Monday 4 January 2016

Borderland Fuzz Fiesta Spotlight: An Interview with Rory from CLOUD CATCHER


On today's instalment of – Borderland Fuzz Fiesta Spotlight – where we interview bands who are appearing on the bill. I'm speaking to Rory Rummings (Guitar/Vocals) from Hard Rock/Psych/Stoner Rockers – Cloud Catcher.

Cloud Catcher released a superb album in July 2015 called – Enlightened Beyond Existence. A collection of great songs that's starting to win some great praise within the Hard Rock/Stoner Rock scene. If you haven't checked it out then I urge you to do so as you're seriously missing out on a great record.

Before then you can check out this interview with Rory from Cloud Catcher to get the lowdown about the band and their upcoming appearance at Borderland Fuzz Fiesta.


Hi Rory. How are things with you today? Thanks for doing this interview.

I'm doing well! Just had a little get together last night, so I'm trying to recover haha. And no problem at all! Stoked to be doing it, thank you!

How did Cloud Catcher get together? And why did you choose the name?

Cloud Catcher has been a band for a little bit under 3 years, I've been playing music with Jared for about 6 years and I just figured it was time to actually start a band that made the music we wanted to play! The name was chosen from an old Native American folk tale called Cloud Catcher and the Moon Woman

How would you describe your music?

Heavy Cosmic Rock. Or in layman's terms, whiskey drinking, pot smokin' rock 'n roll.


You’re scheduled to play Borderland Fuzz Fiesta in February 2016. How did you get involved in that festival?

Wayne had helped us book a date for our last tour, and he dug our band so he asked us to hop on the bill! We're absolutely stoked to play!

What can people expect from your set at Borderland Fuzz Fiesta?

Loud amps, guitar solos, and a bunch of new songs!

Which bands are you looking forward in seeing at the festival?

Ah man, so looking forward to seeing Dead Meadow, Elder of course because they fuckin' rip! I've been wanting to see BlackWulf for a minute too!


Will you be performing any warm-up gigs before the festival?

Oh yeah! We are gonna be on the road so BFF is the second stop of the tour for us.

Have you played in festivals before or is Borderland Fuzz Fiesta your first one?

BFF is our first festival, so we are honored to be on the bill!

How hard is it being a band in today's world? What are the most difficult aspects in being in a band?

Honestly, it's not that hard. You don't make money, but you get to play music every night with your best friends, what more could you ask for? The internet makes things easy too because you are able to discover new bands by just clicking on a picture. For us the most difficult aspect of being in a band is finding a job that is cool with you taking time off to play music. You're basically forced to eat shit for a few months until you can do what you love... it's worth it!

What inspired you to become a musician? Any particular album, band or life-changing event that told you – Yeah, that's what I want to do....

The first time my Dad showed me Iron Maiden when I was 3 I immediately knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. The first Sabbath album, Piece of Mind, In Trance, Electric Ladyland, and Stained Class are some of the albums that opened my eyes.

What is the song-writing dynamic in the band? Is it a group collective or down to one individual?

On the first album I wrote all of the riffs, and Jared really helped out with composition. He rules at that! However for this next album it's been a group effort which rules! Writing songs is awesome but when it's a one man thing it can get stressful.


You've just recently released your awesome new album – Enlightened Beyond Existence – which I've heard first time very recently. Great sounding album. Was that an easy or hard album to write and record for.

Thanks man! It was pretty easy to record, I mean we had been playing those songs for almost 2 years when we recorded so recording was a breeze!

What can people expect from the album.

A very early glimpse at the Cloud Catcher of today. When we started writing those songs there were just so many ideas that we had, and I think those songs show that. We were pretty much still finding our sound at that point, and there are some songs that show that. The song “Farout Man” in particular.

What kind of responses has the album received from fans and critics alike.

People have been digging it, which is cool! When we went on tour that's when we really had the opportunity to promote the album and it was received really well. The internet can only get you so far so you really have to get out there and bust your ass when it comes to showing people what you're all about!


OK… if you had the chance to put on a festival, which bands would you put on. It can be any bands from any era of music.

Ohhh man! I'd love to have a bill with Santana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, UFO, ZZ Top, Thin Lizzy, and Captain Beyond.

Before you go, do you have anything to say to your fans?

Thank you all so much for the support and kind words! We look forward to seeing you all again on our next tour! Prepare to get crushed!!!

Words by Steve Howe and Rory Rummings

Thanks to Wayne Ruddell for arranging this interview and for Rory for doing this interview.

Cloud Catcher Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Borderland Fuzz Festival Links

Facebook

Tickets

Early Bird Two Day Pass: BFFEarlybird.brownpapertickets.com
Dead Meadow Single Day: BFFDeadmeadow.brownpapertickets.com
Elder Single Day: BFFElder.brownpapertickets.com