photo credit: Rachel Bennett
On February 16, Seattle-based band mega cat will release their self-titled debut album on Share It Music (pre-order). mega is a new instrumental collaboration by Aaron Benson (drums, percussion, guitar), Kim West (piano and synthesizer) and Ryan Devlin (bass and guitar). For live performances, the band is joined by Dave Dederer (Presidents of the United States of America) on guitar and Jacob Whinihan (La Fonda) on percussion. Ryan and Kim both play in the Seattle-based band Smokey Brights.
Today mega cat is pleased to present “Celebrate With Port!” the second track to be released from the band’s upcoming album. The track debuted at Happy Magazine and is on all streaming platforms for any playlist shares. The band is also releasing a live performance video of “Good Newts” from the upcoming album which was recorded at The Sunset Tavern this fall.
Back when Seattle dive The Comet Tavern still had rock shows, people would take shots of port like it was whiskey. One could saddle up to its slanted bar any night of the week and find a horde of punks sucking down the sweet, syrupy, and surprisingly strong fortified wine that was, in fact, the house drink.
“Celebrate with Port!” – the second single from mega cat – is partially inspired by those high octane, low center of gravity nights on the Pike/Pine corridor. Like the sound of a time bending hip hop beat tussling with crust funk in the back of that shithole dive bar, Aaron Benson’s drums take the listener from sober to slanty to outright smashed. The song is also inspired by an early mega cat tradition involving “a port night every fortnight” with dear friends as a sentimental way to break up the monotony of time during lockdown. The group brought The Comet to Benson’s backyard and “Celebrate with Port!” was uncorked.
“Celebrate With Port!” follows mega cat’s lead single “Rat Fight” which debuted at Glide Magazine and is on all digital platforms.
“Rat Fight” is mega cat’s first musical transmission and emblematic of the group’s punk musical approach filtered through hip hop instrumentals, 70’s Afro Beat and avant jazz, and the abrasive individualism only found in Pacific Northwest music. It’s a wild, ritualistic dance in five/four time. The driving bass, blown out synthesizers, weighty drums, decisive horns and flute, and Saharan guitars all dance around each other until they collide in claps, like claws and fangs slashing in battle. Envelop yourself in the drama, the wild energy, and the audible thuds of this epic battle song.
mega cat is a disembodied multidimensional being most discernibly experienced as sound waves. It was first discovered in a basement home studio in the Central District of Seattle, Washington by audio chemists Aaron Benson, Kim West and Ryan Devlin. Upon first encountering mega cat, all three researchers experienced a loss of time, body dissociation, euphoria, and ego death. Reports of holographic thought, enhanced perception, and minor instances of levitation have been widely documented from just one encounter with mega cat. Though the being doesn’t seem to use traditional language to communicate, mega cat transmits instrumental narratives that feel familiar to fans of 20th century science fiction, afro-beat, hip hop, and psychedelic music.
mega cat announced a Seattle record release show taking place on March 2 at The Sunset Tavern. Tickets are available HERE. The band will also be performing at Treefort Music Festival in Boise in March 2024. More shows will announced in the coming weeks.
Stream: “Celebrate With Port!” at Bandcamp and on all digital platforms
Stream: “Rat Fight” at Bandcamp and all digital platforms
