The Cave Children is a psychedelic pop band consisting of 4 members, Vassilis Vlahakos (voice), Vasilis Nitsakis (bass), Orestes Benekas (synths, vocals), and Dimitris Stergiou (drums). They started playing together sometime around in 2013 and formed the band in 2014. They released their debut ‘Quasiland’ in 2015 via Inner Ear Records, and two years after, the single ‘Alpha Male / Believe’. The Cave Children have participated important festivals in Greece and Cyprus (Rockwave Festival, Fengaros Festival, Up Festival, Fougarock, etc). In addition, they have supported big names of the Greek and global indie/rock scene such as Allah-Las, Lana del Rey, Radio Moscow, Ought, TOY and Banda Magda.
We are more than glad to catch them live at An Club (Athens, Greece) on September 29th, along with The Low Spark and Million Hollers.
How long have you known each other ? How did you meet ?
Well, first of all thank you for being interested in our music! All of us used to play music in rock bands since our early twenties. So we all had played together in the underground scene of Athens, and we kind of sticked together ever since.
Which genre of music do you consider your work to be? Which are your major influences?
One could describe our music as psych rock. We are mostly influenced by pop music of the sixties, rock music of the seventies, and alternative music of the nineties. After all we grew up in the nineties… Some bands that we like (and apparently everyone should) are The Beatles, Blur, The Mars Volta, Frank Zappa, Modrec and Echo & the Bunnymen to name a few.
The first album was called ‘Quasiland‘ released in 2015 and more recently the single ‘Alpha Male‘ . How did this cooperation come to life with Inner Ear Records?
We are happy to be supported by Inner Ear Records. All of us had released music through this indie label, and we already knew the people behind the brand. It was really important for us to be a part of that family alongside some of our favorite Greek indie rock bands.
《he wouldn’t stay for long He’s coming back to save us》(‘Pelorian’)
My favorite song, but who is he ? Are your lyrics generic or based on real experiences and persons?
Most of our songs are influenced by our experiences, thoughts, and works of art that we admire, so we wouldn’t describe them as being “generic”. Well, one could say that love songs are generic, but it’s ok we are not that afraid of being predictable. This particular song you picked out is not a love song though, it is based on “The Allegory of the Cave”, as found in Plato’s “Republic”, but we added a little extra plot twist to the original story to spice things up.
What you like to do outside of music that contributes in your musicality?
Not much! Meeting other people and having fun conversations could be a decent answer to that, maybe. Other art forms are always an inspiration, such as plays, movies, paintings, etc, but to be honest we are mostly influenced by other peoples’ music.
What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
People who enjoy playing music with other people are destined to do it at some point. Forming a band is tricky. It requires dedication, emotional intelligence, and a vision, plus, you have to be extremely lucky to play with people you like and are willing to bury the hatchet every time you face creative differences. But I believe that it’s worth it.
Would you tell us about what you are working on at the moment? Your current projects?
It has been a long time since we released new material, but the second album is usually much harder to create. We stay positive, and try to find time to spend with each other.
On 29 September you are performing at An Club! What can we expect ?
We are playing with The Low Spark from Cyprus, and Million Hollers from Thessaloniki, something that we have been waiting for since last year. Our last performance was a while ago, so we are super excited get up there and play. Hopefully we are going to play some new songs on the 29th.
Future plans & goals?
It is really important for us to stay creative and continue to enjoy the tunes that come out of our rehearsal room. We would really like to play some festivals this summer, so we are working on that as well. As far as the new album is concerned, we already have decided on the sound we are looking for and we ‘re trying to make something enjoyable to perform live. Thank you so much for interviewing us, all the best!
Photo credits: JJ Pallis (1st one)
Nena Gioti