By: Staff
CATES has just released their latest single, "Finer Distractions," and it's an absolute banger! The guitars absolutely burst through the speakers, reminiscent of the iconic Kool-Aid Man crashing through a wall. There's no time wasted as these blood-pumping, screeching guitars grab your attention in the most electrifying way. The lyrics have a distinct 70s power-pop vibe that is best experienced with the volume cranked up and the windows rolled down. The thunderous drum breaks keep the energy levels sky-high throughout the track. "Finer Distractions" is a groovy, retro-inspired delight that seamlessly blends sweet and sour, smooth yet blazing, funky instrumentation with vocals that scream at you in the most delightfully rock and roll fashion. If you're a fan of that classic 70s pop sound, you'll devour this track. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics, like "And we won't be offended if all you do is just cross your arms and yawn," are just plain awesome and had us humming along uncontrollably. Do yourself a favor and listen to "Finer Distractions" by CATES. It's the perfect soundtrack for kicking back, cracking open a cold one, and letting the good vibes flow. Make sure to add "Finer Distractions" by CATES to your playlists and share it with your friends so you can introduce them to this killer new track before anyone else.
Wait, there's more!
We caught up with this exciting and emerging artist, for “The Cage” Music Blog, to talk about music and learn more about them.
Here’s how it went:
When did you start making music? Aaron: We were little kids. Our Dad was a staff songwriter (Nashville, y’know), so he was always playing guitar around the house, and he and Mom are both great singers, so it was just a part of growing up (we’re brothers, btw).
Matthew: We played a talent show when I was in the 4th grade and Aaron was in 2nd grade. We’ve been playing music together ever since. We wrote our first song together a bit later. I think I was maybe in the 7th grade and Aaron was in the 5th grade.
Just to follow up on growing up in a musical household—I often tell my wife about how songs would just kind of travel around the house. I’d be humming a song at noon. I’d hear Mom humming it while she graded papers and Dad singing it after dinner. Great way to grow up.
If you are a duo or a band, how did you form? Please tell us the band members' names, roles, and relevant instruments.
Aaron: Matthew (guitar, vox) and I (drums, vox) had a band before this one that didn’t work out, you know the trope. I think we were kinda bitter about it at the time and said, “Okay, new band, and it’s unashamedly about US. It’s called CATES – OUR last name, OUR faces, OUR voices, OUR songs, etc.” We were gonna just record all the instruments ourselves and pay some stooges to copy the parts live, but once we started playing with Stefan (Reed - bass) and Glen (Martin – guitar, vox, and sometimes sax), they were so awesome that we kinda let go of that last part.
Can you walk us through your songwriting process and where the inspiration comes from for this latest project?
Matthew: Aaron and I both write songs. Sometimes we write alone, and sometimes together. This one was a co-write.
Before we decide to write together, one of us has a bit of an idea: some combination of a chord progression, a melody they like, a lyrical idea, or some sort of organizational structure for the song.
Usually, when I bring a song to Aaron, something in the song isn’t working. That’s typically where we start. Once we tackle any higher-order issue, it’s just a matter of penning the lines. There’s a lot of silence and thinking. Then, someone will throw a line out, and the other may reject it in favor of something else or tighten it up a bit.
Co-writing is the easiest when the idea, chords, and melody are well established before we get together. I remember this one being that way. I think we banged out the lyric in maybe 3 or 4 hours, which is really quick for us. I came in with a pretty fleshed out idea, which was to write a tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating opener for our set, and I had the hook line already. That freed us up to just hurl funny lines back and forth. I remember Aaron coming up with that “Ooh, baby, rock on” line and my personal favorite: “How would you rate this crowd interaction?”
Where do you create your music, i.e., in a home recording studio or with a producer?
Matthew: We’ve recorded some stuff ourselves—like our Work from Home E.P., which is still stream-able, by the way .
