The band officially released their CD “Apart of Someone” at a show at The Basement this past Friday night, heralded by a spectacular lightning-laiden thunderstorm. Supporting the ticket were James & James, Couch Forts, Karate Coyote, and Chicago’s Company of Thieves. A nice line-up, and each band fit in with the listening crowd. Of those bands, I was most taken with Couch Forts, who exhibited an energy and musical fun-ness that was catching. Company of Thieves also excelled. A tight sound that clearly showed their experience with touring and maturity as musicians.
But the night belonged to Our Cat Philip and they delivered what turned out to be one of their best shows. It was chock-full of their typical fun exuberance and cheeky banter, but added to it was an excitement that was infectious. They’ve got a lot of good things going on and the band feels they may well be on the brink of something bigger.
And they may well be right. Since I last caught up with them, a lot has happened. They began recording their newly-released CD “Apart of Someone,” officially added Emily Ng and her viola to the band’s line-up, and supported the Ohio leg of indie darlings Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltzin’s tour (along with regular Columbus visitors Ha Ha Tonka).
Emily has long been a standard on stage at Our Cat Philip’s live shows, so officially adding her to the roster wasn’t much of a leap. I asked Emily how it felt being an official OCP bandmember.
“I just think it’s cool that I can be a part of a band that’s a little different,” she told LotC. “At first, I was a little embarrassed to be playing in a ‘rock’ band with my viola because it looked a little dorky holding something so inherently classical up to your neck while you’re rocking out, but I think I’ve gotten better over time.”
Indeed. Watching Emily attack her strings during the crescendo of “Dana’s Song” is alone worth the price of admission.
Their three-stop tour with Someone Sill Loves You Boris Yeltzin (or SSLYBY, as they’re known by us writers who have to actually type their name over and over again) was a significant event in both the personal and professional growth of Our Cat Philip. On the personal side, SSLYBY is highly respected by OCP and have followed their career for some time. Nick first got in touch with them back in 2006, shortly after SSLYBY were signed onto the Polyvinyl label, offering to rework the SSLYBY website -- an offer the band couldn’t refuse. Eventually, Nick sent the band some of Our Cat Philip’s early recordings, including a cover of SSLYBY’s “House Fire,” which the band thought so highly of that they posted it on their MySpace page. That began a relationship that led to SSLYBY becoming fans of OCP and ultimately requesting them to join them for their Cleveland/Columbus/Cinci run this past summer -- something that was huge for them on a professional level.
September 1, 2008
