…a mission statement for the glory that is the three-minute hook-filled dose of pop perfection.
                                                                                  Claudio Sossi, Shake It Up/CAN

The Cheeks' first jangling note was brought into being Dec. 95’ after the Cologne based powerpop institution Screaming Apple Records pressed their early talents onto a shiny piece of black vinyl. Their cheeky smiles became everlasting, when the double A-side There’s A Place/What Do You Want Me To Do (by The Pointed Sticks) appeared on a Canadian radio station a little later.

Lutz Soundflat Räuber - guitar,  Cheeky Olav - drums, Dirk Bär - guitar, songwriter Sugar Theissen and Kono on lead vocals formed the band as a result out off their teenage impressions in the neo-mod/psychedelia/paisley pop scene, but finally it happened to fall together at a Redd Kross concert, where the boys created their vision for a contemporary root based pop sound.

The following year The Cheeks paid homage to the wildest girl singer of all time with their Kim’EP (Radio Blast Rec.). On it´s flip-side you will find their version of The Kids’ unknown hit There Will Be No Next Time, which is still The Cheeks’ most requested live stomper.

In late 97’ Screaming Apple released the debut album Have Some Real Fun And Sure ’Nuff Action With The C 14 Hit Machine Gun (recorded at Telstar Studios/Munich), including non-stop Power Pop originals like Baby Vinyl, My World or Sugar 25 plus a version of one of their favourites: The Modernettes` Strictly Confidential, highlighted by Sugars’ countryeske guitar solo.

Followed by the record´s success, The Cheeks had a great time touring Spain (with new member, The Richies’ Axel Schulze) and sharing the stage with idols from the past and soon to be friends The Zeros (1997 and again in 2000), The Satelliters, The Psychotic Youth, The Lemonheads, The Early Hours and The Smugglers.

After this period the spirit inside the band changed dramatically, while some members forced the issue to improve experimental arrangements and  vocal harmonies, others refused to give up the simplicity of their late seventies Punk influences. Winter 98’, Kono, Sugar and Olav, in fortune, met song-writing maniac Chris Riza and bassman Oliver Pilsner, who spent their band-less time rehearsing acoustic versions of Gene Clark songs and listening to Chrissie's ultimate Byrds collection. These guys didn’t wait a second to enrich The Cheeks with their youthful enthusiasm and their twelve-string guitar experience.

From now on the band started to work as a song-writing team, as their second album Royal Pop Elevation (Wolverine Rec. / 2001, recorded at Real Sound Studio/Gelsenkirchen, now Leicester/UK) would reveal. The two folk-pop-alike singles Mr Rain and Disappointed both reached some credible airplay on Radio as well as on TV, while Rickenbacker dominated up-tempo songs like No Use Pretending or Everybody’s Darling arose from their tradition of being a powerful live-band.

The extraordinary Toms track Let’s be Friends Again, recommended by the Not Lame Company and often found on North American powerpop fan play lists, found it´s way to the heart of The Cheeks and the pole position of the record.

Just weeks before massive tour activities in 2001, when original member Sugar left the band to be Paul Elvis's daddy, they had been forced again to improvise on the spot. Getting band members in and out like changing clothes was very time-consuming and wasted a lot of creative energy. In 2002, Ingmar Lauer, a film composer, felt the urge to support the boys’ vision and joined the band. He is more than capable of doing the orchestral arrangements and experimental sound sensations for the conceptual idea of their third album, Raw Countryside, which is produced in co-operation with the amazing Alaska Winter (Echolot Studios/Augsburg) and to be released in fall 2016.

And furthermore, Ingmar - a real Cheek indeed - is one of the five Rock’n´Roll dandies, who believe that the interrelation between their cultural & sub-cultural inspirations from each side of the ocean must be protected. They must be protected by a lodge, by a Musician´s Beat Lodge:

So let´s see what´s happening… they are invited to the International Pop Overthrow Festival which comes to town between Oct.18^thand 24^th 2016.

Hopefully this year´s activities will end under the spanish sun; in November, Cooper invited The Cheeks to rock Spain, after they toured Germany together last winter. Yep, that was the part, where they all deflowered The Cheeks' new drummer Wieti with Ingmar‘s new riding crop...