Pike Cavalero

Channeling the sound and style of classic '50s U.S. rock & roll and rockabilly, Pike Cavalero hails from the unlikely backwater of Almería, on Spain's southeast coast. The Weekender EP was issued in late 2010, and the guitarist and singer/songwriter's debut, Just a Matter of Manners!, the following year. Backed on both by the Gentle Bandoleros (Al Dual, Javi Carrasco, and Antonio Quesada), the releases were issued on the local Malaga-based Sleazy label, the home of the majority of Cavalero's subsequent releases. A couple of EPs, Six Shooter Blues (2012) and Second Round (2013), were next up, by which time Cavalero was becoming a popular fixture on the European vintage and rock & roll weekender/festival circuit. Recorded as a solo act, 2014's Torro LP featured a spirited cover of the 1957 Rosco Gordon Sun Records B-side as the title track, and a cover of Warren Smith's "Miss Froggie" on the 10" vinyl issue. As was the case with the debut album, Torro was a self-produced affair and featured a Spanish-language track among the rockin' tunes. Cavalero's first entirely Spanish-language release landed in early 2015 with the single "Ahora Que Lo Tienes," which also saw a local reworking of the Cleftones' "Little Girl of Mine" ("Mi Neña Pequeña") on the flipside. Cavalero also has production credits on cuts by like-minded acts such as the Sun Rockets, the Blackland Farmers, and Matt & the Peabody Ducks. ~ Matthew Garbutt