Interviews, gig fottage and more...
WHOOPIE CAT
Photo: Deborah Brandon
ABOUT THE BAND
2/24/2020
Whoopie Cat is a band from the Easteren Suburbs of Melbourne who have been playing their soul-stirring heavy blues rock since 2015.
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In 2011 the bothers Jesse and Jaksen Juzwin met Dan Smoo and Josh Brandon in high school where they started jamming together. After a while those jam sessions evolved into their first band together called Bad Repeat.
The band broke up but after a year they got together again to form Whoopie Cat with new band member Jo Eileen on keys and backing vocals. Their sound changed dramatically from pop-punk to a more bluesy sound.
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The band have played around the Melbourne venues for years, and have even gained recognition and support globally after the release of their self-titled EP in 2016. Some dude in Brazil even got the rainbow cat from the cover of this record tattooed, and more people around the world carry the cover art of Whoopie Cat on their skin - including lead singer Dan Smoo who got the cat on his chest about a year ago.
Jo Eileen
(Keys, vocals)
Photo: Jaccob McKay
Jesse Juzwin
(Guitar)
Dan Smoo
(Vocals, guitar)
Photo: Ummagummamumma
Josh Brandon
(Bass)
Photo: Ummagummamumma
Jaksen Juzwin
(Drums)
Photo: Micheal Hales
Photo: Jaccob McKay
MUSIC
Whoopie Cat doesn't hold themselves back by sticking to one style, instead they successfully combine elements of all sorts, some of which are blues, psych and heavy. They take their listeners on a soulful journey that builds up from a chilled out and melancholic vibe to a whirlwind of emotions and the epic guitar riffs of Jesse Juzwin, accompanied by Dan Smoo's powerful voice with beautiful back-up vocals by Jo Eileen.
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Their melodic tunes sounds similar to something you’d hear on the radio in the 70’s - the decade in which many of the bands they’ve taken inspiration from were big, such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and Black Sabbath. It’s always amazing to find music like this in our time - even if it rarely gets played on the big commercial radio stations.
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Whoopie Cat have released two great records and are working on new material to be featured on their next album. They planned on going on their first European tour this August but unfortunately like a lot of other musicians, they have had to cancel the trip for now due to COVID-19. They hope to postpone the tour to next year when the state of the world hopefully is looking brighter. None of the band members have visited Europe before so this tour is surly gonna be a big experience, both for the band and their fans overseas who finally get a chance to see their favourite rainbow kitties in action!
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GIVE THEM A LISTEN!
ALBUMS OUT
Whoopie Cat - EP (2016)
Illusion of Choice (2018)
INTERVIEW WITH WHOOPIE CAT
After hearing Whoopie Cat perform at Cherry Bar they invited me to a really chill one day music festival held in the Gully called Fishstock. Sam and Tom Fisher host this event in their backyard, where they invite some incredible bands to play at the event - Whoopie Cat being one of them.
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We sat down on the green grass on this sunny afternoon by the camping area and had a chat.
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Check it out to hear more about their music, personal experiences and relations to each other!
Click here to read more about Fishstock.
@whoopiecatband
