Artist description Quirky, original uptempo power-pop songs, featuring electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, bass, drums and three-part harmonies.

Music Style Ethereal powerfolk-pop

Musical Influences R.E.M., The Beatles, Tori Amos, The Pixies, The Smiths, U2, Radiohead

Similar Artists R.E.M., Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Smiths, Violent Femmes, Poi Dog Pondering, Judybats

Artist History The Cactus Pears have been around in one form or another since 1993, with Tony Xenos as the one constant member throughout. The Pears play regularly around Ohio and West Virginia and have released two CDs and one cassette. Another CD is being recorded with a release date sometime in 2002.

Group Members Matt Box - vocals, mandolin, guitar, percussion/Dan Dreifort - electric guitar, vocals/Bryan Gibson - drums/Jeff Shilt - bass/Tony Xenos - vocals, acoustic guitar

Instruments Guitars, mandolin, bass, drums

Albums Wondrous Strange (cassette - 1994) Subrosa (1995), Snacks for Slacks EP (1999), Cool Hands & Hot Heads - a U.K. compilation CD featuring "The Radio Station" (2000)

Press Reviews "I wasn't sure at all what to make of the Cactus Pears when the opening track "Crackhouse" kicked in. My first impression was of a sound that was too chaotic and fragmented for easy listening, but by the time I'd got a couple of tracks in, I was ready to change my mind. There's touches of early R.E.M. in the Pears' music and even a little Crowded House, which makes it a lot more accessible than first thought. Classy packaging, too." - review of Snacks For Slacks from the zine "Luke" published in Leicester, England (winter 1999-2000 edition)// "This band reminds me a little bit of Wilco, Son Volt and other alt-country acts out there, with an edgy sense of cynicism and twangy melodies, but the Cactus Pears incorporate a spacier/surfer feel to some of its guitars and drum fills. The instrumentation deserves note too, since beyond the drums/guitar/bass thing, the Cactus Pears use mandolin and cello accompaniment as well. The songwriting and harmonies are lilting and tug on the heart." - Mutant Renegade zine (Dayton, Ohio), March 2000 edition

Location Athens, Ohio - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).