The Cat Empire is a six-piece alternative band from Melbourne, Australia. T… Read Full Bio ↴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). 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

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Song for the Day
The Cat Empire Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

These nights awake
Can you imagine how much time
We've spent around here?

Enough to say that we have seen
Two moons come past
Pass and turn away

Don't close your eyes
For we
Have come to love
Tat mad white glare

Don't close your eyes for we
Would see the room depart
And sing the song for day

Singing the song
Singing the song just for the day
Singing the song
While the moons they fade away

The song that brings the night to sleep
And creeps into our eyes
For delusion makes them manic
For delusion makes us manic
For illusion makes us sing

The song just for the day

Overall Meaning

"Song for the Day" by The Cat Empire is a reflective song that speaks to the beauty and transience of life. The opening lines of the song set the scene for a late night reflection on the time spent around here. The singer acknowledges the fleeting nature of life as evidenced by the passage of two moons, which is a metaphor for the passing of time. The song encourages the listener to keep their eyes open and embrace life as it is, even with its flaws ("Tat mad white glare").

The song's refrain, "Singing the song just for the day," is a reminder to seize the moment and cherish the present, no matter how challenging or fleeting it may be. The song acknowledges the power of illusions and delusions in life and how they can make us feel manic. However, despite the challenges that life presents, the song encourages us to continue singing and celebrating the moment.

Overall, "Song for the Day" celebrates the beauty of life, encourages us to embrace the present, and reminds us to keep singing, no matter the challenges we face.

Line by Line Meaning

These nights awake
Referencing the amount of time spent awake during evenings

Can you imagine how much time
Asking the listener to consider the amount of time spent

We've spent around here?
Referring to the amount of time spent in a particular place or state of mind

Enough to say that we have seen
Acknowledging that enough time has passed for a certain experience to have occurred

Two moons come past
Metaphorically expressing the passage of time

Pass and turn away
Alluding to the cyclical nature of time

Don't close your eyes
Urging the audience to maintain focus and awareness

For we
Explaining the reason for the previous statement

Have come to love
Expressing a deep attachment to something

That mad white glare
Referring to a bright light, possibly symbolic

Would see the room depart
Implying a change or transformation of surroundings