Features
The Empire Strikes Back
The Cat Empire released their sophomore effort Two Shoes downunder in April, after selling nearly 2 mil of their debut album. The funky six-piece ska band, which adds Cuban rhythm and jazz to their mix, has been a huge hit in Australia since they debuted in Melbourne in 2001.
In the States, they’re still shopping a deal to release their full-length albums, and they’ll be here May 20 through June 7 for interested parties to check them out.
After receiving a two-song demo at our office, it took less than a half hour for The Cat Empire to gain fans around our cubicles.
The new record was recorded in Cuba last Christmas, in the same studio which produced the Buena Vista Social Club, with the band recording music in between power outages and bouts of salmonella poisoning.
The U.S. gigs begin at Austin, Texas’ Antone’s. Visits include San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore before and wrap up at Lion’s Den in NYC.