Photo by Matt Lief Anderson
“While meditative and surprisingly mellow, Cavern Of also exhibits the kind of urgency that comes with an artist’s primary statement, as if Cherry had found new meaning for Juan de Fuca.”
Juan de Fuca is Jack Cherry, Declan Farissee, Clark Brown, Jack Webster, and Howard Stewart. Originally the nom-de-plume of Cherry’s solo efforts, Juan de Fuca transformed from a bedroom project to a full 5-piece in the Fall of 2015, shortly after the October release of Cherry’s solo EP Cavern Of. As the title suggests, the EP dealt with the cavernous spaces that manifest both physically and mentally when persevering through tragedy. The EP shifts through deliberate moments of shoegaze and dream-pop to more ambient meditative soundscapes and returning to sparse acoustic work all in an effort to create the isolation of these caverns. Since moving forward from that body of work, Cherry assembled a live band and began playing shows. Initially playing mostly off of the EP, the band’s live sound evolved quickly – gaining energy and shifting sonically. Since most of Cherry’s compositions on Cavern Of were written on a four-string nylon acoustic guitar, the band worked tirelessly to incorporate loud feedback guitars and interesting rhythms without losing the core of each song. Their sonic palette quickly evolved into a dynamic portrayal of frustration, tragedy, perseverance, and conquering. While one sound begins to gain speed, another comes and out-competes it. As the band continued to write together, they prepared to go in the studio and they are currently in the process of finishing their debut LP.