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PHOTO COURTESY OF BAND

CAUZE AND EFFECT. The Cauze plays Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub in Burien at 9 p. m. April 11.

They’re doing it for the Cauze

By John Larson

The Cauze, a Burien-based band that combines the laid-back feel of reggae with some of the intensity of rock, is attracting a growing fan base to their unique sound. The band consists of Ian Ayers on vocals and guitar, Tristan Case on guitar, Luke Bergquist on bass and Billy McIntyre on drums.

The group was formed seven years ago. The members all went to Highline High School in Burien. Ayers and Bergquist played in a punk rock band in high school. Later Ayers began jamming with McIntyre. They brought in Bergquist on bass and The Cauze was born as a trio.

The band’s name came about from a phrase someone said at a party. They were brainstorming for a name and latched onto The Cause. They later changed the spelling to a “z” when they found out there was another band called The Cause.

They were a three-piece band until 2004. Bergquist moved to San Diego for a while. When the band found a replacement, they decided to add a second guitarist. Bergquist eventually moved back and rejoined the group.

Bergquist began playing at 12, Ayers at 13 and McIntyre at 17. Case said his mother got him started in music when she taught him to play “Stairway To Heaven” and “House Of The Rising Sun” on guitar.

The members have a wide range of influences. Ayers is a big reggae fan, while Bergquist has a punk background. “We all have things we bring into the band,” Ayers observed. Bergquist noted they have often been booked on bills with heavy-metal bands and their style goes over well with such audiences, perhaps because it is such a contrast to the headbanging fare.

The Cauze released a demo CD in 2001. Since then they have released two albums. The latest, “Make Use Of What You’ve Got,” came out last spring. They hope to release their third album later this year.

The songwriting is a group effort. Ayers said sometimes one member will have some lyrics and the others will come up with music. “All in all, everyone has a part in it,” he observed.

McIntyre noted they write lyrics in notebooks, and often mix together phrases from different pages to assemble a song. “Our thing is we do not want to rush the process,” he said.

He feels they have a Seattle reggae style, a more serious style in contrast to the California style with its lyrical focus on parties and good times.

“We are confident about what we are doing,” Ayers said. “If we are doing something we like, we feel others will like it as well.”

The group’s sound is rather unique, especially in a Puget Sound rock scene dominated by metal and alternative bands.

Bergquist said if they come up with a song that sounds like something another band has already done, they scrap it and start over.

McIntyre noted their material covers a wide range of tempos, from fast to slow.

The group plays clubs around King and Snohomish counties, occasionally venturing down south to Cedarwood in Milton. Among the bigger gigs they have landed are Hempfest in Seattle and the Oregon State Fair.

The band members have a good rapport that is evident onstage and off. They credit this to being friends for so long. “We are like brothers,” Ayers said.

McIntyre said when Bergquist returned from California and rejoined the band, “it was the same groove, the same jokes. It was the way it was meant to be.”

Case calls his band mates the most fun group of people he has ever hung out with.

“We are dedicated and motivated,” McIntyre remarked. “We love making music.”

Ayers noted the band’s fan base has been increasing, especially over the last year.

McIntyre credits this to becoming friends with their fans and staying in touch, such as calling them to remind them of upcoming shows.

The Cauze plays Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub in Burien at 9 p.m. April 11, Nectar Lounge in Seattle at 9 p.m. April 24, the Brick in Seattle at 9 p.m. April 25 and Studio Seven in Seattle at 7 p.m. April 29.

More information can be found at www.myspace.com/thecauze.

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