Meet the Band: Matt Hallaran (vocals, guitar), Brandon Miller (guitar), Pat O'Connor (bass), Rochelle Sanfilippo (keyboards), and Stanton Thatcher (drums).
Don't Call Her Yoko: Hallaran has played locally for years, most notably with the Primitives. He formed Cave Teens last year with girlfriend Sanfilippo, even though she could barely play an instrument. Within six months, the others — including Coffinberry's O'Connor — were on board.
Little Help From My Friends: Hallaran says the fact that they're all friends is "the really special part." Plus, they know what to expect. "We've been in bands together," he says. "But they were more like two-, three-month little projects until people got busy. For some reason, this one just sticks."
Home Field Advantage: Cave Teens have performed throughout Cleveland, but Now That's Class is their favorite place to play. "It's not just a bunch of punk kids acting up — there's a good mixture of music," says Hallaran. "They have dodgeball and drunken spelling-bee tournaments, which are a real hoot. It's not just 'Go to the rock bar and watch the band.'"
Why You Should Hear Them: The group — which Hallaran describes as "garagey post-punk with some surf guitar" — recorded an album's worth of demos, but the recent addition of O'Connor has tightened their sound. They're looking to capture that new vibrancy on their debut later this year.
Where You Can Hear Them: On Facebook.
Where You Can See Them:
At Now That's Class on March 28.
— Chris Parker
