Make sure to wear some comfortable shoes if you're headed to the Ocean Port Hotel Saturday, Aug. 14, because Vancouver ska-funkers Fuzzcat promise to keep you on the dancefloor.
"Energy. Dancing. Sweat. Smiles," is how Fuzzcat singer/guitarist Chris Ryan described the atmosphere of the upcoming show at the OP.
The band plays original music that's been compared to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Manu Chao and Sublime - plus some covers by the likes of Peter Tosh, the Dead Kennedys, and Billy Bragg.
Fuzzcat has become a fixture on the Vancouver music scene, playing at the ANZA Club, and the second Monday of every month at the legendary Railway Club, along with tours of the Rockies, the Okanagan and Vancouver Island.
It's a long way from their beginnings as friends just playing together.
"We started in 2005 jamming acoustically in parks, backyards and beaches," said Ryan. "After many suggestions we started having fun with electrics and the rest built from there."
But Ryan admits it's not always easy being an indie band in 小蓝视频.
"The most difficult thing is time, time, time," he said. "There's always something to do in regards to promoting, practicing, arranging merch, recording, on top of a million last minute changes like bands dropping off bills, and forgetting their equipment. There's no one to look to except each other, which can add some real pressure on relationships within the band."
Last year, the band had a short Western Canada tour in November that ended with a set at the 2009 Grey Cup Street Festival, and the Hamilton Tiger Cats Party.
Fuzzcat's first album, Impact!, was released in 2007 and is now in its second printing.
Two songs from the album were featured in the documentary The Five Ring Circus, a Work Less Party production about the 2010 Olympics.
"We love cycling and love The Workless Party's approach to life," said Ryan. "It's a great mix of frivolity and seriousness so we asked to play some of their Velofusion parties at The ANZA. They liked the show and the music and added our songs to the documentary. It's one of our proudest achievements."
Fuzzcat's second album of all original songs recorded at The Hive in Burnaby and Fortissimo Studios in Vancouver is set for release in 2010, and Ryan is confident the material is the band's best yet.
"[We have] a whole slew of new, highly infectious tunes that shall sweep the planet with such ferocity that the World Health Organization will have to recognize us as a true pandemic," he said.
Catch Fuzzcat Aug. 14 at the Ocean Port Hotel.
