The Cat Empire is a six-piece alternative band from Melbourne, Australia. Their sound has been described as a fusion of jazz, funk, and rock with heavy Latin / Salsa influences (not to mention reggae, ska and dub). Currently, the Cat Empire consists of Ollie McGill (keyboard and backing vocals), Ryan Monro (bass and backing vocals), Felix Riebl (percussion and vocals), Harry James Angus (trumpet and vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), and Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala (decks, percussion). Read Full BioThe Cat Empire is a six-piece alternative band from Melbourne, Australia. Their sound has been described as a fusion of jazz, funk, and rock with heavy Latin / Salsa influences (not to mention reggae, ska and dub). Currently, the Cat Empire consists of Ollie McGill (keyboard and backing vocals), Ryan Monro (bass and backing vocals), Felix Riebl (percussion and vocals), Harry James Angus (trumpet and vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), and Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala (decks, percussion). A strong, recurrent theme of their music is the rejection of materialism, war, and intolerance and an enthusiastic embrace of cultural diversity and the simple, carefree life.
The Cat Empire began as a trio with McGill, Riebl, and Monro in late 1999, and started playing a wide variety of gigs in Melbourne. The band soon expanded in 2001, adding Angus, Hull-Brown, and Khadiwala.
THE Cat Empire's message, on stage and in the studio, has always been about breaking down borders: musical, geographic, lingual. But they have never done it so powerfully as they do on their new album, Cinema. The album serves up a set which captures the inexorable force - and sheer joy - of their live performances, delivered in a format perfect for lounge-rooms, backyards, BBQ’s, cafes, road trips and parties all over the world.
Cinema, the band's fourth studio album, is a dazzling statement of a band at a peak of its powers, music designed to move the body and the mind. Right from the opening track, Waiting, this is music that leaps from the speakers.
All the elements that people love about The Cat Empire are there but the result is brighter, bolder. And yes, more cinematic. What grabs the ear immediately is that this is not a band playing with genres. In the past, The Cat Empire dived in to any musical style which took their fancy, from reggae to salsa, Latin to hip-hop. Cinema reveals a band that has developed an emphatic voice that is all their own.
``That's a sound that has emerged out of nearly 10 years of playing on stage together,'' says singer and percussionist Felix Riebl. ”The result is an album that's much more integrated than anything we've done before, with a Cat Empire sound that runs consistently through it. The lyrics are perhaps darker, but they are accompanied by music that is uplifting which gives it a strange but powerful feeling.''
Riebl adds: “At times the album is thoughtful, at times it makes you just forget and dance. But it is an album that has more sonic depth than we've ever had before, experimental in parts but with really direct choruses. It's going to be a great album to play live, especially on big stages and at festivals.''
Of course, the stage is never far from the thoughts of this band. In an age when so much of selling music seems to be about celebrity and fashion, The Cat Empire have risen to be one of Australia and indeed the worlds favourite live acts through sheer musicality and the power of their interaction on stage. The band - Riebl, Vocalist and trumpeter Harry Angus, keys player Ollie McGill, bassist Ryan Monro, drummer Will Hull-Brown and Jamshid Khadiwala (aka ‘Jumps’) on decks - played their 700th show in Amsterdam last year, and will hit the 800 mark in 2010. While it is not well known in Australia, The Cat Empire are one of the country's most successful musical exports, doubling their audience numbers at every return stop.
They have headlined some of the world's biggest music festivals, including Summersonic (Japan), Rock am Ring (Germany) and V Fest (UK), playing Bonnaroo (US) as well as to an audience of 300,000 at the Montreal Jazz Festival. They have also played on some of world's highest rating entertainment shows, including Dave Letterman and Jay Leno. This year their worldwide tour in support of the international release of Cinema will see them return to Canada, US, Europe, Japan and the UK, where they will play to a full house at London's Brixton Academy.
The knowledge that they would be playing songs from the new album on so many big stages focused the song writing sessions for Cinema. The album was recorded close to home at Sing Sing studios in Melbourne with producer Steve Schram, and he encouraged them to make an album that was their most collaborative song writing effort yet.
``That was a deliberate decision from all of us,'' says the lion of the live show - Vocalist and Trumpeter Harry Angus. ``With six people in the band sometimes there will be a song on an album that not everyone wants to play live. This album certainly gets around that problem. And I think that after so many years playing together the guys are much more confident about contributing to the writing. Steve encouraged us to do that. That's been great for us.''
Of working with The Cat Empire, Schram says “it was the perfect studio scenario; amazing players open to trying anything and willing to take a back seat when required. Egos were left at the door.” He adds “In terms of musicianship, it's no secret that they don't come much better than The Cat Empire. Yet Cinema shows that simplicity and one well placed note packs more of a punch and serves the song far more than musical chops alone. We set out to explore in depth the mood and character of each song while maintaining a focus on performance rather than studio trickery. “
After taking their longest break from studio recording after the release of 2007's So Many Nights, the band reconvened feeling refreshed. ``In 2008 we took a break from touring for 8 months. Then in 2009 we released our (live album) Live on Earth” Riebl says. ``When we came back to the band, and then into the studio we all rediscovered what we loved about The Cat Empire in the first place; that it is a band that can do the unexpected, that we have great energy and make music that is always a lot of fun to play on stage. The feeling right now is just like when we were starting out. We're all very excited about that.''
