Watching bands tour from afar can be quite entertaining and we have decided to open up our news feed for bands on the label and bands that we really dig. This is cool way to document tours and for an expose into what it takes to move from show to show and all the great things that can happen along the way. Over the next few weeks our favorite Canadian blues rockers, Catl will be broadcasting about their current European tour. Have a read below:
After arriving in Paris and we were immediately lost. We were also thrown off by
the half-assed efforts of the customs officials. Whenever we cross into
the U.S. we get bullied and barraged with questions from bored and
underpaid border guards that will order a strip search like their
ordering a deep fried cheeseburger at Culver's. In Paris they didn't ask
us anything and they could have been stamping a blank piece of kleenex
if we told them it was our passport.
We
eventually stumbled onto a train to Brussels and we were off to be lost
in another town full of really cool people that we can barely
communicate with. Funnily enough, whenever I hear a foreign language I
immediately start speaking Spanish (the only other language that I can
sort of understand), which makes conversation more confusing than it
needs to be.
Our
host in Brussels is a sharp dressed cool-cat named Dimitri and his
lovely girlfriend, an equally sharp dressed feline named Sophie. They
took us rock and roll dancing at Mme. Moustache and got us a bit corked
on two hours of sleep. Excellent hosts.
A tour
isn't a tour without shit breaking/things going wrong etc. My guitar
fell apart on the plane ride so we had to stop in for an emergency
repair job on the day of the show. Luckily we found a guy to screw it
all back together or this would have been the shortest tour of Europe
ever.
When
we arrived at the club that was aptly named 'Rock Classic' the
bartender, Phillipe, wasn't wearing a shirt and he was absolutely
covered in tattoos from various European art movements of the past. The
staff was pretty rad, and the sound-cat said my guitar was too loud - so
pretty much the same as North America.
Man
those Brusselonians really dig their American style rock and Roll. They
also really dig their delicious Belgium beers because they were
excited/intoxicated enough to drag our tired asses out for an encore,
where we butchered our newest song. Fortunately there is enough of a
language barrier that no one noticed. We also had the good fortune of
having our friend from Toronto, Elke Shroeder dance on stage with us.
She's a professional dancer and was able to distract the patrons enough
that nobody noticed me having an out-of-breath coronary at the side of
the stage. Off to Mons!
Dec 8 - Freiburg GERMANY - Slow Club Freiburg
Dec 9 - Vienna AUSTRIA - The Loft
Dec 10 - Rosenheim GERMANY - Asta Rosenheim
Dec 11 - Prague CZECH REPUBLIC - Café na půl cesty
Dec 12 - Feldbach AUSTRIA - Glam Feldbach
Dec 13 - Budapest HUNGARY - Fészek Művészklub
Dec 14 - Belgrade SERBIA - Kuglas
Dec 15 - Novi Sad SERBIA - Kriva Marta
Catl. are a high energy rock n’ roll couple hailing from Toronto. The band features Jamie bashing away on his ’48 Gretsch, while Sarah holds down a steady, dirty groove on the 2-piece drum kit. They have been described as ‘punk rock blues’ and been affectionately compared to The Cramps and The Flat Duo Jets. Catl. have recorded in Memphis and Detroit and worked with garage-rock producer Jim Diamond (White Stripes, The Dirtbombs) at the now defunct Ghetto Recorders.They have released 4 full-length LP’s and now they’re coming for you EUROPE! SO SHINE UP YOUR DANCIN’ SHOES AND STRENGTHEN YOUR DRINKIN’ ARM!
Catl. has shared the stage with Alabama Shakes, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Left Lane Cruiser, Andre Williams, James Leg and The Sonics. They’ve played The Montreal International Jazz Festival, NXNE, SXSW, Pop Montreal, Sled Island Music Festival as well as the Deep Blues Festival in Clarksdale, MS.
