The Cavalier Crooks

The Cavalier Crooks are comprised of Josh Warner (guitar), Quinn Larson (Bass) and Jeff Boone (drums). In the summer of 2010, Josh and Quinn began writing songs together, as a way to hone their writing skills. But partly because Quinn’s former bands had parted ways. They quickly realized that they were onto something in the way they were mixing classic blues and country riffs with a modern guitar flair. They sought out Jeff to round out the rhythm section. Jeff and Quinn had played together in two previous bands, Hail Architect and Sink the Bismarck, as well as had been friends for over ten years.

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Even though they had no idea what would come of it, they started cranking out tunes, slowly at first, then with rapid-fire speed. They began to play shows in Minneapolis, with such scene stalwarts, as Story of the Sea and The Farewell Continental Group of the USA. Also, with Canada’s rising stars The Wooden Sky. In the winter of 2011, they got together with Thomas Rehbein, of Farewell Continental, to record a four song EP on a four-track cassette player, aptly titled Four Tracks on a Four Track. It was a Spartan affair, featuring all live performances recorded with a single microphone in their practice space, with a nod to bands like The White Stripes and early Black Keys.

The EP was then mastered at Flowers studio in Minneapolis. It gained them a fair amount of attention locally, though not yet on the level they were shooting for. But they continued to crank out song after song, and in the fall of 2011, they entered the studio with producer Alex Proctor (Crisis Line, Scattered Trees), to record their debut full-length album, later to be titled Tombstone Bullets. Staying true to their aesthetic of loud guitars and groove, they cranked what they consider to be their best work to date. There are appearances by Gabriel Douglas of The 4onthefloor, on the title track, and by Kari Gray of Farewell Continental. The Cavalier Crooks also have a high regard for local artists, and signed artist Adam Sward on to create all the art for the album. They gave little artistic direction, preferring to allow Adam to create art that he felt suited the music. In the spring of 2012, The Crooks signed on with the label Dead Letter Records, and are due to release Tombstone Bullets later this spring of 2012. In March of 2012, the Crooks were honored to be asked to open for Minnesota’s own Retribution Gospel Choir (Sub Pop Records, members of LOW), and feel it was their finest performance to date.