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Know Your LA Bands: Interview with Casxio
March 18th, 2008 Written by: Mali

CityZine has found yet another LA band, Casxio, as a part of our "Get to know your LA Bands" series where we introduce you to a variety of bands and you tell us what you think. Recently, CityZine sat down and got to ask French-born bassist Lucas Guerin our obligatory band questions about his darkest secrets, as well as his cure for hang overs. Probably more questions resembling the latter.

About a year ago Casxio played their first show together. For many people it was love at first site and the band began to build a fan base. With vocals by French-born bassist Lucas Guerin, guitar by Eric Saez, drums by Zach Schrock, and classically trained pianist Andrea Choe, the group works together to create a new sound, merging everyones wide variety of influences.

To get a better feel for Casxio, check them out on MySpace or see them live next weekend at The Echoplex - Map at 8pm for $10/$12!
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Could you give a brief description of your band?

Love at first sight with a twist of heartbreak.

What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it?

I bought Guns n’ Roses, Use your Illusion 2 at a record store in the Glendale Gallaria when I was 11. It was a tape. I got it cause my friend told me there was a lot of cussing on it. And oh was there ever.

What’s the best cure for a hangover?

If you get wasted and you still haven’t gone to sleep, you need to get your ass to a Burrito King and take down a carne asada burrito. I promise you wont have a hangover in the morning. But if it’s too late, then just start drinking again. That’ll take care of it. Fight fire with fire.

What’s on your iPod?

What’s on my ipod?! You do know that iPods carry up to 60 gigs of music right? Here’s what I’ll do, I’ll scroll down and stop blindly and I’ll tell you what artist I land on. It landed on Lou Reed.

How do you get ready for a live show?

I stretch. I breath. I do jumping jacks. I run my hands under warm water.

What’s your favorite song to play live?

"Where Were You." It also makes me the most nervous because a large portion of the song’s lyrics are improvised.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Candy.

Who would win in a fight, a Ninja or a Pirate and why?

I refuse your question.

What was the last album you bought?

Madonna’s first album

If you could rid the world of one song, what would it be?

A song I wrote a few years ago.

Who would play you in a film based upon your life?

Javier Bardem

Dead or alive. What 5 acts would you have play with you at a festival?

Talking Heads, Prince, Fela Kuti, David Bowie and The Beatles. That would be a weird show.

If push comes to shove, what is your all-time favorite album?

That’s always a tough question and I hate you for asking. Talking Heads Fear of Music.

What’s your most memorable moment on the road story?

We have yet to hit the road but I’m sure our first on-the-road story will involve an empty gas tank and miles of nothing. But let’s hope not.

Favorite place in LA?

My own home.

What’s the best piece of advice someone has ever given you and did you take notice?

A homeless guy told me that the sky was falling and that I should take shelter. I did notice it.

What would be your perfect LA day?

I wake up around noon. It’s Summer. The sun is shining. I take a stroll with a couple friends to the coffee shop and there’s a table open out front. We take a seat and sip coffee, shoot the breeze and watch the pretty girls walk by in their summer clothes for a few hours. I go back to my place and work on a song for a few hours then go out to the Shortstop for happy hour and play free pool and listen to music on the juke box. That’ll about do it for me.

What’s the best book you’ve read and film you’ve seen in the last 6 months?

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. There Will Be Blood.

What three things could you not live without?

Air, food and water.

Tell us a fact about yourself we probably don’t already know.

I’m french.

Interview with Indie Schmarm 2/3/08

I could do an intro on Casxio…how they are quickly getting noticed in the LA area…how they bring a dance party everywhere they go…how Lucas has more soul than JT…how I want to sleep with all the males in the band…or how this band gets better everytime I see them…but Lucas covered it all and then some in my little question and answer part I usually do for the "Get To Know" section. I decided to keep his answers worded exactly as was sent to me…well pretty much. Some protection is needed when someone says Edison was a President because they're wasted naked and lonely in an apertment attempting to respond to an interview at 4:00am.

Indie Schmarm: Where did the name Casxio come from?

Lucas: this is an interesting question. The actual story of how the name Casxio came about is a tale of extravagance(probly spelled that wrong) and chees and telakanetics(speeled correctly). it's an an acronym that the average hipster faghole (nothing against homosexuals) wont understandso I won't even get into it. the truth is the acronym is the cure for cancer of the mouth. so quit runnin it.

hello my name is lucas and I'm drunk. It's 4:00am and I just lost my last $8 in a poker game to the guy who's living in my loft and a dodgy looking fellow in cowboy boots.

Indie Schmarm: How did the band form to what it is today with its current members?

Lucas: the answer to this question will probably irritate our old keyboard player if she ever reads this "hole in the wall"blog. (I love you). I met A girl named raphye at a bar called the shortstop (heard of it?) we danced and we started myspacing and I posted a bulletin about how I was looking for a keyboard player and she responded. that's all I needed(I wasn't looking for a dumfuk jam band. or even musicians. That was a mistake.)

