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The Cynics -- Michael Kastelic, left, and Gregg Kostelich -- found themselves in tune with Jorge Explosion as producer of
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Music Preview: Pittsburgh's Cynics find the perfect garage in Spanish studio

Guillermo Alvarez

Music Preview: Pittsburgh's Cynics find the perfect garage in Spanish studio

"Here We Are" might be best of the Cynics' seven records, and USA Today has already called it "one of the best neo-garage-rock albums in years."

But the first Cynics record in five years almost ended up as the band's first folk-rock record. What happened between the acoustic guitar/piano demo that Gregg Kostelich and Michael Kastelic made and the totally rocking finished product?

They got roughed up by some Spaniards.

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By now, it's no secret that the Pittsburgh legends are more popular in Spain than they are on the South Side. One of the country's leading garage-rock purists -- Jorge Explosion of the band Dr. Explosion -- produces records on vintage equipment, all analog, in mono (!) at his Circo Perrotti Studios in Gijon, Spain.

He was looking to acquire some pre-amp speakers from Kostelich, and that became part of the trade for the making of the record.

Kastelic and Kostelich spent a week at the small, provincial beach town earlier this year working with Jorge, members of the Dr. Explosion and a crew of session musicians, including a drummer who could given Keith Moon a run for his money.


The Cynics
  • With: Black Tie Revue, The Ugly Beats.
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  • When: 10 tonight.
  • Information: 412-391-8334.

"We went in with sketches and they had some ideas, and once the tape started rolling, we started feeding off of his enthusiasm," Kostelich says of Jorge.

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Reached by e-mail, Jorge says of the Cynics, "It is strange, but I always consider them as a pillar of the garage style but victims of the modern production techniques. Maybe that's the reason I didn't play their records often."

One thing he knew about the Cynics, though, was that between Kastelic's cat-like vocals and Kostelich's monster guitar riffs, they might be the best one-two punch in garage rock.

"The problem with many garage bands is that sometimes when you hear the record you only hear a cliche," he says, "but I think the sensitivity of Michael's voice plus their great songwriting is over that so far. The good thing of the Cynics in the studio is precisely this potential they have, potential to create music and to put feelings into that music."

"Here We Are" begins, unlike any other Cynics record, with a delicate acoustic title track, but it doesn't linger. The second track, "Coming 'Round My Way," opens with a stabbing punk guitar and a wave of '60s reverb, and "Here We Are" is on its way to being a pure rock 'n' roll record, now the most diverse in the Cynics catalog. Along with soon-to-be garage classics such as the harmonica-powered "The Warning" and the metallic "Slide Over," the Cynics recall the folk-rock of the Byrds ("Me Wanting Her"), the frenzy of early Who ("The Ring"), Beatles psychedelia ("She Fell") and an unlikely take on Booker T and the MGs ("All About You)."

"We've never had this much range on a record," Kostelich says, "but it's always been there in practice."

Jorge gave the whole thing a timeless sound by recording it in mono, the way the tracks on the Nuggets box and all the Cynics' favorite records were made.

"Jorge said mono is like a punch in the face and stereo is like [a camera] panning, like sideways.' I have to admit he was right," Kostelich says. "Mono mixes sound fantastic no matter where you play them. Everyone's been pushing the issue to go digital. This guy has equipment from the BBC and Abbey Road studios, where they're calling him back to get the stuff back. They regret letting it go."

Also working in their favor was a friendly and cooperative atmosphere in the studio, even between Kostelich and Kastelic, who are notorious for not always seeing eye to eye.

"We still fight about everything," Kastelic says laughing.

One of the flare-ups was over "All About You," which almost went in a finger-snapping Bobby Darin direction until Kostelich put his foot down.

"I was like 'No [expletive] way.' I was really hot about it. Jorge liked it. So there's this gridlock for two hours over it. I said, 'If we do a Stax/Motown-type thing, Memphis horns, like we saw last week at that festival, can you get those guys in here?' Jorge calls on the cell phone. They said, no problem, they're in town, they'll do it."

That's when they called out for a horn section and keyboards, like you'd call out for pizza, and ended up with a Stax-Volt-type song.

Kastelic was equally thrilled by Jorge's approach, and delivered one of his best vocal performances. "This producer was just genius. It was all this ancient equipment. It was relaxing to record, because he wasn't standing there going, 'Well, you have to stand this far away from this mike' and 'Stand here and don't move.' He was like, 'Michael, just do whatever the hell you want and we'll grab the best take.' That's the way real rock 'n' roll is recorded."

In turn, Jorge Explosion was impressed by how open-minded the two Cynics could be.

"We got to enjoy the recording session from the first day we met, and the feeling I have when I remember that week is a group of friends having fun and enjoying each other's music ideas. When you can have that you have everything so you only have to set up the gear and follow your instinct of years listening to records. I think they could sound more '60s but also powerful, so that's what we got. Less rock, more rock 'n' roll."

To play live, Kastelic and Kostelich have a Pittsburgh-based rhythm section and a European version of the band to tour overseas, where the band is loved best. In August, the Cynics played to 10,000 people at the Azkena Rock Festival, along with Tool, the Mooney Suzuki, Roky Erickson, the Hoodoo Gurus and members of the MC5. (To make it even more stressful, the airline didn't deliver their clothes and guitars until right before showtime. Kostelich almost had to play in shorts.)

Kastelic concedes that the now-faded garage-rock revival, with the likes of the Hives and the White Stripes, gave the Cynics a jolt.

"Because we got grouped in with it, when people heard the real deal, as opposed to these sort of fake garage bands, I think it did help us," Kastelic says. "More younger people were checking out the Cynics when 'Living Is the Best Revenge' came out and the critics had reached a certain age that they heard us and when these new bands out, they compared them back to us. Since the year 2000, we haven't had to go out and look for shows. We just take the phone calls and people ask us to play and if they pay us enough and we feel like doing it, we do it. That's the greatest thing about being in the band lately. We're not in that position where it's, 'Oh, we have to get a gig.' No we don't. I can stay home and play my piano and be perfectly happy."

Although the garage-rock formula may be over 50, Kastelic says it never gets old for them.

"Rock in general: How many chords are there? There's about four or five. Five tops. Three that are good. The thing that garage rock has is that primal beat. It's the drumming of Mo Tucker, it's the drumming of the Standells, that really primal caveman beat. Bah bah bah. It's three chords. It's verse-chorus-verse-chorus, double-chorus-out. Something that's so innate, it's like stick against stone. That's why it will never die. It was around before punk rock. It was around before the Ramones. You take this formula and what you can do with it is unlimited. People as old as me and Gregg are still finding new things to do with same formula. It's always been the best music to me."



First Published: October 4, 2007, 8:00 a.m.

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The Cynics -- Michael Kastelic, left, and Gregg Kostelich -- found themselves in tune with Jorge Explosion as producer of "Here We Are."  (Guillermo Alvarez)
Guillermo Alvarez
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