Handcrafted & played by ear since 2007
MUSIC
HI RESPICTURES
THE DESOTO CAUCUS – ORIGINAL NORDICANA WITH A VIEW.
Danish band out of Århus, recording in converted horse stables and payroll offices to realize a tactile sound of dry open grooves, north country twang and the signature dual lead vocals. By many known best for their collaborations with artists such as Howe Gelb, Mark Lanegan, Emiliana Torrini, Nive Nielsen, Isobel Campell, Sarah Blasko, Jason Lytle and Danish legend CV Jørgensen among many others. The Band found its shape in Giant Sand between 2003 and 2008, and still loves to team up with Howe Gelb whenever possible. Recently the DeSoto Caucus hasbeen collaborating with M. Ward and future shows are in planning.
With four albums out on Glitterhouse and new material in the pipeline, the DeSoto Caucus like so many other bands is recovering from the massive lock downs and general confusion. But happier than ever to be back!
The DeSoto Caucus is:
Anders Pedersen – vocals, guitar & bass
Nikolaj Heyman – guitar, keyboards, vocal & bass
Peter Dombernowsky – drums & percussion
Henrik Poulsen - bass
“Vast open sounds, elegant grooves, a voice in a dark-blue timbre telling mysterious stories about losing
and finding things, the guitars breathing, more rolling then rocking, like a tender thunder.”
- Tino Hanekamp.
Back story
After more than ten years of exploring American musical heritage with Howe Gelb, first in his Howe Home project, then as a new incarnation of Giant Sand, Thøger, Peter and Anders took Howe's advise when he went to Canada to do a solo album, and went on to record some of their own material as well as an instrumental cover of Danish classic "Hvorfor er lykken så lunefuld". The self-released and long out of stock album was entitled “EliteContinentalCustomClub” and released in 2008.
"I thought of it as a fishing trip", Anders later said. "We had no idea what we were after or how to go about it really....kinda missing Howe in the mix, but still had to do something with our time and the songs that started piling up". Being out of his comfort zone, AP rose to the occasion, sang, got Thøger to sing as well (Peter refused) and the result was immediately exciting. With double lead vocals in octaves and responsive, playful musicianship to drive the songs forward, a unique sound appeared. Thus The DeSoto Caucus had found its voice. Shortly after the release of ECCC, the band was asked by Jens Folmer Jepsen, head of the Aarhus Festival to invite international artists & friends to come to town and do a series of shows that became known as The Medium Rare Sessions. Starting in 2007, the Sessions have featured the Caucus, often extenting to a seven piece, with Jakob Buchanan on fluegelhorn, Palle Hjorth on assorted all sorts keyboards, and Howe Gelb acting as pianoplayer and mc. Guests have been Kurt Wagner, Peter Sommer, Marie Frank, Isobel Campbell, Nive Nielsen, Sarah Blasko, Josh Rouse, Maria Timm, CV Jørgensen, Scout Niblett, John Doe, Agnes Obel, Mark Lanegan, Charlie Sexton, Jason Lytle, M. Ward, Emiliana Torrini, KT Tunstall, Brian Lopez, Jim White and Lawrence Arabia.
By 2012 the trio core of the band had turned into a quartet after Nikolaj Heyman joined, and upon release of their second album "Offramp Rodeo" they had signed with the acclaimed German label Glitterhouse. The impressions from the dusty trail of Sand had been transformed into a slightly melancholic singer-songwriter based indierock that became with brilliant and often complex grooves, cool guitarwork, and a timeless vintage soundscape inhabited by organs, maracas and vibraphones. Add to that two handfuls of apt lyrics, the signature sound of dual haunting voices and great dynamics, and you get the picture.
Touring Europe regulary, new material was flowing from Heyman and Pedersen, and with a mere eleven months a new album was released. Simply entitled "The DeSoto Caucus" it attempted to capture the vibe of the direction the band was moving live and was released to critical acclaim on April 4th 2014.
After touring the album, the band decided to take more time to do the follow-up, and nearly three years of focused work later their latest album "4" was released on January 27th 2017.
This fall work on a new album is picking up speed. First single is expected to launch in February 2023.