- Posted on June 8, 2018
- in Featured Artist
- by Richie Frieman
Rocker Cat Dail has been thrashing stages since the 90s – refining her brand of funky rockin’ soulful indie groove and rocking NYC for over two decades. She’s poured her soul into the music, and her fighting spirit isn’t just apparent from her songs, but her actions as well. After all, she’s an activist for so many causes, whether for human rights, feminism, LGBTQ, for food banks, libraries, and/or schools. The passion she has for all of these things has equated to five albums on the Lucky Magnet recording label she founded, including the collection we’re discussing today: the appropriately named Fight for Love EP.
“Rocker Cat Dail has been refining her brand of funky rockin’ soulful indie groove and she’s poured her soul into the music.”
We asked Dail for the full download on the new music – she said, “I think fans can expect my best record ever. I’ve been dedicated to songwriting, singing, playing, producing, and gathering the best, most soulful capable team and Fight for Love represents a next level engagement in the craft for me. Relevant stories, DEEP groove, amazing musicianship, cool ideas, female point of view, musical variety, great sound, these are my main values.” Click to https://catdailmusic.
XXQs: Cat Dail
PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound?
Cat Dail (CD): Funky rockin’ soulful indie groove.
PEV: What kind of music were you into growing up? Do you remember your first concert?
CD: I grew up in Kansas City, a pretty amazing musical crossroads kind of place, grew up listening to some of the world’s best jazz, R&B, blues, AND country western music. It was a rich musical landscape out my door and on local radio.
PEV: What is the underlying inspiration for your music?
CD: I’m an artist compelled to express things about the shared human condition, hoping to connect with each other on common emotional experiential ground whether that’s a funny take or a poignant one. Plus I like to get down ;).
PEV: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to hear about you?
CD: Um, I dunno?! Maybe you’d be surprised to know I studied martial arts.
PEV: What happens when you hit a brick wall when writing? What are your methods to get over it?
CD: I don’t force it. If I’m up against a lyric, I usually set it aside, think about it, try not to think about, work out, have sex, come back to it (laughing). Or I consult my genius producer and bandmate Teddy Kumpel.
PEV: How do you think the industry has changed since you first started out?
CD: Well when I started there wasn’t even the internet! So, I mean, let me count the ways ;). But seriously my old friend Joe Strummer used to talk about the collapse of the music industry/ major label system domination and celebrate the return to ‘campfires,’ by which I think he meant a kind of decentralized, ground-up, very human re-approach to music.
PEV: What can fans expect from your latest release, the Fight for Love EP? What was the writing process like for this work?
CD: I think fans can expect my best record ever. I’ve been dedicated to songwriting, singing, playing, producing, and gathering the best, most soulful capable team and Fight for Love represents a next level engagement in the craft for me. Relevant stories, DEEP groove, amazing musicianship, cool ideas, female point of view, musical variety, great sound, these are my main values.
PEV: With all your traveling, is there one area you wish you could travel around and play that you have not yet?
CD: I’ve been so lucky to tour pretty far & wide. I’m always interested in new people and places, cultures and stories. We’re putting together West Coast, Europe tour for fall ‘18- winter ‘19 now. Love to add Asia or some of the great Eastern and Middle Eastern capitals. I’m ready for adventure ;).
PEV: What can we find you doing in your spare time, aside from playing/writing music?
CD: I’m a mom. I’m an activist for human rights, feminism, LGBTQ, for food banks, libraries, and schools mostly. I have a background in the fine arts and I’ve done some cool museum and other kinds of art historian work. I like to work out, be outside, read.
PEV: Name one present and past artist or group that would be your dream collaboration. Why?
CD: I’d love to work with Mos Def/ Yassin Bey. So “lyrically handsome” musically, authentic, inventive, and enlightened. But I might as likely have said any number of artists across a broad spectrum. I love a lot of music, a lot of different kinds of musical expressions.
PEV: So, what is next for Cat Dail?
CD: Well we *just* releases Fight for Love and kicked off the FFL Tour with amazing shows in Brooklyn, DC, Chicago, KC, NYC, and New England. We’ll be releasing some very cool new music videos including latest footage from the road on my YouTube this summer and taking the new music worldwide! Hoping for more exciting licensing/ creative collaboration. Resisting, Persisting, Grooving for good & Fighting for Love!