It’s not always new bands we feature on our Band of the Day posts – sometimes, like today, they’ve got three decades to their name!
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
The most of us are from Straubing/Bavaria/Germany. Straubing is a small town, but with a good sub scene (in the good times). But we live spread all over Germany and our female backing vocalist, Esther Widman, lives and works in Calgary/Canada.
How did you meet?
Back in ’88 I was seeking for new members for The Cascades to find. Me and Roland Hubs Hubner, the bassman, tried alot of guys on the guitar and decided for Morientes. He was the coolest with the coolest car (a graffiti Guns N’ Metallica Benz). For the synths we got Markus Müller and on the drums we had Thommy D, a very good heavy metal drummer at this time. Now we are again in this lineup, except the bass is played by Andre Hager (since 2003) and Roland is our sound engineer now.
How long have you been playing as a band?
1988 – 2018 = 30 Years!
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Not from Siouxsie and Banshees – it was a suggestion from a good friend. He was in in London/Carnaby Street – there was a store named The Cascades with cascading water at the entrance. We loved this name from the beginning, didn’t know about The Cascades / Oldieband.
What are your influences?
We have so many influences during this time. All kinds of rock and metal, but sure The Cult, The Doors, and for me as singer and writer, also Cash, Cohen, and Bowie, of course.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our music is clear, not very difficult with some hidden and tricky gimmicks maybe. We still do what we ever did: writing songs and give them our character, the character of each member. So we keep this spirit alive and do not try to change something just because the industry wants to hear it.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
No, I write out of my heart. But what I don’t do is to write typical goth lyrics, such as about vampires and ghosts and other funny stuff. I write about things touching me, such as politics, environment and love and life, of course.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our show is a rock ‘n’ roll show with a lot of sweat. It is a true show, without studied moves or something. We still try just to have fun on stage even though we’ve played hundreds of shows together.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I take off my pants and… you don’t wanna know this.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
The Cascades play ESP and Gibson guitars, Warwick on bass, Pearl and Paiste on drums, and Neumann for the voice. Don’t ask me what stuff the keyboards use.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We will promote our new album Phoenix which is in stores since Friday 19th October. For more information please visit us on Facebook. It is our first complete new album in 13 years.
What are your plans for 2019?
We will play several festival shows in Germany and Europe and would like to play a few shows in England, if its possible. Furthermore we planed one or two new videos and will work on new songs for sure.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
The Cult, The Cascades, The The. We played with so many bands but one of the most interesting acts was the tour with the Lords Of The New Church, legends and friends.
The Cascades: facebook
