Cloud Catcher first burst onto the
Stoner Rock scene back in 2015 when they released their superb debut
album – Enlightened Beyond Existence. Two years later the guys are
back with a new album – Trails Of Kozmic Dust.
It see Cloud Catcher create even
heavier psych/cosmic based Stoner riffs. Newly signed to Totem Cat
Records, the album will no doubt become a firm favourite when it's
released on March 11th. I wanted to do an interview the
guys as I wanted to find more about the band. How they formed, the
stunning artwork designed by Adam Burke and their future touring
plans.
Here's the interview. Enjoy.
Hi
guys. Thanks for doing the interview. How’s life treating you
today.
Doin'
well! Thanks for asking! And thanks for having us
For
people not in the know, can you provide a brief history of how the
band came together and where it is today.
Cloud
Catcher formed in May of 2013 after I left a band that was going
nowhere fast. I have been jamming with our drummer Jared for 7 or so
years so starting a band with him just seemed right! Kam entered the
equation after he left Medusa 2 years ago. I would go into more
detail but I'll spare ya the unnecessary facts ha-ha
How
would you describe your music for first-time listeners.
Heavy
Rock and Roll, no frills or gimmicks.
We
are here to talk about the new album. Trails Of Kozmic Dust. A truly
stunning album. What can people expect from the album.
Shucks,
thank you! I would say that people can expect to hear the Cloud
Catcher sound. I feel that we really came into our own on this album,
especially with the addition of Kam. You can expect to experience raw
rock 'n roll energy on Trails of Kozmic Dust.
What
is the overall concept of the album. As the album has quite a
distinctive science fiction/fantasy feel. Are you fans of that medium
in general.
I
would say the concept of this album, if there was one, would be
conquering your inner struggles and using the new found strength to
explore new horizons. The lyrics for the songs really speak for
themselves haha. I am very into symbolic imagery to explain my point.
But anyway to answer your question we dig sci-fi. I am into feelin'
very small into this absolutely infinite universe.
Was
it an easy or hard album to write and record for. Did you do anything
different recording for this album compared to your debut album.
Writing
this album was a breeze, Kam brought a breath of fresh air into the
band and the songs just flowed. Recording was fun, but we definitely
had our struggles. We recorded Trails of Kozmic Dust at the end of
our spring 2016 tour with Cody Tarbell from Slow Season at his house
in the middle of some truly beautiful farm country.
After the tour we
had all gotten super sick and realized that we have to record this
album no matter what. I had lost my voice so the vocals takes were a
real struggle to do, but I enjoyed doing it haha. Any way we recorded
this album to tape instead of doin' the digital thing, the natural
tape warmth and compression really comes through especially on the
vinyl.
What
influenced you when recording and writing this album.
Ah
man, so much. Life experience was the main influence, but we were
heavily into some crazy progressive bands when the bulk of the
writing was going on. Don't wanna bore ya with band name drops but
Captain Beyond, Alice Coltrane, Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson,
and a few others were being listened to in the van before we
recorded.
You’ve
signed to Totem Cat Records. How did you hook up with that great
label.
We
just sent out the album to a few labels and got turned down by a few,
but were also offered some strange deals with some other labels that
won't be mentioned. After sending the album to Ewenn he immediately
got back to us and gave us a killer deal that we couldn't turn down.
Totem Cat Records rules, Ewenn is truly a standup guy so it's an
honor to work with him.
We
have to talk about the stunning artwork that Adam Burke created. What
were your initial impressions when Adam revealed the final artwork to
you.
Adam
blew us away, we absolutely love his work. His style reminds me of
pouring some astral cream into a cosmic cup of coffee hahaha. The
album art represents the sound and vibe of the album perfectly.
What
does the artwork say to you about your album in general.
Get
stoned, listen to the album cranked and look at the art... you'll get
it.
Did
Adam let you make any suggestions to the artwork. Or did you let him
do his own thing.
I
gave Adam this idea I had about these to astral warlords fighting and
then he completely took that idea to the next level.
What
is the song-writing dynamic in the band. Is it down to one individual
or a group collective.
On
our first album "Enlightened Beyond Existence" I wrote all
of the material, but on "Trails of Kozmic Dust" we wrote as
a group. You can hear glimpses from all of our individual influences
for sure! To me this is truly the "first" Cloud Catcher
album.
Will
you be performing gigs this year. A more in-depth tour to promote the
album. Are there plans to perform any overseas such as Europe.
We
have a March tour planned for SXSW, and then from Texas we will be
heading up to the mid-west to play a few dates with our homies from
Detroit, Bison Machine. We are also stoked to be playing Psycho Las
Vegas 2017! That's a huge honor, man!!! We also have another tour in
the works for later in the year.... and we would absolutely LOVE to
play Europe. Just getting the funds to get out there is a pain but it
WILL be done!
Thanks
for doing this interview. Do you have anything to say to your fans
before you go.
Of
course, thank you! We would like to say that the continued support is
what keeps us going, so all of your love and kind words are very much
appreciated. We will see you on the road in 2017!!!
Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo. Trails Of Kozmic Dust will be available to buy via Totem Cat Records on CD/DD/Vinyl from March 11th 2017.
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