Caecelia

With its two final out-of-town members making the big move from Flagstaff to Phoenix, Caecelia is ready to unleash its unique brand of indie/electronic music on the Valley. The band’s keyboards, guitars, and cello are the perfect complement to its heavily electronic sound. Caecelia’s music is filled with angst-ridden lyrics, thanks in large part to the singing style of Evan Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s vocals put him somewhere between emo pretty boy and indie-rock flannel troubadour, with just a pinch of The Cure’s Robert Smith thrown in for good measure. It all adds up, coming to a head with Carol Ann Hays’ divine mastery of the cello. Mixing an electronic backing track with a classical instrument is no easy task, yet Caecelia manages to pull it off with relative ease. It’s so refreshing to see a Valley band have such a different angle, and employing a cellist most definitely sets Caecelia apart from the often-uninspired rock music incubated in the desert. What’s more, you don’t have to don your Sunday best to witness a classically trained cellist, although feel free to do so. I’m sure the band won’t mind.