has anyone heard Augustana? from what I heard on their myspace page, it's pure, unadulterated, schmaltzy, five-for-fighting-esque crap ... i liked get up kids, and the new amsterdams sound decent, kind of like emo with a twang
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For a budding young band trying to make some headway in the music industry, the last thing you want to hear is that another group just stole your name.
Local Britpop aficionados Cedars released a promising debut EP in fall 2004 under their former moniker Cartel, which spawned singles garnering them radio airplay here and in the UK. Unexpectedly, the band heard about an Atlanta-area punk-pop outfit touring nationally under the Cartel name. After a frustrating series of correspondence, the group simply decided to change their name to Cedars.
??We had Cartel trademarked, but we just didn??t have the money to fight it in court,? said Francisco ??Fico? Lazzaro, Cedars?? bassist. ??We tried finding an amicable solution, but they were real [jerks] about it. We like Cedars better anyway.?
Opening for former Get Up Kids frontman Matt Pryor??s new heartland-emo group The New Amsterdams on Black Cat??s mainstage tonight, Cedars play atmospheric pop music with big nods to the spacey dream pop of Manchester??s Elbow and Doves (whose debut EP was titled ??Cedar?), with the tighter song structures of Coldplay and U2.
While Cedars play frequent one-off shows up and down the East Coast, the quartet finds it hard to function as a full-time touring band and still hold down day jobs. ??We think our best shot at getting signed to a proper label will be by putting out a really well done record,? Lazzaro said.
??We start recording next month,? Lazzaro continued, ??and should have something finished towards the end of the summer. The response to this record may very well make or break us. Stay tuned.?
Black Cat Mainstage, 1811 14th St. NW; with Augustana and The New Amsterdams, Thurs., 8:30 p.m., $12; 202-667-7960. (U St.-Cardozo)