Eric. I told a close friend that I was looking for a guitar player and he showed me a picture of two guitar players standing side by side And I chose the uglier one. his name is eric saez.

then there's Zach Schrock. met him in an alley downtown. the alley that boasts a "venue" called "the smell" and a bar called "the Edison," after the renowned inventor. "the smell" and "the edison" on the same block. fantastic. anyhow, Zach approached me looking for a connection into the underground party happening in downtown that night and I told him that party's for queers and hippies.

CUT!

fade to black

NEXT MORNING INT.

I'm feeling more coherent but less physically in tact. More coherent yet still inclined to continue on a drunken rant. Although I don't drink very often, I enjoy myself when I do indulge. Anyhow, I'll get on with it:

I believe the question was: Where did you meet your band members?

All of the above answers, however crude and sarcastic, are legit, save meeting Zach in an alley and Eric being ugly. I met Zach through mutual friends, nothing all that interesting. We worked at a graphic design firm together for a stint, and I'd recorded some shit at his studio.

As I was approaching a point in my musical endeavors that called for putting a band together, I thought about all the drummers that I'd want to play with, and Zach was pretty much it. If you've ever heard him and seen him drum then you know what I'm talking about. Questlove was my safety. It wasn't as easy as just asking him to play for the band. He was involved in numerous other projects. I knew I would have to win his heart. No wooing. Just straight to the alter. So, Eric, Raphye and I started practicing our parts sans drums till we were tight. I asked zach to come in and play some drums at our practice. By the end of the rehearsal, Zach signed the prenup and Casxio was wed.

So who's Raphye? Raphye had other things in mind for her future. So she left. We had a brief stint with a replacement keyboard player, a dodgy looking fellow in cowboy boots, and then fine-ass Andrea poped up on the scene and wanted to play some keys. We welcomed her with open arms.

I'd like my answer to conclude with a final word about Eric "E-BREAK" Saez. Since the band's conception, yes, conception, Eric has been working probably harder than anyone else in the band, and we all do and sacrifice plenty. There are defining characteristics that separate talented bands from successful bands. Eric holds those characteristics in spades, and on top of being a great performer, will be a large contributor to the future success of this band.

But, to quote The Wolf, "let's not start sucking each others dicks just yet."

Indie Schmarm: What artists would you say you guys draw the most influence from?

Lucas: I started playing and writing music relatively late. I was about 20 years old when I really felt like I wanted to contribute to music rather than remain a listener. One of my first influences was my close friend Alex Gedeon. He introduced me to a lot of the music that still influences me today, as well as a handful of 60's and 70's funk and disco groups, and the great, late, NYC band, Trick and the Heartstrings, was a great influence.

Influence is boundless. It hits from all directions and I don't think an artist can even be conscious of every facet of his life that may sway him one way or another. That being said,
musical influences include: Sly & the Family Stone, Cameo, The Gap Band, Shuggie Otis, CHIC, Prince, Fela Kuti, Philip Glass, Talking Heads, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, James Brown, Daft Punk, The Clash… for heaven's sake! There's a lot that could be said to have influenced Casxio. I'll just leave it at that. That's an overwhelming question for me.

Indie Schmarm: In 5 words, how would you describe your music?

Lucas: An honesty that brews guilt.

Indie Schmarm: What's the plan for 2008?

Well if January is a foreshadow of what's to come in 2008, than I'd say we'll be trashing hotel rooms by the end of the year.

A quick shout out to Robin and the Rainbows, Feb. 4th @ Tangier.

End Scene,
Dan Tana

(As a side note, Flashing Red Lights will be playing that Feb 4th Tangier show as well. What's absolutely out of this world is the drummer of none other then Casxio, Zach Schrock, also plays drums for Flashing Red Lights. Yes to incest…in music.)

Review on Classical Geek Theatre 1/21/08

I'm sort of baffled at why Casxio isn't making more waves with their music. Last night at Spaceland the dance floor was an actual dance floor. I'm serious, there were 20 or so people dancing like they were at a club. It was the strangest fucking thing I've seen in months, like elves singing around an orcish campfire. Even if the roving band of dancers had a hipster-doofus element to it, I was still glad to see people move around. I had taken some video and was very excited to show to you proof-positive that people in Silverlake can move to music. And then, like a fool, I accidentally deleted it. (Infernal imaging device, I curse you and your interface!) But I'm telling you, these Casxio-faithful... they may be small in number, but they know how to go see a band play. They like music.

Singer / bassist Lucas Guerin is, in this humble blogger's estimation, one of the five best frontmen in Los Angeles. The dude is like some kind of sex golem, animated through the dark arts. The material components of the spell? Pure, untainted charisma stolen from a thousand writhing bachelors. The guy has fucking soul.

Opener "Seventeen" and closer "Broken Kiss" were the best numbers of the set. That's a good way to be.