Cinema will be released ...
JUNE 25, AUSTRALIA
JUNE 29, CANADA
JULY 6, USA
AUGUST 2010, EUROPE & JAPAN
See www.thecatempire.com for tours and information
The Cat Empire began as a trio with McGill, Riebl, and Monro in late 1999, and started playing a wide variety of gigs in Melbourne. The band soon expanded in 2001, adding Angus, Hull-Brown, and Khadiwala.
THE Cat Empire's message, on stage and in the studio, has always been about breaking down borders: musical, geographic, lingual. But they have never done it so powerfully as they do on their new album, Cinema. The album serves up a set which captures the inexorable force - and sheer joy - of their live performances, delivered in a format perfect for lounge-rooms, backyards, BBQ’s, cafes, road trips and parties all over the world.
Cinema, the band's fourth studio album, is a dazzling statement of a band at a peak of its powers, music designed to move the body and the mind. Right from the opening track, Waiting, this is music that leaps from the speakers.
All the elements that people love about The Cat Empire are there but the result is brighter, bolder. And yes, more cinematic. What grabs the ear immediately is that this is not a band playing with genres. In the past, The Cat Empire dived in to any musical style which took their fancy, from reggae to salsa, Latin to hip-hop. Cinema reveals a band that has developed an emphatic voice that is all their own.
``That's a sound that has emerged out of nearly 10 years of playing on stage together,'' says singer and percussionist Felix Riebl. ”The result is an album that's much more integrated than anything we've done before, with a Cat Empire sound that runs consistently through it. The lyrics are perhaps darker, but they are accompanied by music that is uplifting which gives it a strange but powerful feeling.''
Riebl adds: “At times the album is thoughtful, at times it makes you just forget and dance. But it is an album that has more sonic depth than we've ever had before, experimental in parts but with really direct choruses. It's going to be a great album to play live, especially on big stages and at festivals.''
Of course, the stage is never far from the thoughts of this band. In an age when so much of selling music seems to be about celebrity and fashion, The Cat Empire have risen to be one of Australia and indeed the worlds favourite live acts through sheer musicality and the power of their interaction on stage. The band - Riebl, Vocalist and trumpeter Harry Angus, keys player Ollie McGill, bassist Ryan Monro, drummer Will Hull-Brown and Jamshid Khadiwala (aka ‘Jumps’) on decks - played their 700th show in Amsterdam last year, and will hit the 800 mark in 2010. While it is not well known in Australia, The Cat Empire are one of the country's most successful musical exports, doubling their audience numbers at every return stop.
They have headlined some of the world's biggest music festivals, including Summersonic (Japan), Rock am Ring (Germany) and V Fest (UK), playing Bonnaroo (US) as well as to an audience of 300,000 at the Montreal Jazz Festival. They have also played on some of world's highest rating entertainment shows, including Dave Letterman and Jay Leno. This year their worldwide tour in support of the international release of Cinema will see them return to Canada, US, Europe, Japan and the UK, where they will play to a full house at London's Brixton Academy.
The knowledge that they would be playing songs from the new album on so many big stages focused the song writing sessions for Cinema. The album was recorded close to home at Sing Sing studios in Melbourne with producer Steve Schram, and he encouraged them to make an album that was their most collaborative song writing effort yet.
``That was a deliberate decision from all of us,'' says the lion of the live show - Vocalist and Trumpeter Harry Angus. ``With six people in the band sometimes there will be a song on an album that not everyone wants to play live. This album certainly gets around that problem. And I think that after so many years playing together the guys are much more confident about contributing to the writing. Steve encouraged us to do that. That's been great for us.''
Of working with The Cat Empire, Schram says “it was the perfect studio scenario; amazing players open to trying anything and willing to take a back seat when required. Egos were left at the door.” He adds “In terms of musicianship, it's no secret that they don't come much better than The Cat Empire. Yet Cinema shows that simplicity and one well placed note packs more of a punch and serves the song far more than musical chops alone. We set out to explore in depth the mood and character of each song while maintaining a focus on performance rather than studio trickery. “
After taking their longest break from studio recording after the release of 2007's So Many Nights, the band reconvened feeling refreshed. ``In 2008 we took a break from touring for 8 months. Then in 2009 we released our (live album) Live on Earth” Riebl says. ``When we came back to the band, and then into the studio we all rediscovered what we loved about The Cat Empire in the first place; that it is a band that can do the unexpected, that we have great energy and make music that is always a lot of fun to play on stage. The feeling right now is just like when we were starting out. We're all very excited about that.''
Cinema will be released ...
