Caveman Shoestore

Avant-prog group

Caveman Shoestore
Origin	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Genres	Rock in Opposition, art rock
Years active	1991–2018
Labels	Tim/Kerr, Build-a-Buzz

Past members	Fred Chalenor Amy DeVargas Elaine di Falco Henry Franzoni

Caveman Shoestore was an avant-prog group founded in 1991 by bassist Fred Chalenor, percussionist Henry Franzoni and keyboardist/vocalist Elaine di Falco.

History

Bassist Fred Chalenor and drummer Henry Franzoni had frequently collaborated since 1976, most notably in the band Face Ditch.^[1] While Chalenor and Franzoni were playing at a music festival in Portland, OR, when they met vocalist Elaine di Falco, who was performing in the punk group God Wads. The trio decided to form Caveman Shoestore and recorded a ten track cassette titled Rock in 1991.

Their debut studio album, titled Master Cylinder, was released by Tim/Kerr Records in 1992. The album drew from a wide range of influences, including Conlon Nancarrow and Black Sabbath, and was compared to Discipline-era King Crimson. They followed up that album with 1994's Flux, which featured Amy DeVargas on vocals. The band collaborated with Hugh Hopper for Caveman Hughscore, released in 1995.^[2] After a ten year hiatus, the band reunited and released their third full-length album Super Sale in 2005.^[3] A final album Frankensongs was recorded in 2006, finished in 2010, and released in 2020.^[4] From 2011-2018 Fred Chalenor, Henry Franzoni, and Doug Therealt (Guitar) formed a noise improv trio operating under the same name.^{[citation needed]} Mike Gamble (Guitar) sat in for one gig.^{[citation needed]} Fred Chalenor died of early onset Alzheimers on June 23, 2018, and was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2023.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

Studio albums

Master Cylinder (Tim/Kerr, 1992)
Flux (Tim/Kerr, 1994)
Caveman Hughscore (Tim/Kerr, 1995)
Super Sale (Build-a-Buzz, 2005)
Frankensongs (Buildabuzz, 2010)

References

^ Franzoni, Henry J. (2012). "Face Ditch: The Northwest Alternative Music Pioneers Re-Emerge". henryfranzoni.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
^ Rusch, Bob (January 1996). "Caveman Shoestore". Cadence. 22 (1). Cadence Magazine, LLC: 33. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
^ Lynch, Dave. "Caveman Shoestore > Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
^ Franzoni, Henry. "Caveman Shoestore > Biography". Buildabuzz. Retrieved Sep 17, 2023.