Kevin Bronson on September 8th, 2010

0

Lucas Guerin grew up in the Los Angeles area as the son of French parents, studied theater and filmmaking and although reared in a musical household didn’t pick up an instrument until he was 20. And when he closes his eyes, he hears … Kool & the Gang, Sly & the Family Stone, Prince?

“I’m always hearing the funk,” says the falsetto-wielding frontman of the quartet Casxio, who have emerged the past couple of years as some of the unlikeliest but most invigorating provocateurs of disco-funk on the L.A. scene.

• ||| Exclusive download: “My Book”

With their debut album “Friends vs. Lovers” – three years in the making – finally landing next week, the foursome is poised to become more than just a local phenomenon. Guerin and guitarist Eric Saez, along with keyboardist Andrea Choe and drummer/producer Zach Schrock, have assembled a paean to lovelorn moments beneath the disco ball, 14 tracks of taut melodies, hip-shaking basslines and crisp arrangements that, rather than succumb to many revivalists’ comic homage, treat their lineage very seriously.

It’s been a long crawl for Casxio, who first splashed down with the undeniable single “Seventeen” in 2007. “I can’t believe I wrote that song four years ago,” Guerin says. “Time has flown by so quickly – it seems like the past couple of years have been a couple of months. But maybe it’s because it’s the busiest and on-purpose as we’ve ever been.”

Part of that focus has been on Casxio’s live performance – at the center of which is Guerin, slinging not only his soulful couplets but his bass guitar. “When I first started, I thought, f*ck it, I’m gonna play the bass myself. I practiced for hours on end singing and playing the bass until I could do it,” he says. “I work hard on the vocal delivery – I really want to have fire behind what I’m singing onstage. Overall our live show is where we’re strongest right now.”

Which makes for an interesting night, if you know the players’ backgrounds. Like Guerin, Saez is a fellow thespian. Schrock is a photographer. And Choe is working on her PhD in research of parasitic reproduction (in case you need a conversation starter, guys).

It’s easier to find common ground in the time-honored themes of the album. “‘Friends vs. Lovers’ – it’s friends as opposed to lovers,” Guerin says. “Friends turn into lovers, lovers turn into friends, and hearts will be broken. It’s about that discovery.”

“Seventeen” came from a moment “in a relationship where I just acted like a 17-year-old girl,” the songwriter says. “And ‘My Book’ came at a time when I simply wanted to tell the truth about myself.” And “Sex,” with it’s obvious come-on “I just wanna have sex with you?” Says Guerin: “You write so many songs about relationships you reach the point where you just want to say to hell with all the metaphors. But although the chorus of that song is obvious and in your face, it’s the bridge when I explain how I got to that point.”

While gratified “Friends vs. Lovers” is finally being released – thanks in part to a fan-funded campaign on Kickstarter.com – Guerin says he has bigger plans ahead. “It took three years for us to get on the runway to launch,” he says. “I’m already working on a second album.”

||| Live: Casxio celebrates its album release with a show Sept. 18 at Spaceland, featuring the Dance Party.

||| Stream: More Casxio tunes at Soundcloud.

Photo by Christina M. Felice

||| Watch: The video for “Seventeen”: