Hello, everyone. Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your day to spend on our blog. The post your about to read is part of our long-running artist advice series, and like many of the posts in this column the entry you’re about to enjoy was written by a band with experience in the topic at hand. This week’s guest authors are Fox & Cats, a promising young pop rock outfit from Texas with a new record titled ‘Ampersand’ due out next month. Click here to learn more about the band and their plans for the future.
When Nicole and I decided to play music together as Fox & Cats we actually intended to play as a four-piece. When we found it difficult to find reliable people to fill the extra spots we ultimately agreed to press on as a two-piece. This turned out to work really well for us for quite a while. We only had two minds collaborating on the project, which made it easy to set out clear ideas when it came to song writing. It also made it extremely easy for us to travel around. All of our equipment fit perfectly in the back of Nicole’s Toyota Tacoma, so we never had to worry about parking a trailer or taking multiple cars out to shows.
Being a two-piece also gave us a bit of an edge for our live shows. People seemed to be drawn to the fact that it was just the two of us up there making all that noise. It wasn’t until December of 2014 that we finally started playing with the idea of adding other musicians in to the mix again. Being a two-piece had its perks, but there’s just something so satisfying about a driving bass line to fuel a song. I also have this habit of hearing lead parts that should be filled by guitar and keys in my head when we write and play shows, which creates this hole that I feel compelled to fill. So, we had a show booked at Scout Bar in Clear Lake, Texas for The Texas Buzz award ceremony and we decided this show should be special since we were nominated for two categories and had been fortunate enough to be asked to play. For the first time in almost 4 years we performed as a four-piece and it was extremely satisfying to hear the parts I knew should be there but hadn’t been before.
Since then we’ve continued as a three-piece, keeping our friend Chris Dunaway on bass. We’ve already been working on new material and it’s very clear how much creative freedom having an additional member will allow us. After all, some of the best songs ever written are fueled by badass bass lines. Just imagine ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ by Queen without that sweet, sweet bass. Having an additional member on full time is also a huge help when it comes to touring and playing shows. Hauling around gear, dealing with merch and making long drives between cities can be quite a handful with just two people. It has definitely given us some perspective and allows us to truly appreciate having another set of hands.
The biggest challenge when adding additional members to a band is finding people who share the same musical vision and who also are able to fit in and get along well with the current members on a personal level. That’s the main reason it’s taken us as long as it has to add new members to the band. We truly got lucky with Chris and we hope to continue to grow and build our live sound as we move forward
