…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.18thand
24th 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...
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