Oh, Cassius! plays beautiful and haunting songs that are simultaneously classic and modern.
The Connecticut duo is where Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris meets Of Monsters and Men and they release their debut EP, On Such a Full Sea Are We Now Afloat on October 14 via INgrooves.
On Such a Full Sea Are We Now Afloat is the producing debut of Grammy-nominated engineer, Brendan Muldowney and features an impressive roster of top musicians including bass player Michael Libramento (Grace Potter and the Nocturnals), drummer Chuck Palmer (RJD2), cellist Dave Eggar (Coldplay, Frank Ocean), drummer Zachary Alford (David Bowie, B52s) and a duet with Barsuk Records’ artists, Mates of State.
Oh, Cassius! is John Torres & Meredith DiMenna. It’s possible that Meredith saved John’s life on a backwoods-hiking trip by just being at the right place at the right time. It’s possible that John saved Meredith’s life by writing a song that switched from major to minor in the right place at the right time.
It’s impossible to know for sure, but what is for certain is that the members of Oh, Cassius! are the beneficiaries of a hyperactive and strange muse who began appearing to them in the spring of 2012, and who caused them to collaborate on material so odd and fresh that, even though they thought they were making a singer/songwriter record, they were awarded a 2013 Connecticut Music Award in the category of “Best Other.”
The “Other” is indeed the “other” as each member must filter his ideas through the other’s viewpoint until a truly unified sound emerges. After making some waves online with their guerrilla style acoustic pop-hit-covers of everyone from One Direction and MGMT to Macklemore and Rihanna, Oh, Cassius! is ready to present their debut.
Their collaboration has resulted in a sound that travels the emotional spectrum, neither wholly masculine nor feminine. Listen to lead single “Carpenter” here:
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Next weekend, Oh, Cassius! will be supporting Deer Tick at Infinity Music Hall in Hartford on Saturday, September 20. More Northeast dates will be announced shortly.
Acoustic Nation is written by Laura B. Whitmore, a music industry marketing veteran, music journalist and editor, who has contributed to Parade.com, Guitar World, and others. She has interviewed hundreds of musicians and hosts the She Rocks Podcast. As the founder of the Women’s International Music Network, she advocates for women in the music industry and produces the annual She Rocks Awards. She is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Positive Grid, making the world safe for guitar exploration everywhere! A guitarist and singer/songwriter, Laura is currently co-writing an album of pop songs that empower and energize girls.
