CLOCKWISE from lower left:
Adam Kahan (bass guitar, voice); Josh Robins (guitar, voice); Bill Petersen (keyboards, voice); Leila Henley (saxophone, voice); Rick Redman (trumpet); Tommy Holton (drums); Phil Davidson (violin)

Austin's Invincible Czars have made their mark by creating exceptionally original music: songs and instrumental pieces that are like four-to-five minute "mini-symphonies" chock full of memorable melodies, meticulous arrangements, dynamics, and humor. Their music fuses riff rock, classical/symphonic music, heavy metal, loungey grooves, odd meters, klezmer, country shuffles, punk rock and circusy polka. They draw from influences as disparate as Slint and Igor Stravinsky, Van Halen and Louis Armstrong, and The Melvins and Ween. The band applies the DIY attitude of post-punk groups like NoMeansNo and Fugazi to their musical explorations, resulting in a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

In the past few years, they have also become known and lauded for their arrangements of classical works such as Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and Mussorgsky's "A Night on Bald Mountain." They have also re-scored the Russian silent film Aelita, Queen of Mars and performed it live for Austin's Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas in July 2007 with guest vibraphonist Sarah Norris of Bee vs. Moth. Future silent film collaborations with the Alamo Drafthouse are in the works.

NUTCRACKER SUITE
The Invincible Czars debuted their unique arrangement of the Nutcracker Suite in 2004, selling out the Church of the Friendly Ghost in Austin and beginning an annual tradition. From 2005 to 2007, the band has held live performances of the Nutcracker Suite at locations throughout Austin and Houston, including collaborations with Wicked Cricket Dance Theatre, Graham Reynold's Golden Arm Trio, Ballet Austin and the Houston Ballet. The 2007 season saw the studio release of the Invincible Czars' Nutcracker Suite, ensuring the continuation of this holiday tradition.

NUMBER OF THE BEAST
On Halloween night 2007, between touring California and releasing their Nutcracker Suite CD, the band debuted their version of Iron Maiden's classic heavy metal album The Number of the Beast, featuring for the first time arrangements made by members of the band other than guitarist Josh Robins. The band remade the album in its own image, including a country "Invaders", a gospel "Number of the Beast" and a mariachi "Gangland," to name a few. A recording of the Czars' Number of the Beast is in discussions.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Guitarist Josh Robins toured with Graham Reynolds' Golden Arm Trio in support of Reynolds' 2006 soundtrack to the film A Scanner Darkly. He also appeared on the soundtrack of Alex Jones' Terrorstorm that year and performed with a 20+ piece orchestra for The Golden Hornet Project's 5th Symphonies. He has composed for the Project's chamber music series. He has also been working with Austin Symphony bassist P Kellach Waddle's PKW Productions. In April 2007, he sat as panelist for self-booking at an Austin Music Foundation meeting.

Adam Kahan plays bass, like many a failed guitarist. He also plays fake jazz in the Jazzus Lizard, is a proud member of the Black Lodge of the Immersion Composition Society, and is currently involved in the Zach Scott Theatre's production of Speeding Motorcycle. He can regularly be found in Austin's clubs, happily playing other people's music. He is gradually getting comfortable with his secret: that he is a beautiful 300-year-old lesbian unicorn.

Violinist Phil Davidson teaches violin and viola for a living and plays with Muppletone and a number of other groups around town regularly--too much to list here. Visit his site for extensive list and bio.

Keyboardist Bill Petersen is now the stand-in organist for the Alamo Drafthouse's monthly Dionysium series.

Saxophonist Leila Henley is also a current cast/band member in Speeding Motorcycle, and is available for anything you might conceivably want to hire her for--musically, of course.

Contact the group for soundtrack scoring, private parties, theater events as well as local, regional and national club shows.

NOMEANSNO - Austin, Ft. Worth
Sleepytime Gorilla Musueum - Austin
Estradasphere - Austin, Houston, LA, SF, Santa Cruz, Tucson, Ft. Worth
The Advantage - Austin
Stinking Lizaveta - Austin, Ft. Worth
Melt Banana - Austin
Skeleton Key - Austin
Giant Squid - Austin
Jucifer - Ft. Worth
Daughters - Austin
Pong - Austin, Ft. Worth
The Voodoo Organist - Houston
Brian Kenney Fresno - Austin, San Francisco
E is for Elephant - Berkeley, CA
Mark Growden - Austin
Pong - Austin, Ft. Worth, Norman
Dysrhythmia - Austin
Barbez - Austin
Golden Arm Trio - all over Texas
The Gris Gris - Houston
Stolen Babies - Houston, Austin
Shaolin Death Squad - Houston, Austin, Denton, Ft. Worth

booking/contact: invincibleczars {at} gmail.com