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Folk rock? Alt-country? Rock, rooted in Americana? Alt-Americana? Artists notoriously loathe to categorize their work, and Cassino, a duo from Huntsville, Alabama, is understandably hard-pressed to find a neat label to describe the sound of their intricately meditative songwriting.
So what exactly is this Cassino? Take all of the above, then imagine if Neil Young had spent his early years as a member of a troubled indie rock quartet, or if The Smiths had been born into the American South. Add a base of the folk influenced country-rock movements currently created by young artists like Will Oldham and Joanna Newsom. Now we’re getting a little closer to the dreamy, rural-tinged music of Nick Torres and Tyler Odom’s Cassino.
The pair met in the late nineties, as members of the indie rock band Northstar. As the band weathered countless changes to both its lineup and sound, Torres and Odom remained the most consistent members. They also developed a closeness through songwriting, challenging each other to try new styles and methods. The pair agrees that they share many varied influences, yet somehow always find a common ground in songwriting.
It wasn’t long after the April 2005 disbanding of Northstar that Cassino was birthed, an inevitably organic genesis that came to light through this creative bond between Torres and Odom. They began recording with Nashville-based producer/drummer Craig Krampf, known for his work with artists including Dolly Parton, Alabama, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Perry and Melissa Etheridge. While the duo says that the record doesn’t have a specifically Nashville sound, the city did become prevalent in the making of their debut record “Sounds of Salvation,†both as a new environment to inspire songwriting, and in the cast of characters brought in by Krampf. “Salvation†was soon blessed by the contributions of E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent and legendary saxophonist Jim Horn.
Released independently on March 29, “Sounds of Salvation†is the fruit of this blending of various states and sounds. “I know I’ll always stay possessed,†sings Torres on “The Old Year.†We can only hope..
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