Hobart-based groovesters Let The Cat Out are currently taking Australia by storm as they tour the country in support of “Lee Roy,” the first single from their debut album. Lead vocalist Jane McArthur recently took some time out to chat to Sounds of Oz about the tour, the album, and the wonders of the Hammond organ.
You’re in the middle of one of your biggest Australian tours. How’s it going for you?
The tour is going really well so far. We’ve had dates in Hobart and Melbourne. The standout gigs have been at the Royal Botanical Gardens concert in Hobart and probably the Transport Hotel in Federation Square in Melbourne – great crowds and great vibes.
What can people expect from your live show?
The funk, the blues, some soul, a massive amount of love and energy, tunes to sit back and listen to, tunes that hit your dancing nerve to get up and boogie to and the chance to take us home in the form of a complimentary CD, for the small convenience fee of $25!!
What do you love most about being on stage?
The feeling of being part of a group of five people who are creating something, weaving some energy together to create a vibe, the feeling you get when a crowd is loving what you’re giving and just the excitement of being part of live music! Music is a language that transcends all boundaries, and it’s pretty special to be able to speak that language.
You’ve spent a lot of time on the road lately. What’s life like on the Let the Cat Out tour bus?
It’s always a bit of a hoot – there’s always a lot of laughs, not to mention the odd logistical hurdle – as can be expected with a Hammond Organ. It’s impossible to get on stage and create a good energy if there’s bad vibes in the van – so I guess it’s lucky we all find each other so hilarious!! Ha ha! If it ever getting boring Al, our sax player will pull out one of his impersonations of someone we all know and have us all giggling in no time – he’s quite a talent like that (as well as musically of course).
Many people may not have heard of your music yet. How would you describe your sound to newcomers?
I always struggle with the old genre boxing thing. I guess our sound is rootsy/bluesy/funk/with elements of soul and reggae … but our sound within this genre stands out mainly because our rhythm section consists of Hammond organ and drums.
I was really excited to hear the Hammond organ tying your sound together. It’s an instrument you don’t hear enough these days. Were you fans of some of the bands of the past that favoured it like Procul Harum and The Small Faces?
We have definitely been influenced by Hammond bands of the past, but more so bands like Booker T and the MGs, and a lot of the old soul and funk masters like Al Green. Also, more recent bands like Soulive, the Stanton Moore Trio and Galactic have given us inspiration in our sound.
You’ve got quite an interesting name. Where did Let the Cat Out come from?
The name does conjure up images of long nights, philosophising with friends about life, love and ambition and our almost primeval urge to ‘release our inner feline’ – and we’d like to say that’s where the name came from … however, the reality of the matter is that it is the name of a track by one of the guitarist’s heroes. I guess we just kept it because of the all those other things – it really suited our sound and the vibe that we aim to project.
We don’t hear a lot about bands coming from your state of Tasmania. What’s the music scene like down there?
For the size of the population it is really vibrant. We have some incredible talents down there, some real world class musicians and artists. There’s something for everyone, we’ve got most kinds of music covered. I think the isolation allows people to hone their skills in their chosen area to a pretty fine point; it’s not a competition between musos so it’s kind of like a big family and that makes for some great music.
You played in front of your home audience at The Falls Festival over the New Year. That’s such a big stage. How did you enjoy the experience?
That was a fantastic start to our year. We had a midday slot on the first day of the festival which was really cruisin’, not too many hangovers to contend with and perfect weather for lounging around listening to the cat! We had a blast on stage and a good response from the audience.
After this tour wraps up, what’s next for Let the Cat Out?
I reckon we hit WA and Darwin next, I think the audiences in those areas would really dig our sound! We’ll keep playing regularly around Melbourne and Tassie and hopefully line up another gig in Sydney with some local acts. Our main aim is to be playing some of the bigger festivals around the country too so hopefully this tour will help us out with that!
You can catch Let The Cat Out on their Lee Roy tour at the following venues!
9 April 2010 – Crown and Sceptre, Adelaide
10 April 2010 – Raidis Estate, Coonawarra
17 April 2010 – Rocky Cape Tavern
22 April 2010 – The Golden Sheaf, Sydney
23 April 2010 – Manly Boat Shed, Manly
24 April 2010 – The Macquarie Hotel, Sydney
25 April 2010 – The Opera Bar, Sydney
30 April 2010 – The Joynt, Brisbane
1 May 2010 – The Rails, Byron Bay
2 May 2010 – Swingin Safari, Gold Coast
Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment