The return of
CinderCat to their old home place in Greenville is something that has
been constantly discussed since their relocation to Asheville in late
Summer 2010. With support from Lamont Coal and Sweetwater Haze,
CinderCat sonically assaulted the rockers and ragers during a Friday
night that won't soon be forgotten. "Master Mike" set up with some of
his unique live artwork. Also in town were Relish Ink and Greenstar Clothing with eco-friendly designer t-shirts, original artwork and skate decks for sale! Truly, a night to remember.
Sweetwater
Haze, a southern rock band from here in Greenville, started things out
musically with former drummer Cartwright Brandon (now with CinderCat) on
the skins. Following was Lamont Coal and his Ableton fueled dubstep
mixes to get the crowd warmed up and moving. Soon Cullen Seward joined on bass, and turned the jams to a funky, bass-driven dance dub. With the crowd really getting down, CinderCat joined Coal and Seward for an epic "Theremonius Funk" jam that I have trouble finding words to describe. It was the summation of each musician's best: Lamont Coal's dance beats, with Seward's driving bass licks, Brandon's hyperactive percussive drumming, Taylor Hellhake on the haunting and mesmerizing Theremin (created as a precursor to radar by a Russian scientist in the early 1900's, and now produced by Moog), and Drew De Porter and Charlie Nimitz wailing on alternating soaring lead guitar licks. That jam... leaves me speechless still.
After a brief equipment break (and a catch my breath and find my face break), CinderCat took the stage again for two of their best sets yet to a packed house.The dark and driving "MJ" started the set, still my personal favorite, and led into another classic in "Saucerface." A new song next, "Pink Sabbath," brought heavy, deep, fusion-funk and transitioned to "Between Dreams," which is an older tune from the score of a film directed by Hellhake. The rocking first set ended with "Broke" and "Wildcat," one old and one new but even the old tunes have evolved into awesome trippy rides.The legendary second set began with the newly named "Oddjob" that hits hard despite being one of the spacier, psychedelic CinderCat songs. Next in the set was the new crowd-favorite "Zodiac" and a seemless transition to "Tish Wa." And finally, the most epic jam of the evening came last in the form of the CinderCat original "A1" and an amazingly, mind-blowing segue into a phenomenal version of "Robot Rock" by the masters of electronica, Daft Punk. The song describes well the line between electronica and rock that CinderCat straddles and demolishes. As their sound is refined, it becomes clear that they are fully unique and that they seek to bridge the gap between funk, rock, and electronica. With nights like Friday in Greenville, CinderCat is well on it's way to becoming a major player in the NC scene.
CinderCat: www.cindercatmusic.com
- Cartwright Brandon - Drums
- Drew De Porter - Guitar and Vocals
- Taylor Hellhake - Bass and Theremin
- Charlie Nimitz - Guitar
