HEY, WEIRDOS!
We make cinematic, experimental "rock" for music nerds, horror fans, film lovers, science fiction (and fact), comics, cartoons & humor and anyone with a complicated relationship with heavy metal and classical music. Do you like Primus, Tchaikovsky, Frank Zappa, Steve Martin, Danny Elfman, Ween, Monty Python and Mr. Bungle? We do, too, and our revolving door of players keeps us sounding and looking different from project to project.
In fall 2022, we'll embark on a two-month Nosferatu Centennial Tour all over the US and Canada in conjunction with the release of our updated soundtrack!
PATREON - new content twice a week. Most is free. Contribute if you'd like to help keep us going!
THRONE ROOM OF THE CZARS - a bi-weekly email adventure with exclusive videos, music, stories, photos and early access to new stuff!
We started making weird rock music at clubs in 2003 but our wide scope of styles, cinematic flare and and mix of modern and classical instruments led to bigger projects in the arts realm:
SILENT FILM
We've composed 9 tastefully modern soundtracks for silent films and performed live with the movies all over the US and Canada. We create custom artwork, incorporate audience participation into our shows. The Alamo Drafthouse called us one of the best silent film orchestras in the nation and many arthouse cinemas and film festivals have echoed that. Aw, shucks!
HOLIDAYS
Our whimsical re-imagining of The Nutcracker Suite became a holiday tradition when we debuted it in 2004. We added wacky versions of holiday numbers over the years and played all over our region. In recent years we've become the band at Panoramic Voices' annual Holiday Mixtape.
May 9 2022
Geez! I went a bit without updating our blog here. I've been busy finalizing recordings for our Nosferatu Centennial soundtrack that our lovely Kickstarter supporters funded last October. I've been posting updates on our Patreon page here. You don't…
Apr 14 2022
Our tasteful rendition of Spoon's "I Summon You" is on streaming today! This song was chosen by one of our Patreon supporters and recorded May 2021. Will you give it a spin on your favorite streaming service?
Features Chuck…
Mar 30 2022
We're working on a huge two-month fall Nosferatu Centennial Tour for Sept and Oct! This is still the works and some of the dates could shift or change so we're not announcing venues just yet but... if you've seen us…
Any combination of 3 posters EXCEPT PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (currently out of print). Indicate which 3. Example - "I want 1 Nosferatu and 2 Caligaris."
Any two posters EXCEPT PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (currently out of print). Indicate in the comments. Example - "I want 2 Caligaris," or "I want 1 Nosferatu and 1 Jekyll."
Bookmark-size stickers, one of each poster design (Nosferatu, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Phantom of the Opera, Cabinet of Dr Caligari) plus a Czars bird head logo sticker. Or any combination of the 5, specify if you wish!
Coffin-shaped screen-printed poster created for our first show in Ontario ever! Only two available.
Only two left. This screen-printed poster was for a show on our 2005 Gods of Convenience tour that was so poorly attended we didn't even play. Even weirder, the venue went to the trouble of having these made and didn't put them up until the day of the show. It's a lovely memento of a not so amazing summer night in 2005 near Cincinnati, OH.
Only 2 left. Screen-printed. We played our score for "The Unknown" as the movie was projected onto a wall in the second most wide-open, cacophonous room we've ever played. Chatter from attendees was louder than us. It was one of our highest paying gigs at the time. We also got a bunch of free dinosaur masks!
We played music by Austin composers Graham Reynolds and Peter Stopschinski that night. Only 1 left in existence. It was actually used at the venue and has tack holes on it. Archaeological!
Choose white or "natural". Each one is screen-printed, signed and numbered by the artist. She contacted us only a few weeks before this show offering to make posters for it but we'd already chosen Hans Rickheit's alien face art for this show poster. That didn't stop her. She made this art and dropped off the posters at Josh's house. We never met
Choose white or "natural". Each one is screen-printed, signed and numbered by the artist. She contacted us only a few weeks before this show offering to make posters for it but we'd already chosen Hans Rickheit's alien face art for this show poster. That didn't stop her. She made this art and dropped off the posters at Josh's house. We never met her. Only a few left of each color.
Only 4 left. These were from our first and last performance at the Athenaeum in Chicago. They held a blood drive which was a GREAT idea. Unfortunately, they also had a dreadfully boring silent film expert speak before we played and he put everyone to sleep. Rock on, Chicago!
This was our first holiday show with Panoramic Voices before they'd changed their name from Texas Choral Consort. Just two left on shiny, thick paper.
These are the posters we hung up all over Austin for our very first show at the Alamo Ritz in 2010. It sold out and we did the show again for SxSW film a couple weeks later. 15 left.
Movie w/ soudntrack plus art, sheet, music, mp3s and tour pics. Includes digital download. Bamboo for less plastic in the world!
Our fourth silent film poster by Leah Lovise. Angular, dreamy with six sets of eyes if you include the spectacles. Screen-Printed!
What does "women's" even mean anymore? If you're curvy and like a cropped sleeve, this is the shirt for you. Two-sided design. Just know that these run smaller than the cut once known as "men's."
Our most popular artwork on a good ol' black t-shirt with the pre-2019 designation of "men's" cut.
The Count is always with you. No matter what. But if you wear this shirt, he's with you to an even greater degree.
Yeah. We're leaving that as the description.
Josh wore this custom double breasted vest throughout 2016 and 2017 when we were performing with Nosferatu every night. it was cursed in Ft. Collins, CO in May 2017 but don't worry --- Dylan Younger was able to remove the curse in just a few months later and now it's available for sale on our store.
Highlights from the 2015-2019 version of our soundtrack. DOES NOT SYNC WITH THE MOVIE
This one has a skull on it. A skull! You know you want it. Third in our series of silent film posters by Leah Lovise.
This is a red shirt with our Jekyll & Hyde art on it. If you buy it, you can wear it whenever you want and other lifeforms will see it. Do it.
This shirt is red. If you like red, and you like curvy shirts, this is the one. We only have a few left. Get it.
Our rendition of Tchaikovsky's most bombastic piece! (Fireworks not included.) Also pieces by Ravel, Sousa, and us!
Highlights from the 2015-2019 version of our soundtrack. DOES NOT SYNC WITH THE MOVIE
Our logo on a purple shirt across your chest --- the best advertising anyone could ask for. Thank you!