I spoke with Casxio guitarist Eric Saez for a good while after the show. He talked about how it took him a while to realize that their sound (Prince backed by Talking Heads) isn't the sort of thing most of the music bloggers covered. As for their creative process, he told me that Guerin writes the songs and brings them to the band who then help take the song to their final form. When I mentioned how great I thought Guerin was, Eric immediately took on a tone of reverence, saying he was lucky to work with such a talent. He also told me that they had a new photoshoot on Sunday, but they're not ready to record more yet. They're having a time of it finding a producer who "gets" their sound and what it is they want to do. They don't want to record again until they can do it right, and I think that's smart.

Eric said that Saturday night was the best show they've played yet. That wouldn't surprise me, it was a really great time. Casxio gave away free EPs and a crowd actually rushed to the stage to grab them. They almost booed when Casxio left the stage. I could have handled another hour myself.

ReadMezzanine.com Review 1/20

The Watch: Casxio

L.A. quartet channels Nile Rodgers, Nick Rhodes and dance the night away

What's their sound? Funky dance-pop with a sexy scent of yacht rock

What the hell does that mean? Think lots of snappy, New Wave-inspired tunes with melodic, walking bass lines reminiscent of classic Duran Duran and even Level 42 (bass players will know what I'm talking about).

Like both of those bands, Casxio's primary objective is to make people move. It's not often a live band can whip up as healthy as dance floor (especially in Los Angeles) as they did at their Metromix showcase at Spaceland.

Is their game tight? They really won me over by handing out free copies of their album "Inside Out" for anyone that wanted to take one. They're the five best songs I've gotten for free in a very long time. In fact, they leap-frog over Duran Duran and go straight for a classic Chic-styled disco groove on "Seventeen." The quirky afro-funk of "Dance" features keyboards that swirl like Nick Rhodes fronting the Neptunes. Straight up, these guys are the right producer away from being Hall & Oates: The Next Generation. Casxio has got it going on.

X-Factor: I know a band is good when I want their T-shirt. I really want a Casxio T-shirt.

Review from Indie Schmarm 12/03/07

I remember talking to the singer of Casxio, Lucas Guerin, a few years ago telling him to start a band because his solo stuff was really good. He kept saying he was trying, and was looking for people, but to no avail. Then one day out of nowhere it seems, it happened. He pulled Zach Schrock (Drums), Eric Saez (Guitar), and Andrea Choe (Keys) out of the magic band member hat and had a band. With this full band, Lucas could realize his funk dreams and bring more soul to music than any white man ever has…yes even more than Justin Timberlake. Casxio then smartly started to play in the Silverlake area…which is the only thing resembling a scene in Los Angeles, and not too long after booked a Monday residency at the Silverlake Lounge.

Casxio finished their final residency at The Silverlake Lounge, Monday the 26th of November. They always put on a great show, and Lucas oozes so much sex on stage, if I had panties to throw at him I would. He has so much charisma and says naughty things in the middle of songs making it like you are on a never ending escalated heated date with him. The rest of the band members create their own flare and style in the band and bring it all together to really make it Casxio. They have really come into their identity and know how each other play, and are getting better each time I see them. For this last show, they got guitarist Alex Gedeon (formerly of Trick and the Heartstrings") to join them for a song, and Sam Sparro joined them on the last song for a rendition of his song Black & Gold, which was an entertaining close for the night and the whole residency.

Casxio's next show is January 19th at Spaceland with Oliver Future, so bring your dancing shoes and come out…seriously, bring your workout clothes, you'll need it.

11/26/07 LA Weekly shots by Tim Norris

Mad props to our boy Yellow Alex for doing his thing on "Where Were You?"

And of course, our boy Sam Sparro had to get down too with some "Black & Gold: Reverse Remix" action.

and introducing Love Grenades! Love 'em.

Never hurts to have some pretty peeps in the crowd. What up Letron!

LA TIMES Article on KB'S BUZZ BANDS BLOG 11/26/07
Los Angeles' Casxio has proven itself a little bit more than just the latest band to jump into the dance-music pool. The quartet creates its driving, funky electro-soul without using laptops -- an old-school approach that seems downright ambitious in a time when computers trigger everything from backing tracks to visual effects.

"After a show, I'll have people come up to me and say, 'Wow, I didn't realize this was happening in L.A.,'" says Casxio front man Lucas Guerin. "The influence of Daft Punk, and now people like Justice are amazing and taking it a step further. But when I think about that, I think about how I can create that energy with a live performance, with no prerecorded material or samples."

Guerin, the singer-bassist who'd been working on Casxio's songs for about four years in his bedroom, assembled a lineup that includes guitarist Eric Saez, drummer Zach Schrock and keyboardist Andrea Choe about a year and a half ago. Guerin's compositions spring from the sexed-up music of Sly & the Family Stone, Prince and the Talking Heads. "That was the stuff that really moved me," he says. "I'd go to parties and see the effect it had on people."

In the Eastside clubs where Casxio has been playing its early shows, it's been a tougher sell. Crowds dance more than they used to but still are largely hands-in-pockets. "We're not the whole straight-up rock 'n' roll revival," Guerin says, "but our shows have been great. It's leading to other things, but dancing is not necessarily one of them."