China Cats

"The China Cats aren’t a cover band," says Nicholas Meriweather, former archivist of the Grateful Dead collection at UC Santa Cruz. "They approach the Dead’s work with same kind of reverence and sophistication that the Dead themselves showed in their own forays into American roots music." "When you listen the Cats," Meriweather adds, "old favorites take on new lives, revealing facets that will delight and amaze even jaded listeners. These guys aren’t copycats — their sets demonstrate how the Dead’s music now is a part of the great American songbook, alongside the giants who first inspired the Dead." "I had a fine time and enjoyed the music very much." — Rock Scully, former manager, Grateful Dead "A spot-on, outstanding Grateful Dead tribute band" — Tom Miller, booking agent, Don Quixote's, Felton, CA "An all-star group of music veterans and a favorite of local deadheads." -- Good Times, Santa Cruz "If you noticed a couple of ol' greyhairs threading through the dancers in front of the stage just before your closing song, dancing by themselves, that was me and my friend. :) Loved your rendition of the music of the GD. Keep on keepin'" — Alan Trist, Ice Nine Publishing "While the China Cats are able to accurately recreate the sound and energy of the legendary band, they nonetheless infuse their renditions of classic songs with their own flavor. " -- Santacruz.com "One of the premier tribute bands in Northern California. The group has spent years infusing the classic sensibilities of the Dead's catalog with their own flair and energy" -- Good Times, Santa Cruz "Any tribute band can turn out rote performances of the songs of bygone bands, but to truly capture the spirit of another band—that’s a rare talent. Santa Cruz-based China Cats are unabashedly a Grateful Dead tribute band, but instead of attempting to perform note-perfect renditions of the band’s chestnuts, they attempt to capture that most intangible yet compelling aspect of the Dead’s live shows: the endless jam session. This is no small undertaking, but the China Cats pull it off with an impressive command of their instruments and a symbiotic musical interplay that befits the Grateful Dead’s legacy." -- Santa Cruz Weekly "The joy of the jam. Deadheads have always embraced it. And so they embrace the Grateful Dead tribute band, The China Cats. Each performance is a new, communal journey. The term “tribute band” can mean a lot of different things, from lookalikes to carbon copy sound to simply using the original artist’s work as a jumping off point. The China Cats fall more into that last category." - San Jose Mercury News =============================================================== This Bay Area tribute band performs the songs of the Grateful Dead with spirited jams that carry their own genuine personality while paying homage to their musical forefathers. The band has featured many guests and shared the stage with Melvin Seals several times since 2014. Lead guitarist Matt Hartle brings experience from collaborations with Dead-family musicians, has an acclaimed body of original material, and is a founding member of Santa Cruz-based Shady Groove. Matt has shared the stage with guitarists including Henry Kaiser and Stu Allen, and is a current member of Painted Mandolin with Joe Craven. Scott has several solo albums to his credit with his band, Scott Cooper & the Barrelmakers. Keyboardist Steve Sofranko is a regular in Stu Allen & Mars Hotel. Roger formerly played bass in David Gans & the Sycamore Slough String Band and has performed with artists such as Michael Kang, David Nelson, Henry Kaiser and Frank Wakefield. Drummer Michael Owens is an in-demand player who is versed in New Orleans, jazz, reggae and African drumming. Members of the band have also performed or recorded with Stu Allen (JGB), Melvin Seals (JGB), David Nelson (NRPS), Bill Payne (Little Feat), Barry Sless (Phil & Friends, David Nelson), Ben Ellman (Galactic), Howard Wales (Jerry Garcia), Bill Laymon (New Riders), Keith Graves (Jefferson Starship, Quicksilver), George Marsh (David Grisman Quintet), Bobby Black (Hank Williams, Bob Dylan), Luka Frederickson (Wolfman Washington), Mike Schermer (Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur), Marc Carino (Fabulous Thunderbirds), James "Fingers" Shupe (Dan Hicks), (Charlie Musselwhite Band), Frank Wakefield, and many others. Armed with a large repertoire of tunes from the Dead's 150-song repertoire, the China Cats, like the Dead, do not repeat songs from one night to the next. Their repertoire spans the Dead's entire career including vintage gems such as "St. Stephen"; epic masterpieces like "Terrapin Station," "Help on the Way -> Slipknot"; Bob Weir jam numbers like "Let it Grow" and "Feel Like a Stranger"; obscurities like "Mission in the Rain" and "Brother Esau", and latter-day nuggets such as "Lazy River Road," "Liberty" and "So Many Roads." Despite their various allegiances, China Cats is a full-fledged band, listening closely to one another as they share the happy tangle that defines Dead-style jams. They relish the use of familiar Dead motifs: bluegrassy phrasing on lines far outside the bluegrass idiom, group pauses with glimmering sustained notes, and overlapping scales that unfurled like maypole ribbons. ================================================== "The China Cats are widely recognized as the top Dead tribute band in the state and for good reason. The band captures the spirit and detailed music of the Dead while adding their own subtle touch. Not just a a great tribute band, but a great band in general." -- Sacramento 365 "... reviving the spirit of the legendary band than recreating each tune note for note. Using the Dead's catalog as a launching pad, China Cats then heads off into swirling, uncharted longform jams. " -- Santacruz.com "The Bay Area's leading Grateful Dead tribute band... Instead of attempting note-for-note re-enactments, the China Cats try to re-create the spirit of the Dead with creative jam sessions. This Bay Area tribute band performs the songs of the Grateful Dead with spirited jams that carry their own genuine personality while paying homage to their musical forefathers." -- Modesto Bee "There’s nothing like a good Grateful Dead tribute band. The China Cats uphold the roots-based jams that Garcia, Weir, Hart, Lesh, Godchaux and Kreutzmann invented. Covers of timeless tunes like “Eyes of the World,” “Here Comes Sunshine” and “Morning Dew,” keep Jerry’s legend shining as bright as a fire. The Santa Cruz quintet is made up of true Deadheads." -- Monterey County Weekly "... Here's a band you need to catch... As the old saying goes, 'There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert' — and members of Santa Cruz-based band The China Cats take that to heart. The group — beautifully captures the improvisational spirit and psychedelic sound of a Grateful Dead concert, drawing from the legendary band's vast repertoire, with faithful interpretations of songs such as 'Truckin',' 'Eyes of the World,' 'Jack Straw,' 'Terrapin Station' and 'Bertha.' Close your eyes and you'll think you're back at the fabled Fillmore West!" -- Monterey Herald "A Grateful Dead tribute band comprised of accomplished veterans and young talents too young to have ever seen the Dead without their Deadhead parents." -- KGO Radio "I want to thank you for the terrific performance on the Church Street Stage! You were great and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed your performance. It was all we hoped for." -- Ellen Primick, Cabrillo Music Festival "One of the Bay's most esteemed Dead cover bands. Their ability to recreate the sounds of the Grateful Dead is uncanny...just wait for the first three notes of Shakedown Street and you'll feel like you're at Winterland in '78." -- Cafe du Nord "The authenticity's in the sound for this local band that plays the music of the Grateful Dead. (They) cover songs from across the Dead's spectrum with extended jams and a sense of spontaneity that ensures every show offers something different."-- Santa Cruz Sentinel, Best Bets, 8/29/08 "At Fernwood, the China Cats will pay homage to an immortal cultural phenomenon. Santa Cruz – the future home of the Grateful Dead Archive at UC Santa Cruz – is the perfect breeding ground for the Dead cover band. Singer/guitarist Scott Cooper experienced his first Dead show in college. “The rest was history,” he says. Cooper says his favorite Dead songs feature Bob Weir’s distinct guitar riffs – “Cassidy,” “Casey Jones” and “Here Comes Sunshine.” Like the Dead, the Cats can play well into the wee hours; at recent show in the Central Valley, they played four encores. Cooper – who teaches guitar at UCSC – is ecstatic about the archive opening on the welcoming campus. “All the Santa Cruz people are honored that it’s here,” he says. -- Monterey Weekly, May 2010 "Grateful Dead tribute bands are a dime a dozen, rarely capturing any of the Dead's actual appeal or virtuosic jamming, but (The China Cats) actually do the legacy proud. What became a one-off tribute last year among self-professed Deadheads has grown into a primary concern, and for good reason: instead of trying to attempt note-for-note re-enactments, (The China Cats) evoke the spirit of the Dead through limber jams potent enough to give even the sober a contact high." — santacruz.com "true-to-form" — Good Times, Santa Cruz "An excellent Santa Cruz-based Grateful Dead tribute band." -- Monterey Herald "... one of the Bay Area's best new Grateful Dead cover bands." 7x7.com http://www.gratefulweb.com/reviews/on-tour/the-china-cats-the-pat-nevins-trio-live-at-the-starry-plough-in-berkeley.html Performing the music of the Grateful Dead.