Slim Cessna's Auto Club is an American country rock band from Denver, Colorado. Formed in 1992, the band is known for lyrics which describe apocalyptic and religious imagery. The band was formed by Slim Cessna following his departure from The Denver Gentlemen, and its lineup has included Munly Munly and Lord Dwight Pentecost.
History Formation Original lineup The sole constant in this band is Slim Cessna. SCAC was born from the break-up of The Denver Gentlemen – a band that included both David Eugene Edwards and Jeffery-Paul Norlander of 16 Horsepower.
Naming of the band The name "Slim Cessna's Auto Club" originally came about as a tribute to Cessna's friend who had a car collection:
Career Early works Slim Cessna's Auto Club is the debut studio album of the band. It was self-released in 1995, then re-released by Alternative Tentacles in 2001.
American Country Music Changed Her Life is the first live album recorded by SCAC. It was self-released in 1998 and is currently out of print.
Record deal with Alternative Tentacles (2000–2011) Always Say Please and Thank You (2000) Always Say Please and Thank You is the second studio album by SCAC. It was released by Alternative Tentacles on September 11, 2000. Not only is this their first album to be released by the record label, it is the first album that long-time collaborators Munly Munly and Lord Dwight Pentecost make an appearance on. Rebecca Vera also plays cello on two tracks.
The band lineup for this album was: Slim Cessna, Munly Munly, Lord Dwight Pentecost, Ordy Garrison, Daniel "Danny Pants" Grandbois, and John Rumley.
It was produced by Bob Ferbrache at Le Studio Absenta.
The cover artwork was created by Rob Clayton and the design by Jason Rosenberg.
The album was re-released by SCAC Unincorporated some time in 2015.
The Bloudy Tenent Truth [&] Peace (2004) The Bloudy Tenent Truth & Peace is the third studio album by SCAC, released by Alternative Tentacles on August 24, 2004. In many news articles, the "&" in the title is often discarded and not mentioned, perhaps incorrectly.
The band lineup for this album was: Slim Cessna, Munly Munly, Lord Dwight Pentecost, Reverend Adam Glasseye, Tim Maher, and Judith Ann "Judithann" Winter.
The artwork was created by Victoria Cessna, Slim's wife at the time.
It was recorded, mixed, and produced by Pete Weiss and Matt Jugenheimer at Zippah Studios in Brookline, Massachusetts.
It was re-released by SCAC Unincorporated some time in 2015.
Jesus Let Me Down, the Live Tragedie in Four Acts (2005/2010) Jesus Let Me Down, the Live Tragedie in Four Acts is the second live album recorded by SCAC. It is a live recording of The Bloudy Tenent Truth & Peace album release show, recorded at the Gothic Theater in Denver on August 21, 2004.
The double-CD version was released by Smooch Records on January 1, 2005. Alternative Tentacles released the vinyl version sometime in 2010, which contains an 8-page play on the four-act "tragedie." It was later re-released by SCAC Unincorporated, although the exact date is unknown.
The album was produced by Bob Ferbrache at Absinthe Studios.
The cover artwork for the CD and vinyl formats was designed by former member Jon Killough. The artwork features the band members Slim Cessna, Munly Munly, Lord Dwight Pentecost, Daniel "Danny Pants" Grandbois, and John Rumley.
Cipher (2008) The band released their fourth studio album, titled Cipher, on Alternative Tentacles on March 25, 2008. This album has received the most critical acclaim out of the entire SCAC discography.
The artwork for this album was created by Heather Reynolds. The lettering was completed by former member Jon Killough. The photography was taken by Gary Isaacs. The cryptography might have been conceived by Munly.
The band lineup for this album was: Slim Cessna, Munly Munly, Lord Dwight Pentecost, Ordy Garrison, John Rumley, and Shane Trost.
It was re-released through the band's own independent label, SCAC Unincorporated, on June 2, 2017, although it is currently out-of-print.
Buried Behind the Barn (2004/2010) Buried Behind the Barn is a compilation of demo and previously unreleased songs recorded between 2000 and 2001. In 2004, only 200 copies were self-released. Alternative Tentacles gave it a wider release on March 16, 2010. The cover artwork was designed by former member Jon Killough. It was re-released by SCAC Unincorporated Records some time in 2015.
The lineup for this album was: Slim Cessna, Munly Munly, Lord Dwight Pentecost, Ordy Garrison, Daniel "Danny Pants" Grandbois, and John Rumley.
It was recorded at Le Studio Absentia, in Westminster, Colorado, and produced by Bob Ferbrache, a former member of SCAC.
Unentitled (2011) Their fifth studio album, Unentitled, was released through Alternative Tentacles on March 1, 2011. It was later re-released by SCAC Unincorporated, although the exact date is unknown.
The band lineup for this album was: Slim Cessna, Munly Munly, Lord Dwight Pentecost, Daniel "Danny Pants" Grandbois, Chad "Chadzilla" Johnson, and John Rumley.
It was recorded and produced by Bob Ferbrache at Absinthe Studios in Westminster, Colorado.
The cover artwork for the album was created by Heather Reynolds.
Record deal with Glitterhouse Records (2013–present) SCAC 102: An Introduction For Young And Old Europe (2013) April 2013 saw the release of "SCAC 102 An Introduction For Young And Old Europe" on Germany's Glitterhouse Records, which included a selection of fifteen songs from their studio albums ("Always Say Please & Thank You" and later). Five of the songs were re-recorded for this release. "SCAC 102" also included a live performance DVD which was filmed in April 2012 at the Lion's Lair Tavern in Denver, Colorado (produced by Nick Hansen-MacDonald and Trinocular Films).
