Local Colorado band Slow Caves have described themselves as being “Inspired by late nights in Hollywood, high speed car chases, red-eye flights and vintage skateboard videos. The synth-punk musings of Slow Caves bleed a James Dean-esque revelry that explodes into a rich baritone croon.”
Slow Caves have consistently been noted by the media as a band to watch. And there’s good reason considering their incredibly catchy indie-pop/surf-punk songs and their mesmerizing, high energy performances. We recently caught up with Jakob Mueller, the vocalist and guitarist for the Slow Caves, to learn more about this outfit and get the latest and greatest on their upcoming aspirations.
How did you come up with the name Slow Caves?
When we started the band in 2014, honestly I think our goal was to just be a cool indie band. So, we tried to come up with a band name that sounded like a “cool indie band” by combining words that we liked via a group text. Several years later, so much has changed including what the name means to us. Today “Slow Caves” sounds like a rad rock ‘n’ roll band to me. Oliver came up with an interpretation of “Slow Caves” where “cave” is a verb. So it could be the sound of your mind slowly caving in.
How would you describe your sound?
At its core, Slow Caves is a rock ‘n’ roll band. I would describe our most recent ep, “Desert Minded,” as beach rock. When we wrote it, we were really into the early Beach Boys records as well as new bands like Spirit Club. Our new songs that haven’t been released yet still hold onto those dreamy vibes, but are a little more heavy and rockin’ with a 90s feel.
Who’s your muse and what are your inspirations?
Our muse? Brian Wilson and cussin’ David Bowie! Will there ever be better songwriters? They both reinvented themselves so many times and created some of the most interesting and beautiful rock music ever. Right now we’re really into Nirvana and Oasis, as well as the shoegaze legends, Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. All those bands have really influenced all the stuff we’ve written since “Desert Minded” came out.
Are you touring a lot? Have you connected with other audiences outside of Colorado?
Yes, we’re living the dream! I think by the end of this year we will have done six tours! We feel that we’ve connected pretty well with people everywhere we play, but especially in Brooklyn, Austin, Boise, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and, of course, home in Colorado.
Have things changed, now that you’ve become a seasoned band? Have your redefined how you operate as a band? Are you constantly reinventing yourselves or are you refining your original vision?
Things have changed quite a bit. After each tour we feel like this band is becoming a larger priority in our lives, and our love for it grows more and more as well. This year will be radically different for me because I’m taking a break from school for touring and to focus on writing as many songs as I can. I just got a Tascam Portastudio 424 mkiii (an old 4-track cassette recording machine from 90s) for demoing and songwriting, which causes me to approach songwriting in a completely new and exciting way. There’s a lot more spontaneity and frustration involved in this process, so hopefully I can stick with it and write some nice tracks.
We definitely operate very differently! We are now working with an amazing team of people (shout out to our music family WE LOVE YOU) who have killed it in getting us incredible opportunities. Things like playing SXSW and Treefort and going on all these tours wouldn’t be possible without our label (Old Flame Records) and everyone we work with.
Our vision is constantly shifting. Our manager told us something that really stuck with me. He told us to always have a plan but to never be stuck or married to it, always be open to ideas, opportunities, and change.
What advice can you give to other bands trying to find their place in the Colorado music scene?
There are so many people here that have devoted their lives to helping musicians, bands, and our music community. So get to know these people and get involved, go see shows, make friends. Also, play as much as you can and be professional.
Are you working on new recordings? Where? When can we expect to hear some new material?
YES! We recorded some hot tracks at the legendary Blasting Room last year with our friend, Andrew Berlin. We’re really proud of the way these songs were arranged and recorded. We went into the studio with an attempt to try to combine sounds of the Wrecking Crew and Nirvana on one song in particular. Those two songs from that session will be out in 2017.
In between tours for the rest of the year, we are planning on recording more songs, hopefully with a rad producer. Otherwise we’re just going to be writing as many songs as possible for whatever the next thing will be.
When can people expect to see you play in Denver again?
December 16th at Lost Lake Lounge for the release of our new songs that we’re pressing on super limited edition vinyl. Stoked!!!!!!
What are your aspirations in the future for Slow Caves?
We really want to go on tour in Europe. I think our music will resonate with people over there. Plus we just want to travel over there. It’s insanely beautiful and the drives seem like they would be shorter between shows than they are in the US.
We also want to work with producers and put out an LP soon that we’re really proud of.
Be sure to check out Slow Caves for yourself. You can hear them on our Urban Life Wash Park September MixTAPE at urbanlifewashpark.com and you should definitely check out their website to keep up with all things Slow Caves at www.slowcaves.com. It was awesome having the opportunity to hear from these guys and we’re certain of the one thing that will slowing be caving in on this band . . . a lot of new fans.