Cass McCombs was born in 1977 and raised in Northern California. He is
of the generation that grew up hearing the stories still fresh on
people's minds: Zodiac killings, Zebra killings, Manson, Black
Panthers, SLA, riots, People's Park, LSD, etc. These were the local
legends and became the basis for McCombs' imagination. He is a child
of the 70s. Since leaving the area, he lived many years drifting the
U.S. until ever attempting to make music seriously. He has said that
from this experience he learned to listen people's stories from many
walks of life. Instead of university, this was his education. McCombs
worked as a janitor, in a horse stable, he was a soda jerk, a truck
driver, and a movie projectionist. He worked construction in New
Jersey and at a midtown NYC delicatessen. McCombs developed his
narrative songwriting style, and since has always expressed himself
through the use of characters. He writes stories for his friends using
their humor, their language, with detail and color, relating their
drug use to classical literary themes, for instance. Rather than
fulfilling the stereotype of the confessional singer-songwriter, he
describes the lifestyles and feelings of those that surround him, with
more love than judgment. McCombs is a mirror.
Tags
| Follow | @cassmccombs | @frankfairfield |