of 2004, the band began work on their second EP Never Part Again in Easthampton
. After almost a year in production, the Cavemen finally released the EP in September, 2005 on the Holyoke
based 'WG Records.' By this time Rodgers had left the group to become a professor at the University of Oregon
. He was initially replaced by bassist John Varrone, guitarist Zach Lloyd and keyboardist Matt McDonald. Lloyd exited the group before ever playing a show. McDonald also left the group quickly, relocating to England
in the Fall of 2005. He was replaced by vocalist/keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Emily McMinn.
With their first stable lineup in place, the Cavemen Go played a number of shows throughout the Northeast in 2005 and 2006, opening for groups like We Are Scientists
, the American Princes
and Cassettes Won't Listen
. They also made visits to festivals like the Meriden Daffodil Festival and Popfest! New England not to mention appearances on regional radio and TV programs. During the Fall of 2006 the band went on hiatus while some members re-located to Boston, Massachusetts
and Baltimore, Maryland
.
In the summer of 2007 the Cavemen began work on their first full-length album. For this recording the band decided to produce the album completely by themselves, buying large amounts of recording and musical equipment in the process. In addition they took over two floors of a three-family house in New Haven's
East Rock
neighborhood to record the album.
Following principal recording of the album, long-time bassist John Varrone left the group to dedicate more time to his family and to pursue a doctorate in biology. The group initially performed as a trio before replacing Varrone with bassist/vocalist Brian LaRue (aka Tyler Trudeau of the Tyler Trudeau Attempt and Women's Basketball) in early 2009.
After a prolonged period of post-production, the band's debut full-length album New Lives was finally released in July, 2009. It was later reissued in June, 2010 on February Records, gaining distribution through Jigsaw Records in the U.S. and Rough Trade shops in the U.K.
After performing at a range venues throughout the Northeast United States in support of the album, the Cavemen Go recorded the non-album single 'Someone's Always Dying To Break My Heart' at New Haven's
Firehouse 12 studio. The single was released in November, 2010 on the Connecticut based February Records.
By January, 2011 bassist Brian LaRue had left the band and was replaced by former Those Transatlantics bassist Joe Clark. Also in January, 2011, the band appeared on the February Records compilation One Year of Original Music From February Records contributing the previously released song 'The Saddest Affair.'
The Cavemen Go are currently performing throughout the Northeast United States in support of their latest single.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
quartet, active since 2003. The group is composed of songwriter Jeremy Sage (vocals and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Bob Breychak (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Emily McMinn (keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, microkorg
MicroKORG
The microKORG is a MIDI-capable virtual analog synthesizer/vocoder from Korg featuring high-quality DSP analog modelling. The synth/keyboard is built in such a way that it is essentially a Korg MS-2000 with programmable step arpeggiator , a less advanced vocoder , lack of motion sequencing The...
and vocals) and Joe Clark (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and vocals). Initially a product of the New Haven, CT.
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
garage-rock mini-explosion of the early 2000s (including bands like The Battlecats, The Vultures, The Frills and others), the Cavemen Go have since expanded their sound to include elements of indie-rock, pop, folk and country.
History
The Cavemen Go were formed in 2003 by singer/songwriter Jeremy Sage and drummer Bob Breychak (formerly of The Frills/The Sarcastics). Accompanying the duo early on was singer/songwriter Jason Mazzotta (ex-The Frills/The Sarcastics, later of the Bourgeois Heroes and the Novels) who periodically played bass and second guitar with the group (although he never officially joined). Following the recording of their self-titled EP (co-produced by Mazzotta and Marc Teamaker), the band played their first show at The Space in Hamden, ConnecticutHamden, Connecticut
Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant." Hamden is home to Quinnipiac University. The population was 58,180 according to the Census Bureau's 2005 estimates...
, opening for Mike Viola
Mike Viola
Michael "Mike" Viola is an American singer-songwriter best known as singer, songwriter and "musical architect" of a team he called the "Candy Butchers", a pop-rock band from New York City that recorded three critically acclaimed albums for Sony. A native of Stoughton, Massachusetts, Mike began his...
