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Fat Cats CD Release Show + The Allnighters, This Ain't Hollywood, Jan.


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Come on and celebrate as they're heading into their 20th year as a band...

From the facebook event page:

Celebrate the release of the Fat Cats upcoming album at This Ain't Hollywood - Jan 28th.

Performing 2 sets!

With special guests - The Allnighters

Cover: $10 or $20 with cd.

Doors: 8pm

In the last twenty years, the movement of Canadian independent music has seen fluctuating trends, with the rise and fall of numerous venues and accelerating media train of possibilities. One stubborn child of homegrown descent was born and raised in the Hamilton music scene, and set out to make their mark in Canada and the U.S. alike: The Fat Cats.

With a truly genuine and original sound, the music itself has simple demands: just listen, and dance.

Not to be pigeon-holed by any particular style, The Fat Cats have made significant inroads within the “Jamband†genre, not only for themselves, but for a collection of other bands as well by creating an accessibility to the scene that reaches a larger group of music fans. Often being revered as the pioneers of the craft in Canada, the free flowing and uninhibited style of playing has been a specialty of the band since their inception. The everlasting chemistry between the players has kept this ideal blooming throughout their history, and forges the future of their unmistakable sound and groove.

The five-member unit is fuelled by a classic combo of guitars, bass, keys and drums. While the tools are common to the trade, the Fat Cats have navigated the music to open waters, sailing on wood, wire, reed and skin. Always maintaining an organic nature that pays homage to many great singers and songwriters, the sound takes on an electrifying groove that draws on all popular genres in the last 60 years. The song writing, while timely and lyrically relevant, possesses an ageless quality that speaks to all generations of listeners; basically, if you like music, you will like the Fat Cats. The band has shown their infectious groove makes them a sure bet to both draw a crowd, and entertain. Their fan base continues to grow and remain among the most loyal of music lovers.

After years of touring and countless local shows, the Fat Cats are set to release their third studio album entitled “Shine Box†in January 2012. A culmination of work that was recorded at Hamilton’s Westmoreland Recording Studio, the album is an excellent representation of the bands song writing skills and is sure to please the senses of the incumbent fan, as well as a first time listener.

Come on out and tip one back...

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Wow, nice writing. Where'd they get the new PR rep?

And for those wondering, The Allniters are a band from Simcoe featuring Ryan from Diesel Dog on guitar, check it out...

The Allniters

Not sure who wrote that actually. And yes, the Allniters are great (sorry if I had the spelling wrong?) They'll definitely put the kick in your start. Looking forward to it.

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Nice work with the writeup Mr. David Hill.

It's no secret around here that I'm a big Fat Cats fan. It's been 15 years since I first saw this band and I've been to many shows over the years ... I even had them play at my highschool once in the late 1990's.

Looking forward to a fun night and to hearing the new disc!

Long live the Fatties!

Peace, Mark

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Spirit of the Dead Lives On

The spirit of the Dead lives on

The Fat Cats The Fat Cats: Josh Williams (keyboards), Chris Gatchene (guitar and vocals), Todd Gillies (guitar and vocals), David E. Hill (bass), and Ed Casasanta (drums).

Special to The Hamilton Spectator

In many ways, the Fat Cats were born in the ashes of the Grateful Dead.

It was 1992, the year the Grateful Dead returned to Hamilton’s Copps Coliseum for two sold out shows which many Deadheads still count among their favourites. Unfortunately, those shows were the last ones the Dead performed in Canada. Jerry Garcia would die three years later, a victim of his addictions, just as the band was reaching new heights of popularity.

The Grateful Dead’s 30-year-run ended, but the band’s hippie ethos carried on in the hundreds of garage jam bands that seemed to spring to life in the early ’90s.

In southern Ontario, the Fat Cats gained a reputation as being the best of the bunch.

The Fat Cats wrote their own music, but the inspiration was obvious. You couldn’t help but notice how much the lead guitarists — Chris Gatchene and Todd Gillies — sounded like Garcia.

There were also those long, meandering jams, enveloped in a big fat groove. The Fat Cats always got the listener from Point A to B, it’s just that they’d often stop at Points X, Y and Z along the way.

For the Fat Cats, the scene started in a Dundas eatery called Rockwall’s (now the Thirsty Cactus). It spread into downtown Hamilton to the original Casbah and then found a home for several years at the Pepperjack Cafe on King William (now Club Absinthe).

The Fat Cats toured hard and established a national reputation with pockets of fan support as far west as British Columbia and east into the Maritimes. They stretched south into the U.S., playing San Francisco, home of their improvisational patrons, the Grateful Dead.

The Fat Cats have gone through some personnel changes over the past 20 years, but founders Gatchene and Gillies, as well as longtime bassist Dave Hill, remain.

“We all have day jobs, a lot of us have families, but we’re all musicians at heart,†says Gillies. “It’s a lifeline. That’s why we all continue to play. One of my favourite things in the world is getting together with the guys, opening a beer and seeing what we can come up with.â€

To celebrate their 20th anniversary, the Fat Cats are releasing their third CD, a studio album of original songs called Shine Box. You can buy a copy at the Fat Cats CD release party Saturday, Jan. 28, at This Ain’t Hollywood.

