After successfully graduating from UNC in 2006, Autumn Ehinger took the show on the road…or herself rather and wound up in some pretty random places. She moved to Virginia to participate in archaeology digs, the middle of nowhere Arizona to work in a national park, to Japan to teach English, and had a few other “pseudo-aimless wanderings” before sticking a stake in the ground in the “ultra-rural” town of Stedman, NC. The rambling may have broadened her horizons, but it also made it hard to put a band together like she had in college. Though the ability to collaborate was stifled, Autumn thankfully realized her drive to create wasn’t and thus came tumbling out the songs and sounds of Cassis Orange.
The product of the past four years’ travels, the music of Cassis Orange is a whirlwind of homesickness spun out with keyboards, glockenspiels, and cheap electronics. Casio beats trill over lyrics about the battles of love and settling down. Autumn’s voice surges out with startling intimacy amongst a numbingly trance-like rhythmic fill. It’s lo-fi music made with digital technology, emotional strife with a fluttering cadence.
You can hear the Cassis Orange sound for yourself this coming Thursday, April 8th at The Pinhook where she’ll open for Butterflies and Wood Ear. And you can also look forward to a number of upcoming dates because (who’d of guessed it) Autumn’s on the move again and Durham’s her next mark. (Lucky us.)
Now just the usual five question assault:
1. If your band were a city, which would it be?
Tokyo, Japan, specifically the Monzen-Nakacho neighborhood. I lived there a couple years ago, in a tiny apartment where I slept in a twin bed with my roommate because there was literally not enough space to sleep on the floor. The Cassis Orange songs always end up having to do something with my time there, directly or indirectly. And the band name is a popular mixed drink in Japan.
2. When was the moment you first thought music was something you might like to try?
In high school I was really obsessed with 1970s punk. I had a photograph of the Ramones going to a show at CBGB–they were on the subway, carrying their crappy instruments in a bunch of gross-looking shopping bags because they didn’t have any money for cases. I remember thinking, “Awesome! They are the best band ever, and totally broke!†And I was totally broke too, so that made me think I could also have a band or do music without always finding some dumb excuse not to.
3. Describe your typical Saturday morning routine.
My typical Saturday morning routine involves sleeping late enough to ensure I never develop a Saturday morning routine.
4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that might really surprise people?
I really like the music they play at Cracker Barrel.
5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How ’d that turn out?)
In elementary school I wanted to be an archaeologist. I rekindled the idea in college, and did do archaeology work for a while after I graduated. It’s really arduous physical work though, and I am basically a weakling, so after digging test pits in a cotton field in Virginia in a 100° August, I decided I would be ok with moving to a more indoors-y job. And now I really like teaching, so I think it all turned out well.
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Swing back by next week for the newest installment of gimme five and be sure to mosey over to The Pinhook on April 8th to hear Cassis Orange live. And by all means, give Autumn a high five when you see her!