CAPE MAY was a rock band based out of Ocean Beach, San Diego. Founding members Andre Che and Andrew Bernhardt began writing music together during the summer of 2003. Drummer Dustin Paul was added in January of 2004, then Bassist Mark Wiskowski in March '04. Cape May was originally named "Cilantro" but after realizing the name didnt suit their high-octane blues rock, decided to name themselves after a street in their gritty ocean neighborhood.
Cape May played a steady string of shows between May '04 and November '06. They made several videos and wrote and recorded over 100 songs. Alongside becoming studio bugs, they played the Ocean Beach scene relentlessly, and gained local notoriety from their Wednesday "Farmer's Market" performances. Crowds gathered 200-300 deep to witness the ocean borough's new warriors of rock. In a town laden with reggae and jam bands, folks couldn't help but become intrigued by the wreckless appearances from this filthy street-rock band. Soon after, live performances at the Casbah, 4th and B, and Key Club propelled them into the upper crust of the San Diego scene, while establishing a solid following for the band. Cape May was then featured on FOX 6's "Fox Rox" and completed a month-long west coast tour. By this point, The SD City Beat and The SD Reader were dishing out highly favorable reviews of their albums, and their singles were gracing local airwaves. They released two albums, the dark, rhythm heavy, eponomous debut "Cape May" , and then their second effort "Cape May II" a guitar-based record with a more distinct classic-rock sound. Their continued praises earned them a nomination for "Best Rock Band" at the 2006 San Diego Music Awards. Their single "This City Rolls" was featured on MTV's Room Raiders and was placed as the first song on the "Best of San Diego" compilation.
As the four members lived together for quite sometime, they became a band of brothers, which translated into them partying, working and fighting like brothers. Their "Niagara House" in OB became a late-night hot spot for degenerates and party goers alike for over 2 years. Musical differences have been cited as the reason for their break up. Singer Andre Che has sinced moved to LA and formed his new project, "Clucks" (myspace.com/clucks), while guitarist Andrew Bernhardt and drummer Dustin Paul have re-formed as "The Swedish Models" (myspace.com/theswedishmodels) ; bassist Mark Wiskowski now plays with "The Jury" (myspace.com/jurymusic).
