Kitten Kast # 192 (right click, save as)
A selection of songs from people I either know or have met.
Eels - Tremendous Dynamite
I met E after a gig at The Coal Exchange in Cardiff in '98 or '99. He came out and played I Can't Help Falling In Love With You on the piano for everyone that had waited round after the show. He was a really nice guy and chatted to us for a while.
Mark Lanegan - Driving Death Valley
He played TJ's in Newport on a solo tour sometime in the early 2000s and I got him to sign my Sub Pop 200 CD. Another nice dude.
Meat Puppets - Comin' Down
Met Cris and Curt a few weeks ago when they played The Fleece in Bristol. Curt was cool, but quiet. Totally unimpressed by fan boys telling him he's an awesome guitarist. Cris was much more talkative and told me about him and Curt going to see Emerson, Lake & Palmer on LSD. Apparently the crowd morphed into a giant scarab beetle and lurched at the stage every time a pyro went off.
Stone Temple Pilots - Meat Plow
I met Scott after a show at Rock City in Nottingham in the late 90s. He was a super nice guy. Gave me a big hug and signed my Core CD. We talked about our favourite frontmen and he told me he'd been watching Queen at Wembley 86 while he was in the gym, and he stole loads of his schtick from Freddie Mercury.
Desecration - Raping The Corpse
Andi, the bassist, is a good friend of mine. I first met him when his old band, Mulch, were playing in Newport. He's now engaged to one of my best friends. Desecration are what I call a proper band. They tour all over the world and have a fan base and stuff.
The Keep - Seasoned Scythe
The Keep are basically this dude called Hywel who I know from when we were both mini moshers in the 90s. In Newport there's the ruins of an old castle and our little group of friends used to hang out there on Saturdays. Good times. Also we both post on
South Wales Massive. Also also our drummer Chris and his old bandmate from Taint, Jimbob, sing on this track. It's good.
Jerry Cantrell - Psychotic Break
Jerry played TJ's on the Degradation Trip tour before AIC reformed. He'd gone from playing arenas with Alice to playing to a 3/4 full rock club in Newport and wasn't in the best of moods. I had a very quick conversation with him. Halfway through he grabbed my arm and said something like, "listen, kid. i gotta go do my shit. I'll catch you later and sign your stuff". He disappeared inside his bus immediately after the set and showed no sign of coming out. Luckily his guitarist had taken a shine to my friend and she "persuaded" him to go on the bus and get Jerry to sign my CDs. Apparently he had to wake him up and he was pretty pissed off.
Manic Street Preachers - ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart
I went to the same school as the Manics and used to see all of them walking around where I grew up. Everyone in the valleys has a Manics story. I talked to Nicky a bunch of times and he was always really nice.
Thrones - Wage War
I've met Joe twice. Once at a gig in Camden in about 2003 and once when he supported Isis in Cardiff. Also a really good dude. Happy to shake your hand and sign your shit.
Pus - The Black Swordsman
All these dudes are good friends. Al and Rob from Spider Kitten play in Pus and Rhys, the singer, did a bunch of awesome artwork for us including the Future Echos cover. Solid bros. I produced this album for them.
Smiler - Deadbeat...Get A Job!
The drummer Mikee is ex of Spider Kitten and a good friend. We used to do sound teching together. Also the guitarist, Ioan, directed our video for Twin Obscenities. They were a great band and I'm stoaked to have produced the one album they released.
Weedeater - Dirt Merchant
They played Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff and I met Dixie briefly before they went on. He's a loon, but he's a nice guy. Afterwards I was having a toke outside and Shep and Keko came out to blag some. I had a hipflask of Jim Beam I'd been sipping from throughout the night that was still over half full. I offered some to Keko and he drained it in one, handed back and said "thanks, man."
Bismuth - The Eternal Marshes (excerpt)
I first met Tanya of Bismuth when she was in Diet Pills. I put them on in this tiny upstairs gig in a pub in Cardiff and they crashed at my house afterwards. We had a smoke listened to Jethro Tull and drank some wine. That's all I remember. They were all still going strong when I threw in the towel at 4am. Super nice lady who knows her amps.
Jimmy Rowe - Take It Easy On Me, Baby
Jimmy was in a band called SPG with our bass player Al. He's one of the most talented guys I know and a good friend. I have a deal with him where I'll record him for free whenever he wants, just so I can have more of his music to listen to. This was recorded in my living room whilst heavily fortified at some ungodly hour of the morning. Another solid bro.
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