First Gig Feedback

A few people have said they really enjoyed the gig - especially the Bigbang covers! Darryl, the manager of The Backstage has emailed to talk about more gigs, so the evening was successful!

It's a semester break at Otago University, so Anders and Chris are out of town for a week or two. But the lads are red hot to keep practicing, write and add more material. We'll be back at it next week.

First Gig

Finally the night has come.

We played at a venue called The Backstage, in Bath St. I'm so glad I insisted on a soundcheck when I found Stu our sound guy would be available after all. I had to bunk off from work and it took some effort to score enough mics and sus the PA, but we would have sounded like crap if we hadn't. The venue is a pretty good space and stage, although the sound's a little on the bright side.

It was a wickedly cold and drizzly night, being the winter solstice. Bob's other band Dragonfly warmed up for us, to a pretty small crowd, but they were good. Nice original rock that reminded me a little of Fur Patrol. I missed the middle of their set and went for a walk. I hate hanging around the venue making small talk before a gig. The anticipation distracts me horribly. I think it used to make me power drink, but I'm too old for that shit. Most of the time anyway.

A bunch of family and friends had arrived by ten thirty, when we got up to start. I had two new additions to my gear. A tambourine, and a set of earplugs. Boy I am getting old. We opened with some comfortable blues tunes that Mike and I have been playing for years and jamming with Anders for months. I was pretty pleased with my harp sound, I had my amp mic'd though the PA.

Then I strapped on my strat and played "Curious George", a tune I wrote for my daughter and dad. That was weird. Mike asked me to play lead in the middle, which was scary, and I actually had to fight the tears towards the end. I think it went down okay. We've been adjusting the structure of the tune all week. It'll be great to fill the set with more originals. I'm losing my fear of not being a strictly blues band. We'll be what we'll be.

I started Rufus Thomas's '"Walking the Dog" on guitar, and played some more lead. It felt great, and was scary to stretch myself on another instument, but I don't think I sucked too bad.

Then in the middle of the set, we played some other new material, including some covers of Bigbang, a Norwegian band. I really don't know how to describe their material. Folky, bluesy rock I guess. It's a stretch, but a lot of fun. Mike's stepdaughter Kauia joined us to sing a great version of Junior Wells's "Little by Little", and did a fantastic job of bv's on some other stuff, along with Anders' girlfriend Geva. One of the gang from work video'd Kauia's spell, so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy.

Boog, the guitarist from White Hot and Blue also showed up. It was good to see him again, and hear of his recent adventures in his new band The Boogiemen. Sounds like he's enjoying the band leader thing too. It's a lot of work, but rewarding. He got up and played harp on Little Charlie and the Nightcats' "Thinking With The Wrong Head".

It was all really well received by the crowd, even though they were mainly family and friends. Among the band, there was a feeling that the set softened around half way, then firmed up again, but after all, it was a 90 minute set! We were really stoked by it all, especially since Crosseyed Cat has only been together for three weeks.

New band, new intruments, new material. How could it not be a buzz? It was a great night, and augurs well for the future.

Practice and Execution

This Tuesday we practiced. We covered around 9 of the 15 tunes we set as a target, and I think the enormity of the task before us has struck home: Assembling a band and a set for a gig within just two weeks. We want to be tight.

The additional factor is Mike's youthful ward Kauia. She's going to sing a number with us, so that took a little work. She sounds great, so thats one less worry.

Then last night, we went to the Empire to crowd test the lineup. I put the newer, more challenging material into the set, since it needed the practice, and because we've been jamming a lot of the 12 bar stuff there for months anyway and needed a change.

Towards the end of the set, Mike blew his amp, and mine didn't sound too healthy, although I suspect that may just be the amount of gain I had on my mic. I'll have to check it out this weekend.

I'm thrilled to report that the crowd called for an encore, and we all had a blast. By the time we were into it, the crowd would have been 40% local musicians, so we couldn't have asked for a more discerning bunch! I managed to get all the new lyrics right, and Mike and Anders played well, but most encouragingly, Bob and Chris are obviously starting to work together and gel. It was a valuable boost to our confidence for next Thursday: The gig!

Crosseyed Cat

We're a band at last, named - as all great blues bands are - after a Muddy Waters tune. There are probably other blues bands out there with the same moniker, but not in Dunedin. Not this decade. So let me introduce to you the other members of Crosseyed Cat:

Dr. Mike Beentjes. Guitar/Vocals. Mike and I have been playing together for over 20 years now, starting off as a couple of Zoology Students jamming in his flat, then in student band The Mudflat Houserockers from 1986 to 1988, then White Hot and Blue from about 1990 to 2004. We've had a lot of adventures over the last twenty something years. Like Brownie says to Sonny: "That's a long time to be with a man, ain't it?"



Anders M Jensen. Guitar/Vocals. The Oslo Kid. At a jam night featuring mostly wannabes and untalents last year, Anders stood out like a Keith Richards lick against a background of white noise. We started jamming at the Empire pub, and it immediately became imperative that we form a band. So far I've introduced him to Little Charlie and the Nightcats and Freddie King. He's introduced me to Vidar Busk and Bigbang. Not a bad swap.


Bob Zammit. Drums/watch this space. I met Bob in the classified section of dunedinmusic.com. Bob rocks. When we got him along to the Empire, he fit the bill immediately. Fresh from the states, he had a few rock bands over there and ran his own music shop. He's classically trained, y'know.

Chris Miller. Bass/Tuba. Our newest discovery. Chris is still studying music and plays in a local brass band. He hasn't played a lot of blues, so he's doing well for a kid who has been dragged into the deep end. Can't wait to put that tuba to use in the band.

So far, we've had a couple of gentle practices. Plenty of work to do on finding the Crosseyed Cat groove, but some very interesting things have emerged. I think we're going to have a much more original sound than White Hot and Blue, my last band. Secondly, the tune I just wrote for my daughter Georgia really came together. We're all looking forward to the next few months.