” I think the thing that interests me the most is the unpredictability of the music.”
– Rob Ellis
Cassia are Rob Ellis (lead-vocals, guitar), Lou Cotterill (bass, vocals) and Jacob Leff (drums, vocal) from the United Kingdom. We had a chat with lead singer, Rob, about their music, his perfect pasta recipe and about fashion of course! Scroll down and dive into the world of Cassia and their catchy indie-pop tunes.
You’re from a small town called Macclesfield, close to Manchester, UK – not really known for its big history of music.
Living in Macclesfield has never really held us back in any way so we’ve never really considered a move.. It’s pretty close to Manchester and only a couple of hours on the train from London. Overall it’s pretty decent being stationed there.
In your bio is mentioned that you all share a common taste in World Music – what makes this kind of genre so interesting to you and how does it influence the you for writing Cassia tunes?
Speaking personally I think the thing that interests me the most is the unpredictability of the music. It’s cool knowing that there’s an endless vat of unexplored approaches ideas out there to take influence from.
In another interview with Clash Magazin you once said that ‚being in an indie band is like a pasta bake’. What are the main and essential ingredients for a perfect Cassia pasta?
Pasta
Chopped tomatoes
Onion
Bit of garlic (if you don’t mind the bad breath)
Mozzarella/cheddar cheese both are good
Bit o pepper
Jobs a gooden
Some weeks ago you had the honor to visit BBC for a live session where you also covered „Lottery“ by British Folk-Americana singer Jade Bird. Why have you picked that track?
We love here music and think it’s a class tune! For some reason as well we were able to make it our own with relative ease..
Do you have any special van life rituals you do or even a favourite board game to play while spending hours on the road, going up and down the county?
We’ve recently discovered sudoku and Lou’s high score on expert is 37 mins – no one can beat it. No van rituals as of yet cause with our schedule we’re always too tired to think of any!
What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you on tour?
Probably fainting during a gig cause of too many drugs (prescription).
Do you have any childhood heroes?
Maybe jimi Hendrix..
Back to the future – imagine you were able to do a time travel, would you go back in time, see what the future holds for you or are you totally fine with the present?
I’d definitely do that, see if it’s all a massive waste of time…haha
Fashion wise – what means fashion to you and how would you describe you style?
I wouldn’t class my self as being a “fashion Guru” As long as I look half decent though that’s alright.
Do you have an indispensable piece of clothing for you? (like a pair of boots, a leather/denim jacket..?)
Yeah, I have some Carharrt trousers and can’t do without them!
How important is the way you dress (especially for your shows)?
I like to wear comfortable smart stuff on stage and yeah I’d say it’s pretty important to us. But at this moment in time I spend near enough all my money on music things so I just don’t have enough to stretch for any jazzy clothes haha!
You’ve been touring a lot, what do you always pack in your suitcase – do you have any travel essentials?
Yeah, ear plugs, essentials if you wanna get some sleep!
Music is ..
Groovy!
Thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us, Rob! There’s some more music coming your way very soon, from those three guys, who recently moved to Berlin and got signed to BMG, so keep your ears and eyes peeled. For all the concert goers out there, Cassia going on tour next year across the UK, get your tickets before they’re all gone. Find more information about the tour and Cassia on their website.
Stay tuned..
xx smoke and echoes
smoke and echoes 