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"-
and then they conjure their Mojo on stage and transform the music into
a magic that maybe can be best described as 'the MojoBus' going around the
corner on two wheels; this group is a powerful and thrilling throwback to
the Classic Rock music that everyone - Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millenials
- will all
love -" |
 Her
energy on stage is compelling, contagious,
inspiring, liberating. She covers Stevie Nicks (one of her "favorites") and then covers Sting, and
then Joan Osborne.
Then she gets in one of those "moods" and nails Axl Rose.
Axl Rose! Just because she feels like it - and she can. Never
sang a note on stage until she decided she could around a dozen years ago,
and she's been at it ever since. One band - one leader. Cat.
The CAT in MojoCatz. Maybe the band was named for her...or
maybe the band just took on her personality. Gifted with a great ear
and sense of time, Cat knocks out lead vocals and (covering the guys)
magnificent background harmonies. She plays acoustic guitar and is
downright wicked with hand-held percussion instruments. Behind the
scenes, Cat drives the playlist, the rehearsals, the very band personae.
The sound is never allowed to get "tired" with Cat steering the band bus.
Perhaps the best compliment paid to any musician occurs on those occasions
when other high-profile musicians "drop by" to sit in for a song or two.
Cat has earned the respect of her peers as a working musician and on any
given night will be joined onstage by the creme-de-la-creme of the talent in
the area. As any female vocalist will admit privately, the musicians
"boys club" is tough to break into. Cat has long since earned her
place among working musicians and commands their respect as well as her own headlines - as she
continues to define the MojoCatz - with voice, rhythm, and attitude. After
all, she IS the MojoCat in body, heart and spirit. |
| " - the thing about them is that no matter where you look there is always something going on; they are a performance buffet - " |
 There
has always been a bit of a mystery about him - so reserved and apparently
conservative during the day at work or with family; but get him on a stage and
it is hard not to notice the animation - the intensity - the almost maniacal
approach to making what he calls his "Positive Noise." Playing piano since
he was eight years old, he has since played with club bands on stages in 17
states and 5 Canadian Provinces. The winner of a Tuney Award for
Best Keyboardist, Doug also has won area talent shows and the Country
Showdown with Coupe DeVille. Doug fronted area favorite Your Move for
over ten years and has played with the majority of the area musicians.
To his credit, he is a member of ASCAP and has written music for other
artists including 2 Billboard Country Top 100 releases "So Give Me a Ticket"
and "One Too Many Times." In the MojoCatz, he plays piano, keyboard
bass, polyphonic synthesizers, and (his personal favorite) a Roland
monophonic multi-oscillator synthesizer that is the "signature" sound of
songs such as Head East's hit "Never Been Any Reason" and REO SpeedWagon's
hit "Ridin the Storm Out." He may be one of the stronger
vocalists in the area even as he claims his singing is "elegantly controlled shouting." Currently,
the band has added his "Songwriter Blues" to their extensive playlist, and he
continues to write on occasion hoping to perhaps have some of his material
picked up by a major recording artist or record label.
Doug continues to be the "Big Mac Attack" in the Mojocatz. |
|
" - they were always good as a 5-piece group; but now as a 6-piece, well, the energy and sound they put out is truly exceptional - " |
 How
did HE end up in the MojoCatz?. This just isn't fair. It
is well known in and around Yellowstone Valley that Ern could play
with anyone...and that band would be immediately better for it.
Perhaps it is not so such about skill level as it is camaraderie.
Members of the Mojo project would go out and watch Ern play with
iconic frontmen such as Jared Stewart and Al Jordan and marvel at
his guitar, bass, and vocal talent. And in those moments
between sets when Ern (and Nadine) would share stories and pints
with the Catz, a kinship began. Ern and Nadine would regularly
come out and sit-in on nights off...as few as there were...and
finally, it just happened. "Come on, Ern; play with us."
So, there it is then. And the MojoCatz suddenly found a new
level of musicianship being unleashed with the first rehearsal.
The most important thing? The band is more a BAND than ever.
Kinship is everything. And the opportunities musically are now
seemingly endless. With Ern pounding out a foundation on bass,
Tony is able to reach for new heights as a percussionist; Doug is
truly freed to play keys with both hands (instead of holding down a
bass line with his left hand); Ron and Cat are better guitar players
with Ern in the band; Jim is - well - Jim. What's Jim going to
do anyway, hit longer home runs on Sax? The bottom line?
A new commitment to excellence and an immediate upgrade to the
songlist. That's all that Ern brings. And a Tuney award.
That's all. And a rejuvenated desire. Just
the passion to go play like we're all just starting again with that
youthful energy that we all once had. Just a deeper friendship
that makes the MojoCatz what it is. Just extraordinary talent.
Exceptional execution. The Thunder within the tornado.