The Commandments According To SCAC (2016) In September 2016, Slim Cessna's Auto Club released their sixth studio album, titled “The Commandments According To SCAC," on SCAC Unincorporated (North America) and on Glitterhouse Records (Europe.) The album was recorded with a new bassist, Ian O’Dougherty.
Kinnery of Lupercalia; Buell Legion (2024) In May 2024, Kinnery of Lupercalia; Buell Legion was released as part of a trilogy started with Munly & The Lupercalians' Kinnery of Lupercalia; Undelivered Legion in 2022. The final part will be released by Denver Broncos UK. The lyrics for the three records are based on Munly J. Munly's book, Confessions to Scare.... A separate book, Chants, Calls & Hollers was released as well, featuring lyrics from all the songs in the trilogy and various illustrations by Heather Reynolds.
SCAC Unincorporated Records (2015–present) Inception In March 2015, the band created their own record label, SCAC Unincorporated (sometimes stylized in all capital letters and sometimes abbreviated as "SCACUninc", also in all capital letters). The label is home to all recordings by SCAC, Denver Broncos UK, and Munly's side projects.
Slim Cessna said that the reason for creating this label was because he wanted to "take control" of the band's musical catalog.
Releases All of the band's albums, except for their self-titled album, were given a re-release in March 2015.
The first official release by the label, also in March 2015, was a re-issue (this time for the US) of "SCAC 102 An Introduction For Young And Old Europe."
The label's second release, in October 2015, was the debut album by DBUK (Denver Broncos UK), Songs One Through Eight.
The third release was The Commandments According to SCAC in 2016.
The fourth release was DBUK's sophomore album Songs Nine Through Sixteen on January 25, 2019.
The fifth release will be from Munly and the Lupercalians. In February 2020, it was announced by Westword that the new album would be titled Kinnery of Lupercalia: Undelivered Legion and would be released in the latter half of the year.
Touring The band has embarked on several tours across the United States and Europe, with and without supporting bands. They have toured with Nathaniel Rateliff & Night Sweats and Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds.
Their Spring and Summer 2020 tours with The Legendary Shack Shakers and The BellRays were cancelled in 2020 and in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2026, Slim Cessna announced the band's retirement.
Other endeavors Side projects Denver Broncos UK The Denver Broncos UK is an experimental folk quartet that began touring together in 2012. They are now commonly referred to as DBUK in order to dispel any notion that they are connected to the Denver Broncos football team or the Broncos' fanbase in the United Kingdom.
The band formed in 2006 with just Munly, Lord Dwight Pentecost, and Slim Cessna; Rebecca Vera joined later on. All members contribute vocals and all members except Munly play some sort of percussion. In addition, Munly plays the guitar, Rebecca plays the cello and keys, and Dwight plays autoharp, melodica, and banjo.
Their debut full-length album, Songs One Through Eight was released in March 2015 by their own label, SCACUNINCORPORATED. A few songs that appear on the album are original recordings from 2006 and 2007, which do not include Rebecca. Songs Nine Through Sixteen was released in October 2019, also on their own record label. A double-album titled Songs One Through Sixteen was released in November 2018 through the European record label Glitterhouse Records.
Their cover of "Top Yourself" by The Raconteurs is included on the album Rockin' Legends Pay Tribute to Jack White, released in November 2013.
In December 2020, DBUK covered "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats for Wheelerfest 2020, a two-day virtual musical event which hosted by musician Sean Wheeler and broadcast from Mexico City, Mexico. Each band created one or more videos to contribute with a "freak show" theme. In DBUK's video, Munly sat outside on a chair, wearing a black hat, clothing, and a non-surgical cloth mask. He held a "dummy" baby doll in his arms and manually moved the doll's mouth to the lyrics. There were computerized graphics interspersed between. An official recording of the song has not been released.
Munly and The Lupercalians 'Munly and the Lupercalians' was founded by Munly around 2006–2007. The original lineup of the band included many, if not all, members of his first side project, The Lee Lewis Harlots. The current lineup contains most of the current members of Slim Cessna's Auto Club: Munly, Slim Cessna, Lord Dwight Pentecost, Rebecca Vera, and Andrew Warner. On stage, each band member, except for Munly, wears a costume that identifies them as a potential member of the fictional town of 'Lupercalia.'
The goal is to produce a multi-album set tentatively titled The Kinnery Of Lupercalia, which is all about the town and its colorful residents. Its residents have been described as "families who interact with each other" and Lupercalia as an "imagined community of Legions & clans where we are not sure who is a deity and who is not."
Although an unauthorized demo album was released in 2009, the first official album by the band, Petr & the Wulf, was released in October 2010 through Alternative Tentacles. It was re-released through their own independent record label, SCAC Unincorporated, around 2015. The work is loosely based on the Peter and the Wolf composition by Sergei Prokofiev, and is said to be a prequel to the stories of Lupercalia told over a span of four albums.
On March 24, 2022, the band posted the vinyl album cover art for Kinnery of Lupercalia: Undelivered Legion, and announced that it would be available to pre-order until the official release date of May 13, 2022. The first single, “Ahmen”, was released on March 21, 2022.
The band also stated that this would be the only KOL album recorded by them; the other two will be recorded and released by Slim Cessna’s Auto Club and DBUK.
Other appearances