Local '90s musicians Cactus Pears make less-than-prickly comeback
By Courtney Baldasare, Staff Writer
April 18, 2008 | 3 p.m.
The era that is known as the ’90s is frequently associated with Power Rangers, Ace of Base and L.A. Gear high-tops. Here in Athens the name “Cactus Pears” may have just as easily been associated with that same era.
Lucky for local music lovers and fans of catchy, poppy tunes, Cactus Pears are making their way back to shake the Athens music scene yet again, starting with an upcoming show at 10 p.m. Saturday, April 19 at Casa Cantina. They will be taking the stage to prove to willing audiences that they are ready to rock again and recapture their spot in the sun.
“We all feel comfortable at Casa [Cantina]," said Tony Xenos, lead singer and founder of Cactus Pears. "We like it there. We see a lot of friends there.”
Playing with Cactus Pears will be Kaslo, another well-recognized Athens band. Xenos is thrilled to be sharing the stage with such gifted artists, as is the rest of the band. He mentioned how well the bands’ music will complement each other and how magnificent the sound will be overall.
The musicians will be doing several guest sets and will essentially play onstage together for a great portion of the night to keep the music going. They also plan to minimize the change time between sets so the vibe of the night is not as fragmented.
Aside from simply performing a few songs and putting on a live show, the night will be filled with some fun musical activities, including a theme-song raffle game. The band has worked hard to prepare T-shirts and CDs for the night to get Athens back on track with Cactus Pears again.
From the mandolin to the cello to the squeezebox, Cactus Pears seem to cover a great musical spectrum. The band is ready to take this intricate music that it has worked so hard to create and put it back out there.
“We’ve been playing and breaking up and playing and breaking up," Xenos said. "I think after awhile I just kind of wanted to get back to the music that I was playing.”
The band actually has not been in the Athens scene since approximately 2004, but the group is doing its best to keep up with the times in trying to make its comeback. Through MySpace and Facebook, the Cactus Pears have been working to promote themselves with the technology and networking that was not previously available to them when they were at their peak in the '90s. Nevertheless, flyers (even some in different languages) have been posted, just as Xenos remembers doing years ago.
Although this seems like the Cactus Pears’ big debut, they are actually quite accustomed to the scene already. As Xenos said, they have played more than 50 shows throughout the years here in Athens. He remembers Athens as a very “tight-knit” community in terms of music, and the band is placing its focus on personal interaction with fans as a means to squeeze back into the community.
The idea of playing live as a band again seems to excite the musicians. “Music can be downloaded and ripped for free," Xenos said. "You can get anything you want for free, but the live show is still something unique. For me it’s to make the show something even more unique than just playing onstage. I enjoy playing onstage because it’s in the now.”
After the numerous member renounces, reunions and replacements of the band over several years, the group is finally back in order with a fresh sound to top it off. Xenos seemed very satisfied with the group’s practices lately, though it is apparently difficult to accommodate the schedules of every band member, considering all six of them have busy schedules. He also claimed that all of the contributing Cactus Pears’ musicians want to play good music and are ready for it.
The music of Cactus Pears is catchy and whimsical with a twist of childish innocence and enthusiasm. Xenos explained that the lyrics are mostly inspired by real-life experiences, encounters and situations that he or others have gone through. Any of the messages in the songs are easily relatable to the lives of any listener, and even the more carefree parts of the songs can appeal to audiences. The self-described “pop” band with “a little bit of folk roots” has a vibe reminiscent of The Shins mixed with a bit of a Belle and Sebastian kick.
“Now we’re a little older, and we know what our focus is -- just to play music and have a good time," Xenos said. “It’s not about marketing. It’s just about people having fun. I think that students will come to see a good, fun show with good music."
The talented six-piece band consists of Ashley Ford on cello; Dan Dreifort on guitar and vocals; Bryan Gibson on drums; Geoff Osterland on bass; Rob Powell on guitar, mandolin, keyboard and vocals; and Xenos on vocals, guitar and squeezebox. Be sure to catch all six Cactus Pears as they revel in comeback glory this Saturday for the debut gig of their next musical round in Athens.
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