Mark Casson:
songwriting, lead vocals, acoustic/12-string and electric guitars, wurlitzer piano
Shannon Hines Casson: bass, vocals, percussion
Brent Little: electric guitar, banjo, sitar, drums, engineering/production
Jay Moye: acoustic and electric guitar, piano, harmonica
Mike Baker: drums, percussion
Michael Hart: electric guitar, trumpet, bass, vocals
Influences
The Beatles/John Lennon, David Bowie, T. Rex, Curtis Mayfield, Paul Weller/The Jam, Stax and Motown artists of the 1960s, Faces, Stones, Van Morrison, Donovan, Neil Young, The The, Zombies, Belle and Sebastian, Oasis, Badly Drawn Boy, Dusty Springfield, Burt Bacharach, Brian Wilson, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, The Kinks, Teenage Fanclub, Velvet Underground, Television, Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, World Party, Primal Scream, Nick Cave, The Jayhawks, The Band, Rick Danko...
WHAT THE PRESS HAS BEEN SAYING ABOUT 'MOVERS AND SHAKERS'
...sounding like reanimated Zombies on their new Movers and Shakers, former Nashville songwriter-frontman Mark Casson and bassist-vocalist Shannon Hines Casson collapse their voluminous record collection into 10 unabashedly groovy songs whose sonic DNA tangles strands of R&B, glam, Britpop and bubblegum... growling Stevie Wonder clavinet duels with Burt Bacharach flugelhorn (“The Top of the Tree”), burbling “Pale Blue Eyes” guitar does the shimmy with girl-group bounce and hand claps (“Love Hearts in My Eyes”) and Mark Casson’s Ziggy-esque vocals reverberate over Peter Hyrka’s sweeping Moody Blues strings (“Waiting in the Wings”). The effect is ultimately more celebratory than derivative... how could you not love a whistled chorus, whatever its pop provenance?
--Nashville Scene (Nashville, Tenn.)
...the Cheeksters have the sort of back-story that should be turned into a screenplay: Amercian expatriate in London strikes up a conversation with a stranger on a train, sparks fly and they marry and form a band, eventually landing in Asheville. And their album "Movers and Shakers" would be the perfect soundtrack for just such a film--I'm thinking 2003's "Love, Actually" here-- 10 bouncy pop songs that sound as if they should be blaring in a boisterous pub.
David Menconi ( Raleigh News and Observer)
...plays like a Wes Anderson soundtrack, with delicate instrumental arrangements (“Home Is Where the Heart Is”), minor-key, Rickenbacker-friendly melodies (“Mister Sun”), and sunny little numbers with whistling accompaniment (“Movers and Shakers”).
--Metro Pulse (Knoxville, Tenn.)
… a slick, jangly, near-seamless confection....ripe with jazz touches, a modern mixing of atmospheric Wurlitzer and gorgeous cello on “Waiting in the Wings,” and the danceable, throwback feel of “Love Hearts in My Eyes.” Mark’s vocals are often sized up as Bowie-reminiscent, but his range allows for soaring falsetto and almost menacing tenor (both within a few measures on “One Time"). Whatever Movers lacks in angsty complexity, it more than makes up for in consistency and a sense of sheer joy.
–-Mountain Xpress (Asheville, N.C.)
...the Cheeksters play their version of the truth with the unbridled joy of waking up in the morning and realizing the possiblities of life. The Cheeksters sing of a world that high school guidance counselors and television preachers have told us about, only they don’t wrap it up in phony "you can do it" and "God" mumbo-jumbo. Instead, The Cheeksters promise us a bright sunshiny day through heaping helpings of Brian wilson, Burt Bacharach. Mickey Dolenz, Holland/Dozier/Holland and Bowie.
--Jason Bugg
...the usual Britpop (most notably on “What The Pretty Girl Did” and “Tumble Down Hair”) influences abound – that is, after all, what the band does best-but the traces of Memphis soul and Bakersfield country are just as welcome and essential. On “Sideways,” Shannon contributes the year’s most seductive vocal while Little’s playfully layered guitars hearken directly back to the production values of Mickie Most and Paul Samwell-Smith… Its heart may lie in the mystic sixties but, much like the best of that era, it sounds as bright and fresh as a Beach Boys sunflower.
--Rapid River (Asheville, N.C.)
...Casson's natural British pop sensibility is apparent off the bat with the infectious "What The Pretty Girl Did", a kind of Kinks-meet-Merseyside bouncy number. The ragtime-y title track follows and continues the disc's appeal. Other standouts include "The Top of the Tree", in which Casson channels Gilbert O'Sullivan; the anthemic "Waiting in the Wings", swelling strings and all; and "Love Hearts In My Eyes", in which Hines contributes a sultry vocal over a winning indie pop beat.
--Absolute Powerpop (CD of the Day for Feb. 6, 2008)
...a bouncing ball of Britpop-influenced energy, colored with shades of the Beatles, the Strawberry Alarm Clock, Lovin’ Spoonful and Herman’s Hermits.
--The Daily Times (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Buy Cheeksters on Itunes!
Order "Movers and Shakers" at http://cdbaby.com/cd/cheeksters
your show tonight was icing on the cake of a great day for me! so glad i went! you all sounded terrific, and the "rapper's delight" breakdown was a delightful surprise! next time i'm wearing shoes i can dance in, not sandals...
That was a fine show at the Garage. Thanks for coming out and giving us all a great night of music. Mount Dungeon loves you from the bottom of our hearts.
Once again thanks for the "intamate" gig.. We are seriously thinking of moving out there. Calif. is just tooooo expensive..... You better help me find a gig :-)}
You guys are Electric Warriors! Thank you so much for doing the Bands for Kids Sake show. Just wanted to tell you we made $1800 for the charity and signed up 17 new Big bros or sisters! Great set- You guys are a true class act. Looking forward to playing with you again soon! Congrats on the Bele Chere invite, too! Hunter
