There are few things harder than breaking into the music scene. For a band to make a name for itself, it takes talent, dedication from all members and, perhaps most challenging of all, the creation of a unique new sound.
Coolerful of Cats seems to have found the right mixture. All four members of the funk-rock outfit are UW-Madison students or graduates, and together the group has created a sound that it can call all its own.
\We put on a good show because all four of us have such eclectic influences,"" drummer Andrew Elbert said. ""All four of us are very individualistic, so we each bring our own personalities to the show.""
Elbert notes each of the band members derives his sound from a different place. Lead guitarist Jon Gonzalez plays a clean blues-style guitar over Elbert's hip-hop-style drums, funk bass from Leif Bjornson and grungy rhythm guitar from Jason Then. As a result, Elbert said, ""The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.""
""You can focus in on what one person is doing ... Each person is in his own zone while we play,"" Elbert continued.
This leads to different band members taking over jams at different points, and the final product is often unpredictable.
That unpredictability is what Coolerful of Cats strives for. While the band is still in its infancy, Elbert notes that each show they play is different from any they have played before. It is important, he says, to draw the crowd in from the beginning.
""I like making a big kind of explosion at the beginning of the set,"" Elbert said. After that, the band tries to take the audience on a musical journey of auditory and visual pleasure that ends with as big of a bang as it starts with.
""Our energy is directly proportional to audience's energy,"" Then said. ""When they're excited, we're excited. And they're usually excited.""
So when Coolerful of Cats attempts to win over some new fans tonight, it will be hard to know what to expect.
They might play some down-home funky Black Crowes-style rock, a little bit of roots blues, some Pink Floyd or maybe even something completely new.
But the audience, says Elbert, should expect to see some high-energy tunes with a few surprises.
Elbert will not say what those surprises will be, but he hints the members of the Celle Fantastik just might take to the stage alongside Coolerful of Cats.
However, you need to be there in order to see exactly what surprises the bands can possibly come up with.
""I'm hoping to be in a band,"" Elbert said, ""where you really have to come see us to really appreciate us.\