(of the Candy Butchers) and Jed Parrish (of the Gravel Pit
The Gravel Pit
The Gravel Pit is a band from Boston's underground music scene circa, 1985-2002.Members Include:*Jedediah Parish: Keys, Vocals*Ed Valauskas: Bass*Pete Caldes: Drums*Lucky Jackson: GuitarThey produced the following albums:*1. Crash Land...
). By the time the EP was released in the Fall of 2003, the band had added keyboardist and vocalist Steve Rodgers to the group.
Throughout 2004, the band played a series of shows around the Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
area garnering the attention of local press and bookers. During the summer of 2004, the band began work on their second EP Never Part Again in Easthampton
Easthampton, Massachusetts
Easthampton is the second largest city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is on the southeastern edge of an area called the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst, MA...
. After almost a year in production, the Cavemen finally released the EP in September, 2005 on the Holyoke
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
based 'WG Records.' By this time Rodgers had left the group to become a professor at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
. He was initially replaced by bassist John Varrone, guitarist Zach Lloyd and keyboardist Matt McDonald. Lloyd exited the group before ever playing a show. McDonald also left the group quickly, relocating to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the Fall of 2005. He was replaced by vocalist/keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Emily McMinn.
With their first stable lineup in place, the Cavemen Go played a number of shows throughout the Northeast in 2005 and 2006, opening for groups like We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...
, the American Princes
American Princes
American Princes is an indie rock band from Little Rock, AR. The band started in 2003 when David Slade, then-bassist John Beachboard and drummer Matthew Quin moved to Little Rock from New York City. Within their first year in Arkansas, they met guitarist Collins Kilgore and released their first...
and Cassettes Won't Listen
Cassettes Won't Listen
Cassettes Won't Listen is the Indie rock and Electronic one-man project of multi-instrumentalist and producer Jason Drake based out of Brooklyn, New York. Over the last few years Cassettes Won't Listen has received press from the likes of Spin, Perez Hilton, and URB. Cassettes Won't Listen has...
. They also made visits to festivals like the Meriden Daffodil Festival and Popfest! New England not to mention appearances on regional radio and TV programs. During the Fall of 2006 the band went on hiatus while some members re-located to Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
In the summer of 2007 the Cavemen began work on their first full-length album. For this recording the band decided to produce the album completely by themselves, buying large amounts of recording and musical equipment in the process. In addition they took over two floors of a three-family house in New Haven's
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
East Rock
East Rock
East Rock of south-central Connecticut, United States, with a high point of , is a long trap rock ridge located on the north side of the city of New Haven...
neighborhood to record the album.
Following principal recording of the album, long-time bassist John Varrone left the group to dedicate more time to his family and to pursue a doctorate in biology. The group initially performed as a trio before replacing Varrone with bassist/vocalist Brian LaRue (aka Tyler Trudeau of the Tyler Trudeau Attempt and Women's Basketball) in early 2009.
After a prolonged period of post-production, the band's debut full-length album New Lives was finally released in July, 2009. It was later reissued in June, 2010 on February Records, gaining distribution through Jigsaw Records in the U.S. and Rough Trade shops in the U.K.
After performing at a range venues throughout the Northeast United States in support of the album, the Cavemen Go recorded the non-album single 'Someone's Always Dying To Break My Heart' at New Haven's
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
Firehouse 12 studio. The single was released in November, 2010 on the Connecticut based February Records.
By January, 2011 bassist Brian LaRue had left the band and was replaced by former Those Transatlantics bassist Joe Clark. Also in January, 2011, the band appeared on the February Records compilation One Year of Original Music From February Records contributing the previously released song 'The Saddest Affair.'
The Cavemen Go are currently performing throughout the Northeast United States in support of their latest single.
Singles
- Valentine (WG Records, 2005)
- Forget It Claudia (self-released, 2009)
- Hey, At Least I Tried (self-released, 2009)
- Someone's Always Dying to Break My Heart (February Records, 2010)
Other releases
- "Calamity Blvd." on the compilation CD I Want Be Bohemian: Javathon, Vol. 1 (Elm City Java, 2004)
- "Forget It Claudia" on the compilation CD Home and Abroad Songs, Vol. 1 (Tweefort, 2009)
- "The Saddest Affair" on the digital compilation One Year of Original Music From February Records (February, 2011)