This Halloween season, The Invincible Czars bring
their nightmarish-ly fun soundtrack to the world's first feature-length
horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with an immersive
combined live soundtrack experience that transports audiences back 100+
years via an age-old tale accompanied by a chilling, tastefully-modern
score featuring an impressive blend of traditional acoustic and
present-day electric instruments.
The group is also releasing a DVD and downloadable video with their soundtrack.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari inspired
modern-day filmmaker Tim Burton and musicians like David Bowie with its
strikingly modern visuals. Its craggy edges, disjointed backgrounds and
heavy make-up have earned this dark fairy tale a reputation as the
quintessential German Expressionist film. Its twist ending is also
considered the first in cinematic history (and something Rod Sterling's The Twilight Zone capitalized upon in the 1960s.)
The Invincible Czars had originally planned
this massive tour for spring 2020 in celebration of the movie's
centennial but it was all shutdown due to the CoVid-19 pandemic. Now
they're excited to finally bring their fantastical live soundtrack for
this surreal fantasy to audiences all over North America for its 103rd
anniversary.
The live accompaniment experience marries the
old-world charm of silent film with a contemporary electricity engaging
multi-generational audiences. "We strive to create soundtracks that give modern-day audiences a context to appreciate these 100-year-old movies,"
said Josh Robins, Invincible Czars founder and bandleader. The group
draws upon influences from more modern film composers including Bear
McCreary, Angelo Badalmenti, David Buckley, Bernard Herrmann, and Danny
Elfman.
The band also hopes their show will increase
awareness about independent cinemas and adventurous movie theaters that
are becoming increasingly rare in the post-Covid era.
The Experience
Fans, theaters, and media
have consistently praised The Invincible Czars' carefully crafted
soundtracks for enhancing movie-goers' experience. The band has
performed for over a decade at hundreds of theatres and art houses
across the US and Canada delighting audiences with an array of sonic
twists and turns. The varied compositions and instrumentation adapt
individually to each film the Czars score, capturing each thrilling
moment and keeping audiences engaged scene by scene.
Their score is performed by a
five member touring ensemble using violin, flute, bass clarinet, oboe,
electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, organ, glockenspiel, music box,
drums, percussion, samples and loops. From delicate passages of longing
and love to menacing motifs of dissonant horror and pain, each
instrument plays a critical role establishing character themes and
creating an aural dreamscape for the film.
The Invincible Czars encourage fans and attendees to dress up in the spirit of the performance.
About the Film
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
tells the story of a group of friends who encounter the mysterious Dr.
Caligari and his scary, sleepwalking sidekick Cesare at a carnival.
When a series of murders brings the town to its knees, Franzis sets out
to prove Caligari is responsible... but is he?
About the Band
The Invincible Czars began
making adventurous rock music in Austin clubs 2003 but they quickly
branched into the arts world with their wide scope of styles, cinematic
flare, mix of modern and classical instruments and their complicated
relationship with heavy metal.
Though they continue to take
on a variety of projects, including their Austin-tacious re-imagining of
Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, The Invincible Czars are probably best
known for their silent film soundtracks which they perform live at
cinemas, colleges and performing arts spaces all over the US and
Canada.
They began accompanying silent films at the original Alamo Drafthouse in Austin in 2006 with Aelita, Queen of Mars
(1922.) They continued adding titles to their catalog year after year
and expanding their performance region slowly until they were touring
the entire US by 2016. Many art house cinemas and film festivals call
The Invincible Czars one of the best in the nation for silent film
accompaniment. "Thank you for making this movie actually scary," is heard at least once at every show.
The band operates as a
collective with a few core members and a rotating cast of additional
members on any given project or tour. They sound different from season
to season and year to year.
The touring ensemble for 2023 is:
Phil Davidson - violin, keyboards, percussion
Skunk Manhattan - piano, keyboards, bass
Josh Robins - guitar, bass, samples, percussion
Louis Landry - drums, percussion, keyboards
Hampton Rattan - winds, keys