Casper & the Cookies is an American rock and pop band from Athens, Georgia, United States.
Casper & the Cookies | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, power pop, new wave |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Wild Kindness, Happy Happy Birthday to Me, People in a Position to Know, Waikiki (Japan) |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | casperandthecookies |
History
editMulti-instrumentalist and singer Jason NeSmith (pronounced "KNEE-smith," no relation to Michael Nesmith of the Monkees),[1][2] began using the pseudonym Casper Fandango in 1996 as a moniker for his solo four-track recordings. NeSmith was given the name by fellow Atlanta musician David Dault while playing together in the band Feyerabend.[3]
Casper Fandango released two DIY cassettes in the late 1990s, originally as Casper Fandango & the Knees and subsequently Casper Fandango & His Tiny Sick Tears.
The Cookies came into existence in 1998 as NeSmith's live band. They have three CDs released on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records, Oh! (2004), The Optimist's Club (2006), and Modern Silence (2009).[3] After many lineup changes the band consists of NeSmith, Kay Stanton, Davy Gibbs, and AJ Griffin.[4]
NeSmith was a member of Of Montreal for the Satanic Panic in the Attic tour of 2004 and some of the Sunlandic Twins tour of 2005, eventually leaving to focus on his own band.[5] (Kay and Jason are also in Supercluster, the side project of Vanessa Briscoe Hay of Pylon.) NeSmith has also been a member of Kenny Howes & the Yeah!, Orange Hat, the Visitations, the Late BP Helium and the Sunshine Fix. He also owns and operates a commercial recording facility, Bel*Air Studio.[4]
Casper & the Cookies served as the backing band for Daniel Johnston at the 2007 Athens Pop Fest. Also in 2007, the Cookies went on a nationwide tour supporting the Apples in Stereo.[6]
Members
editCurrent
- Jason NeSmith (aka Casper Fandango)
- Kay Stanton
- Davy Gibbs
- AJ Griffin
Former
- Christo Harris
- Ben Spraker
- Kenny Howes
- Phil Stockman
- Paul Walker
- Tim Schreiber
- Suzanne Allison
- Bryan Poole (aka the Late BP Helium)
- Peter Alvanos
- Jason Gonzales
- Gregory Sanders
- Joe Rowe
- Lucas Jensen
- Jim Hicks
Discography
editAlbums
edit- Consumer (cassette; as Casper Fandango & the Knees) – Lookit Meee! – 1996
- How's Your Hand? (cassette; as Casper Fandango & His Tiny Sick Tears) – Lookit Meee! – 1997
- How's Your Hand? (CD; as Casper Fandango & His Tiny Sick Tears) Lookit Meee! / AAJ – 2000
- Oh! (CD) – Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records [HHBTM] / Waikiki Record – 2004/ 2005 (Japan)
- The Optimist's Club – (CD/LP) – HHBTM / People in a Position to Know {PIAPTK] – 2006 and Waikiki Record – 2008
- Modern Silence – (CD/LP) – HHBTM / People in a Position to Know {PIAPTK] – 2009
- Volatile and Erogenous: The Best of Casper & The Cookies – (CD) HHBTM / People In A Position to Know – 2011 (The album was given away for free on the Facebook page of the band and custom made by drummer Gregory Sanders) [7][8]
- Ice Mattress – (digital only release) – Self-Released – 2011
- Dingbats – (LP/CD/cassette) – Wild Kindness Records – 2014
Singles and EPs
edit- The Band That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World (CD-r) – Lookit Meee! – 2004
- Overly Optimistic (CD-r) – HHBTM – 2006
- 3 ½ Stars (CD-r) – HHBTM – 2007
- "Power Stupid" (split with Keith John Adams) 8” – PIAPTK – 2007
- "Jennifer’s House" / “Huff” (split with Marbles) 7” – HHBTM – 2007
- "Kiss Me Beneath the Christmas Tree" (digital only) – HHBTM – 2007
- "Wolf Of White Columns" - 2020
References
edit- ^ "In The Mix: Casper & the Cookies" Harp Magazine, April 25, 2007, archived from the original at the Wayback Machine October 7, 2007.
- ^ Serena Markstrom, "Casper Striving To Be Edgy But Fun", The Register-Guard, September 1, 2006.
- ^ a b AllMusic entry on Casper & the Cookies, AllMusic
- ^ a b "C is for Casper: Casper & the Cookies bake an album with love" Archived February 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Creative Loafing, August 9, 2006
- ^ "Bands On The Verge: Casper & the Cookies: Cookie Monsters" Archived November 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Relix Magazine, June 21, 2007
- ^ Tiny Mix Tapes show review Archived March 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine February 15, 2007
- ^ "Casper & the Cookies | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ "Casper-Cookies_Volatile-Erogenous". MediaFire.com. Retrieved March 31, 2020.