The joy of this column is that artists often talk about their work with more clarity and elegance than any critic or fan.
That was true of CAT-A-TAC, a down-tempo indie rock band that relies on two guitar- savvy songwriters, a peace-brokering bassist and a subdued drummer to concoct its sparse, melancholy music.
We reached London-reared scribe Jim McTurnan via e-mail to find out more.
Q: Three of you (guitarists McTurnan and Andy Tennant and bass player Connor Bailey) met at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Any couch burning while you were there?
A: Maybe some illegal fireworks, but no couch burning. Couches are pretty valuable when you’re in college. All of the couch burning seemed to be on the Hill. We lived on the smarter, less testosterone-fueled side of town, where people appreciated a good couch. We’ve always thought it was better to stay parked on the couch and burn something less toxic.
Q: How does any Boulder band keep from sounding like Dave Matthews, The Samples or String Cheese Incident?
A: By moving to Denver? The jam scene never appealed to us, so naturally it doesn’t impact our sound. We’re a product of the music we listen to (The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Lightning Seeds, My Bloody Valentine, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Stereolab, Elliott Smith and others). We’ve always favored short, structured songs – the punk aesthetic – with a few rules: no solos, no real “lead” guitar and as many power chords as possible.
It is odd that the indie scene in Boulder isn’t bigger. There are lots of indie kids at CU, and Radio 1190 is such a supportive station. But it seems like all Boulder indie bands have to go to Denver to find good shows.
Q: Was the name of your band inspired by an actual cat attack?
A: The name kinda describes my house. There’s cat fur on all of my clothes, furniture and instruments. I’ve got two rather large cats (Tubby and Frankie) who seem to be the neighborhood bullies, terrorizing any squirrels, mice or birds that cross their path. But Connor named the band. I think he liked that it’s a palindrome.
Naming bands is tough. A good band name has to be unique worldwide. If you use common words, it’ll get lost in Internet search engines and make it hard for people to find you. So, CAT-A-TAC works for us, and the quirky spelling has been an unexpected help for online searches and promotion.
Staff writer Elana Ashanti Jefferson can be reached at 303-820-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com.
