Most band names fall into one of two camps. Either a group happens upon a name accidentally, and the unlikely moniker sticks. Or the musicians responsible for coming up with a name possess an elaborate backstory that provides an explanation for their unique handle. The garage rockers of Northampton’s Cat Whisker fall in the latter camp.
“My grandfather was a writer, and he wrote for the Belchertown Sentinel and other local newspapers,” says lead vocalist and guitarist Brendan Walker. “He wrote a’personal rant-type article about whatever he felt like writing, and he would write about either only very young memories or stories about his elderly life. One story that he wrote was about the first time he heard radio, and he was able to do that because he built a ‘cat whisker’ radio, which is a little cigar box converted into a radio with little wires poking out the top that resemble cat whiskers. The article that he wrote was called ‘A Cat Whisker Radio Brought the World To A Young Boy,’ and the band’s original name was ‘A Cat Whisker Radio.'”
Starting out simply as a solo venture by Walker, the band changed both in name and size with the addition of members Steven Aoki and Sasha Klare-Ayvazian, who joined the newly christened Cat Whisker in 2011.
“It started as folky punk-acoustic music, and then we started playing more heavy, bluesy rock songs, and now it’s very upbeat, dancey rock ‘n’ roll. It’s evolved a lot through playing with other musicians, and their influence in my music,” says Walker.
He continues, “I like the term ‘garage rock’ because it makes me think of being 16 years old, playing in your parents’ garage, pretending you’re a rock star, and playing songs that you listen to because it sounds like ’50s and ’60s old-school rock ‘n’ roll with a modern indie vibe, and that’s what I love.”
Currently the group is planning on completing a full-length vinyl record over the course of 2012 to join their EP Re-Introducing Cat Whisker, which can be downloaded free on the band’s website via bandcamp.com. Also, the members plan to release a series of singles throughout the recording process.
In the meantime, the band is gearing up for local shows.
Cat Whisker performs March 30, at The Elevens, 140 Pleasant St., Northampton, (413) 237-3550. For more info, please visit catwhisker.bandcamp.com and www.facebook.com/catwhisker.