JUNE 25, AUSTRALIA
JUNE 29, CANADA
JULY 6, USA
AUGUST 2010, EUROPE & JAPAN
See www.thecatempire.com for tours and information
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Hello
The Cat Empire Lyrics
Walking down the street
With some evil in my eye
And some thoughts in my head
That were making me feel high
On my head was a hoodi
In my ears was some bass
Was walking by my dog
When I saw that sexy face
Come towards me
With a little cheeky smile
If she was a phone
I'd pick her up and dial
The fire brigade
Or zero zero zero
She stopped me in my tracks
And I said 'mmm hchello hchello'
I was sleeping in the sand
With some dreams in my head
That were causing an extension
To the towel and my bed
And the waves were rolling
Like the curves on those legs
Of a sweet beach bella
With that centrefold spread
In the midst of the slumber
I heard some footsteps creeping
And I woke to discover
The woman I'd been dreaming
She knelt down beside
Said 'can I share your pillow?'
I rolled over and I said
'well hchello hchello'
Some like money making
Some like cars
And some like the houses
With the rooftop spas
And some like to gossip
About some rich sugar daddies
But me and my friends
We like the golden brown honeys
And some like watching people
Living on TV
That's a little strange
If you're asking me
'Cause I like to eat and laugh
And **** and play down low
These are the things I know
Well hchello hchello.
Welcome to this night
Welcome to this song
Welcome to these rhymes
That be going on and on
Welcome to the empire
And the funky empire tunes
But most of all welcome
To the bellas in this room
Well hchello hchello
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Written by: FELIX RIEBL, HENRY ANGUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
CheesyButler95
Lyrics
~•~
I’m walkin’ down the street
With some evil in my eye
And some thoughts in my head
That were makin’ me feel high
On my head was a hoodie
In my ears were some base
I was walkin’ by my dog
When I saw this sexy face
Come towards me (bloop)
With a little cheeky smile
If she were a phone
I’d pick her up and dial
The fire brigade
A-zero zero zero
She stopped me in my tracks,
I said ahmo Hello Hello~
Woaa Hello Hello!~
I Was
A-sleepin’ in the sand
With some dreams in my head
That we’re causin’ an extension
To the “tail” in my bed
And the waves they were rollin’
Like the curves on those legs
On that sweet beach pillow
With the center fold spread
And amidst all the slumber
I heard some footsteps a-creepin’
And I woke to discover
The woman I been dreamin’
She knelt down beside
Said “Can I share your pillow?”
I rolled over and
I said well Hello Hello~
Oh Hello Hello!~
Some like a-money-making
Some like cars
And-a-Some like the houses
With the rooftop spas
And some like to gossip ‘bout
Some rich sugar daddies
But me ‘an my friends—we like
The golden-brown Honeys
And a-some like watching
People livin’ on TV
That’s a little strange
If you’re askin’ me
Cuz I like to eat and laugh and
(Mmh) and play an’, oh
These are the things I love
Well Hello Hello~
Oh Hello Hello!~
Ah Hello Hello~
Oh Hello Hello!
~•~
I woke up to this life
I woke up to this song
I woke up to these rhymes
That be goin’ on and on
I woke up to the empire
And the funky empire tunes
But most of all
I woke up to the
Bella’s in this room
I woke up to this life
I woke up to this song
I woke up to these rhymes
That be goin’ on and on
I woke up to the empire
And the funky empire tunes
But most of all
I woke up to the
Bella’s in this room
Oh Hello Hello
Hello Hello
Wha-! Hello Hello!
Pablo Pablo!
Woa Hello Hello!
Woa Hello Hello!
Ah, Well Hello Hello!
Woa Hello Hello!
~•~
Hello, hello...
~Talk nonsense~
Made these cuz I noticed some differences in another’s lyric interpretation so instead of trying to get them to change theirs, just decided to make my own!
In case you were wondering:
I believe the ahmo was “amor” which is Spanish for a Love which is why I put that there
The second section was pretty iffy, so I decided to go with what made sense in terms of the song and go with that
I went with “I woke up” instead of “A-welcome” for the third part because it made sense for more of the lyrics so I hope that it works kinda mostly
The last part the Bella as like a reference to a girl for me it was either that, “People” or “Pillows” and I think even if it is a little odd it might be “Ella’s” although they are usually pronounced “Eyya’s” meaning girls in Spanish, but who knows. Not me, actually, I just guessed.
Either way, wonderfully spirited song, hope you like my interpretation of the lyrics, if you have suggestions lemme know and I’ll change things.
:D
Some-Tiny-Little-Idiot
This is a great song that totally found on my own.
Mystery Unknown
I found it with Georgia productions
Devilish
I discovered it through pandora
Fishies——> Voodoo Cowboy——> Hello
Frijolero man
I mean I found it from Beverly hills Chihuahua
fawzi espinosa
@Rosie Dean I found it from a video of an animated cat dancing to this song
Firzan Wolfred
smells fishy and yes that is a pun intended for the op especially considering that this song is also found with a fish being wooed over by a white cat
Kid with a Squid
never though a fish could have this sexy "hello" accent
KingCastle
Yeah me neither
TheX 2
@Rat King atleast he didn't need a random recommended to discover this song lol
Marley
Me neither