For the past couple of years, we’ve worked with Jared Corder (of the band *repeat repeat) at Polychrome Ranch, which is a studio out in the country just north of Nashville. Jared’s immensely talented. Because he’s an excellent songwriter, he has a great ear for melody and building a track that surprises and delights people. In addition to recording our stuff and mixing it, he helps fine tune our arrangements, and he suggests parts we wouldn’t have thought of. He’s really great at matching the sounds we’re going for, too. I remember us referencing Big Star and Wilco for this track, and I think Jared really nailed that.
Is any part of your music's message or your personal purpose you feel fans should know more about? If so, what is that element, and why is it so important to you?
Aaron: Yeah, listen to the words. We spend a lot of time choosing the right ones.
Matthew: I’ll add that if you do listen to the lyrics, I wouldn’t think about them too much. Just experience them. There aren’t cryptic things lying in wait for you.
What part of the music-making process is the most stressful, ie the creation, the actual release date, etc.?
Aaron: Trying to figure out the best way to push it and get it in front of people. We spent most of our lives trying to figure out how to make good music, not how to “utilize online promotion tools for maximum reach” or whatever. I find myself wishing more and more these days that I’d gone to school for marketing.
Matthew: I agree, and I’ll add that the worst part—for me anyway—is facing rejection. I often think of this line in the “Sound of Silence,” “People writing songs that voices never shared.” That’s such a songwriter-y line. It’s like he thought, “What’s the most disturbing thing I can cap this verse off with…”
Promoting your own music leaves you so vulnerable. Despite your best efforts, people may never replay your song—much less sing it. Ultimately, you have to contend with what that indifference says about you.
If there was one thing you could change about the music industry, what would it be?
Matthew: I wish that business people could do business and musicians could make music. Independent artists distribute their own music, publicize it, try to get it placed, market it, manage social media, book shows—and still write thoughtful, engaging music.
It’s a lot to ask one person to do.
Personally, I just don’t do half of it. And if you want to know which half we neglect, you should follow us on social media.
Where do you see your sound and artistry heading in the future?
Aaron: Style/arrangement-wise, I kinda doubt we’ll deviate much from the present course. We like guitars, we like rock bands. If we wanna experiment, we’ll write weirder songs, but the sound of the band probably won’t change a lot.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Aaron: Go to school for marketing.
Matthew: Be kinder to yourself.
What is your favorite song to cover?
Aaron: “Whipping Post” by the Allman Bros.
Matthew: It’s “War Pigs” for me. Hands down. We only did it once, but man, it was a blast.
How do you feel about social media?
Aaron: I probably wouldn’t be on it if we didn’t have a band.
Matthew: Oh shit! Where’s the like button at…
Taylor Swift has many breakup-based songs. How do you feel about writing one based on an ex?
Aaron: I wrote one about ten years ago called “We’re the Stars.” I don’t wanna do that kinda thing again unless the song’s so good that I can live with the embarrassment.
Matthew: Yeah. I wouldn’t rule it out, but the song idea would have to be really good. Not every meaningful memory is a great song waiting to be written. To be honest, I feel like most are, emphatically, not.
Events in my life do unearth facets of human behavior that fascinate me. And after awhile, I’ll get an idea for a mostly fictional song that’s optimized to explore them.
When you reach the stage where you have the admiration and respect of other world-known artists, what band or artist would you love to call and say, “Let’s go on tour together”?
Aaron: Sidney Gish. Either of the Gallagher Bros.
We have experienced that many people perform acts of selflessness each day. Once your artistry has reached far and wide, how will you use that more powerful voice to have a bigger positive impact on our world?
Aaron: I always used to fantasize about hanging around downtown with big rolls of cash on me, and just handing out Benjamins to anyone who tries to bum anything. There’s probably a more effective way to help people, but that one’s better for my ego.
What is the most inspirational thing a fan, or anyone, has told or shown you about your music?
Aaron: My Mom and Dad say we’re good. I think I can trust them.
Matthew: Speaking of exes, my ex once referred to Jimi Hendrix as “the guy who plays guitar like you.” Lol. Jimi Hendrix plays guitar like me. Ridiculous. And still the best complement I’ve ever gotten.
Check out this latest release and listen to more of CATES on Spotify & YouTube.
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