The Fat Cats

What: CD release party for the Fat Cats’ Shine Box. The Fat Cats perform two complete sets. Opening act: The Allnighters

When: Saturday, Jan. 28, 8 p.m.

Where: This Ain’t Hollywood, 345 James St. N., 905-529-9500

Admission: $10 at the door, or $20 including CD

grockingham@thespec.com

905-526-3331 | @RockatTheSpec

Ba dum bump.

And keep an eye out for some press they are supposedly getting in the Hamilton Spectator (I believe on Thurs. Jan. 26th).

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I particularly like this write-up in today's View as well. The boys have certainly had their ups and downs over the years, but I can attest their energy is in the right place and I suspect Saturday they are going to blow the roof off. Just sayin'...

http://www.viewmag.com/14061-Hamilton+Music+Notes.htm

Hamilton Music Notes

by Ric Taylor

January 26 - February 1, 2012

The Fat Cats’ Shine Box

Two decades ago, five guys started a residency at a local club – a night of jamming with good vibes. It wasn’t long that the Fat Cats drew in crowds and it marked the beginning of an odyssey of musical exploration. Over the years, their reputation would grow as one of Hamilton’s premier live acts but they’d only decide to record twice – Cruelty’s Cure in 1994 and Daredevil in 1998 – in all of those years. These days, Todd Gillies (lead guitar and vocals), Chris Gatchene (guitar and vocals) – songwriter, David E. Hill (bass), Josh Williams (keyboards, harmonica and vocals), and Ed Casasanta (drums) have developed careers and families outside of music across Flamborough, Guelph, Niagara, Dundas, and Brantford but the band remains something dear to their hearts and the hearts of fans that still flock to the live gigs. The Fat Cats aren’t kids anymore but the music still captures that youthful love of the music that first drew them to the stage. Now, 14 years since their last recording, the Fat Cats are back in the city where it all began with their new CD, Shine Box.

“The main focus for the band has always been the live shows and it’s tough to keep count of how many shows we’ve actually played since 1992,†notes Gatchene. “We toured western and eastern Canada several times. Along with playing at typical music venues for a touring bar band, we also had regular stops in some of the more remote communities, where you would play at a community centre and the whole town or island would come out for the party. But over the last decade, some band members started getting into other things like school and starting families. We still perform on a regular basis, but the amount of shows we play in a year is much less, and now we are looking at maybe less gigging at bars and more time spent creating new music.

“But it came to a point where it only made sense for us to document the songs,†he adds. “We just wanted to have something to have on hand at shows.â€

That new music showcases a band as creative as when they first started, with a spark that is now a little more matured. For a band that likes the spontaneity of the live stage, going into the studio might have seemed a little daunting but recording with fellow long–time musician Carl Jennings at Westmoreland Studio helped guide the project in the right direction.

“We still remain true to a certain music style and sound since in the early days, but we’ve matured as musicians and as people, and this has impacted the band, how we relate to each other, how we approach music and songwriting,†explains Gatchene. “When a band is feeding off the energy of the audience and each other, and manage to take things to another level musically – whether it be through high energy jams or great vocal performances. It takes solid chemistry amongst the players to achieve this as well, and great songwriting to top things off. It’s all these elements that we strive for as musicians through live performances and when it comes together it creates special moments, and you can see the smiles on people’s faces.

“It has been difficult for us to capture our live sound in the studio,†adds Gatchene. “The Fat Cats are known more for the live shows and improvisational jamming, we tend to keep things flexible. We were more open to exploring what the studio could offer us in terms of sound and technology. The album is a good representation of what we do live, with a splash of Carl’s special sauce added to breathe a slightly different life into the songs. For me, the title of the CD, Shine Box, relates to a modest approach, perhaps our unpretentious nature in the music business. We’re not doing this to be superstars, what we’re doing is honest – like shining shoes.â€

Humility aside, the Fat Cats are skilled technical players that draw from a wealth of styles – but it’s the heart in the songs that is sure to capture fan’s ears. Just being a band for two decades could be accomplishment enough for the Fat Cats but the new recording offers the possibilities of so much more in the future.

“The key to our longevity is that we love playing music and we’ve formed long–term friendships with one another,†smiles Gatchene.

“There have been highs and lows over the years, but it is ultimately something we enjoy being a part of. Also, I think it’s fair to say that we aren’t in it for the money, or out to push sales on people. Sure, it’s good to get paid and have people buy our album, but it’s something we haven’t been relying on in quite some time in order to make a living.

“At this stage, we are happy to be releasing our new long–awaited studio release,†he adds. “We want to focus more on writing new material and even consider recording again in the future. It has been such a long time since the band has celebrated a studio release. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to share the album with the fans, and I think they are looking forward to supporting us as well. The Fat Cats will still play, fans will come and dance, but it won’t be the end of the story. We’ll ultimately continue on in Fat Cat fashion, playing music, having fun, and sharing a positive collective experience.â€

The Fat Cats play this Saturday January 28 at This Ain’t Hollywood with the Allniters. Doors are at 8pm and $10 gets you in or $20 with a CD.

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