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Charlotte, NC’s Cairo Fire have all the makings of a breakout band in 2014. Recently releasing their first track “Bold & Beautiful” to critical acclaim, the band is expected to release their debut EP in February or March and will be touring all year. GroundSounds caught up with the guys to learn more about the band’s formation, new music, and plans for 2014.
GS: How did you meet and form the band?
Will was new in town again and looking to find some guys to play with so, literally laughing at himself and thinking it would go nowhere, he posted a Craigslist ad. Mike and I recently just got out of our previous band and were looking to move onto a new chapter of our lives. Once we saw his post and saw a YouTube video of him singing The Cure’s “Lovesong” we were sold. At the first meet up, everything just clicked and we’ve been going strong since then.
Where did the name Cairo Fire come from?
Early in our time together we were throwing around a bunch of ideas and Will commented that we were all Cure fans so he threw out the idea of toying with their song A Fire in Cairo. Ultimately it was a common thread that we all felt passionately about, and better yet, something we wouldn’t grow tired of.
Who is Cairo Fire? Tell us your name and what you do in the band, your favorite band/musician, and one fun/interesting fact about you.
Mike – I’m Mike I play guitar in Cairo Fire. My favorite band is The Cure and has been since I was 17. Robert Smith is most definitely one of my all time heroes. Something about me…I’m a huge Charles Bukowski fan. I read his material all the time. I’m also an avid gamer and have most recently been totally addicted to GTA 5.
Joey – I’m Joey and I play bass in Cairo Fire. My favorite artist? That’s a tough call, but lately I’ve been really into Butch Walker’s catalogue. An interesting fact about me… I’m a pretty big health food nut but I will in fact eat pizza anytime or anywhere. It’s my kryptonite.
Will – I’m the lead (and only…lol) singer. My inspirations/favorite artists are actually a summation of 5 people. Michael and Janet Jackson, Prince, David Bowie, and Madonna. An interesting fact about me is I lived and taught in South Korea for 14 months starting in 2008. To help commemorate my time there I started a YouTube web series called “Black in Korea”. (It’s still up too)
If someone that has never heard your music and asked you “What do you sound like?” How would you answer?
Pop/rock infused with Soul and Electronic
Tell us about the song “Bold & Beautiful.” We loved it and featured it a few weeks ago. What inspired the track?
We were actually doing a cover of Rhianna “Diamonds” and Mike started the guitar parts. We did it in B minor and Mike started playing around in that key on a break from the demo. We did the instruments all in like 3 hours; the vibe happened really quick so we handed it to Will. Will said the instrumental sounded like breaking out of some sort of establishment it had such an anthemic sound so he decided on a universal theme that everyone could relate to when coming up with the lyrics. In the end it became a call to everyone trapped by uniformity that encourages them to break free from it with all the confidence they’ve got. After that we brought it to our producer Patrick Boyd and matured the ideas with him to make it more epic, more anthem; more sing along which is what you guys hear in the final recording.
As a new band, there is always a difficulty of getting your music out there and expanding your reach. What has been the biggest challenge or difficulty for you so far?
Most likely due to the chemistry we have as a unit, we actually haven’t been met with too many adversities as of yet. We’re ultimately believers in hard work and we’ve just been pushing this band super hard but everything has steam rolled along naturally. If we keep relying on that type of work ethic, we all feel like the difficulties that lie ahead of us will come with great accomplishments as well.
I know Will was part of American Idol season 12. How was that experience and what did you learn from that?
When Idol happened for me it was like a whirlwind honestly. I had no real expectations for it initially, just wanted to look for an opportunity to get my voice heard seeing as I’d been doing open mics and bar gigs for so long. As I started progressing through rounds, it just seamed to become more and more tangible. It’s like you’re singing for people that are NAMES in this industry and they like what you do! At the final performance of Hollywood week it was FINALLY my opportunity to be in charge and work with the band on my own musical arrangement. (I came up with this rock ballad version of Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory”) In that moment I truly realized I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. I felt like a King, and in such a small stretch of time I finally started to believe in my own ability.
What are you currently working on? After getting everyone excited with B&B, when can we expect to hear new tunes?
We are currently in the studio finishing up our debut EP to release in February/March and getting ready to go on the road for the bulk of 2014. We can’t wait to get on stage and play these songs.
What is your plan for 2014? Do you have a name or release date for your debut EP yet?
In 2014 we are gearing up to play a lot of shows, and hope to give people a better idea of who we are musically and personally. The release date will be sometime in between February or March. The title of the EP is “Raucous EP”
How is the music scene in Charlotte? What is your favorite venue there?
There’s a TON of great music coming out of the city right now. We are always blown away by how much talent is in Charlotte, it’s great to be in such a supportive artistic community. One of our favorite venues in town is Amo’s Southend where we’ll actually be doing our EP release show in the new year.
What do you guys like to do outside of the music world?
We’re all foodies, so there’s lots of eating! Will has done freelance fashion design and illustration for 10 years so he sews a lot of what you’ll see him wear. Joey does a lot of the photography and art design for the band. Mike writes poetry… Usually in more than 140 characters.
Where is the best place to stay updated with you?