The Virtual Earthquake below the volcano. That's all.
Welcome to the NEW MojoCatz. Welcome Ern Cunningham.
Welcome new Mate. Welcome old Friend. Bye Bye UK.
He's on the MojoBus. All others are served notice - Look Out! |
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" - professional and reliable; they never deliver anything but a top-notch, full sound and high energy show - " |
 And then there's Ron. Been around
the music scene next to forever. Master of all things strings.
The Dean of Guitars. Country Showdown Winner - Soloist. Wow.
Played with everybody that's anybody. Outlasted all the critics, all
the clubs and club owners, all the musicians that decided to "hang 'em up"
because of this or that. Ron is a musician's musician...precise,
practiced, polished. Ron can play just about any style from any
musical genre, and playing with Ron onstage is generally a tutorial in
musical theory and execution. To tell the truth, Ron has forgotten
more chord inversions than most players will ever know. Master
arranger. Understands the audience. Knows when to play a
phrase...and when to allow the space to shimmer between the notes. Ron
is a 60's balladeer, a 70's country-rocker, an 80's band leader, a 90's
studio engineer, and the resident Emeritus Doctor of acoustic and electric
guitars...lots of guitars. His Ovation acoustic sound is trademarked
and unmistakable. His electric sound is anything it needs to be.
The addition of his outstanding lead and harmony singing has helped mold the
immediately recognizable Mojo vocals that stand out above the din of typical
club acts. Ron demands that the MojoCatz continue to strive for a
musical perfection that is the ultimate goal of any performing musician.
Ron makes every band better - every musician better. Ron may very well be the conscience of
the music and the "intelligent design" of the MojoCatz.. |
|
" - Classic rock is well played by a lot of groups, but it is superbly interpreted by the MojoCatz; they understand their music - " |
 When a performance hangs in the balance, every group imagines the "heavy-hitter" rising to the occasion and "knocking one out of the park." And that is exactly what Jim has been doing for decades - hitting musical home runs. Jim is undeniably the band "Babe Ruth" as he is playfully called by the other members of the Mojocatz. While Jim will humbly be the last to say, he truly is a showstopper and an audience "must-see" as he weaves his musical tapestry with an array of (various) saxophones, flute, Irish Penny-Whistle, hand-held percussion, and lead and harmony vocals. Audiences never seem to tire of his work - from frenetic flute solos of Jethro Tull covers to his own interpretation of any one of dozens of R&B standards. Jim is from a musical family; his brother Curtis has scored dozens of highly recognizable major motion pictures, and his father played sax in the Big-Horn Mountain Area (Sheridan, Wyoming) for over a half century before his recent passing. Berklee College of Music (Boston) trained and street-wise, Jim is the very definition of soul by every musician's measure. Doug, Cat and Ron regularly just get out of the way and let Jim "take it home" as he has been doing to the delight of Mojocatz fans for over a decade. Sensitive and Savvy, Suave and Saucy, Jim is a complete Cat's-Ass of a musician, recent Tuney Winner ('bout time!) and a consummate team musician that can score with the audience every time he gets the call to make a play. PS - Cat brought the "Cat" - Jim brought the "Mojo" to the MojoCatz! |
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" - The MojoCatz create a musical tidal wave; piano, guitars, bass, synthesizers, horns, percussion, and stunning vocals wash over audiences in waves of immediately recognizable cover hits; they have put it all together beautifully - " |
 So
Tony could be called the band "newbie" - but ONLY in the sense that
he has another decade or so to go to catch up to the other five Catz.
HOWEVER - Tony's list of accomplishments to date is perhaps
more amazing than the longevity of his contemporaries: played
in award winning (touring) alternative band Krunk; toured
Europe with Deniz Tek (Radio BirdMan) playing high-energy originals;
writes music and lyrics and fronts (vocals) for the local band Eve
Effect when he is not playing percussion in synch with Ern as one
of the tightest rhythm sections around. Tony is astonishingly
musically mature when compared to the other members and actually has
developed his own following "faithful" at MojoCatz events. His
ability to "keep up" with the others is only subtly overshadowed by
his skill at not overplaying as he allows the vocalists to sing in
front of the Mojo Musical Wall of Pounding Sound; Tony is the perfect
complementary player to the instrumental soloists and his sense of
punctuation is deeply appreciated by the others. Tony is a
true veteran at keeping the band "metronome" as he establishes and
holds a steady groove for every musical piece. Tony adds
backup harmonies and is just now fronting lead vocals as well.
His energy is abundant and his consistency outstanding. And
yes, his dreads are probably longer than...well, you fill that part
in. Tony has been the perfect addition to complete the MojoCatz lineup.
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" - They have fun; you'll be swept away in it. They are uplifting; you're spirit will soar. There is no way you won't LOVE the MojoCatz - " |