Cactus 12

Artist Information

Biography

Cactus 12, of Cleveland, Ohio, is ready to unleash their unique brand of music. Their sound, simply put, is mainstream aggressive alternative power pop! Powerfully delicious and absolutely infectious, the ten songs on "Stay" will prove it's time for their shot at stardom. Lead singer/guitarist Sam Getz will rock the crowd, with his muscular guitar solos and explosive stage presence! Bassist Phil Palumbo and drummer Mike Gould provide a thumping rhythm that is augmented by Jimmy Weaver's finishing touches playing keys and rhythm guitar!

Early in their five year career Cactus 12 was chosen as a finalist in the 2002 High School Rockoff and was part of the Cleveland Music Festival. Their accomplishments have grown immensely in the past year. An advance three song demo earned them a coveted invitation to 2005’s Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA. In the summer of 2005, C12 played the Midwest leg on the second stage for the John Mellencamp and John Fogerty Tour; along with their good friend Kate Voegele. Also, Cactus 12 has been one of WBWC’s Top 5 Requested Songs four times, and is now being played on 92.3 KROK in Cleveland. Through myspace, purevolume, and other grass roots promotion, Cactus 12 is starting to grow regionally and attracting fans across Ohio, as well as other nearby states. Now after signing with heavy hitting Cleveland entertainment layer Mark Avsec, Cactus 12 will be shopping to major labels in 2006, searching out top notch management, and continuing to expand their fan base.

Instrumentation

Sam Getz- Lead Vocals and Guitar
Phil Palumbo- Bass and Back Up Vocals
Mike Gould- Drums
Jimmy Weaver- Back Up Guitars and Keys

Discography

Debut LP -"Stay" -August 2005

Audio

Lyrics

• I Want
• Stay
• You

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Cleveland Scene [+ Show ]
  

  When Cactus 12 frontman Sam Getz tells listeners he's the kind of guy who'll "cry with the blink of ...When Cactus 12 frontman Sam Getz tells listeners he's the kind of guy who'll "cry with the blink of an eye" on his band's debut, it's a bit misleading. While most of Getz's pop-rock contemporaries have gotten maudlin, Cactus 12 emotes with backbone. If cheeks are wet, it's mostly from sweat.
  Getz's beefy guitar toughens up this band's otherwise breezy pop. He lays down some surprisingly muscular solos that lend a hard-rock edge to radio-friendly daydreams like "Been Here" and "I Want." Getz sings mostly about girls, his voice full of yearning, trying to figure out why they thrill and torment him so. After a few spins, you won't be able to get his girls out of your head either.
  

• Bruce Brodeen- Notlame.com [+ Show ]
  

  Giving commercial rock a good name, Cactus 12 is the type of band that blends a classic hard driving...Giving commercial rock a good name, Cactus 12 is the type of band that blends a classic hard driving melodic pop sound with a pumping rock beat and never takes its soul, its center away from creating sounds that would sound great on the radio. In fact, it`s the type of radio sound that majors were trying to work in the early 90`s as Cactus 12 reminds us of old faves like The Gin Blossoms, Dillon Fence, Uncle Green, and Fastball … The tunes are intelligent and cleverly constructed with interesting melodic structures, some rock solid commercial harmonies and winning arrangements. Gives the term "Radio Friendly" a very positive meaning. Very Highly Recommended!!

• Jersey Beat Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  These young, good- looking Clevelanders eschew pop-punk and emo (what you’d expect from guys their a...These young, good- looking Clevelanders eschew pop-punk and emo (what you’d expect from guys their age) for vintage power-pop with creamy harmony vocals, catchy choruses, and head-bobbing hooks. … the first couple of songs here are killer. It’s not hard to imagine a phalanx of screaming teen girls at their concerts, or a couple of these romantic love songs swelling on the soundtracks to next season’s episodes of Gilmore Girls or The O.C.

• The Patriot News [+ Show ]
  

  Clevelanders Cactus 12 are purveyors of crunchy guitar rock that's catchy beginning with "I Want," t...Clevelanders Cactus 12 are purveyors of crunchy guitar rock that's catchy beginning with "I Want," the first track from their debut CD, "Stay," and doesn't let up. Standouts include "You," the punchy "Stay," and the loose, blues-tinged shuffle "All I Can Do." "Last Sunday," set to an earthy acoustic riff, has an appealing Black Crowes feel to it.
  Singer-guitarist Sam Getz knows how to craft a tight song and lay down a groove… radio ready stuff for sure. "Been Here" especially would fit onto any station with Maroon 5 on its playlist.
  

• Ante Up Audio's Artist Of The Month April, 2005 [+ Show ]
  

  Nearly a year in the making, Cactus 12 is ready to unleash their debut LP “Stay” on the unsuspecting...Nearly a year in the making, Cactus 12 is ready to unleash their debut LP “Stay” on the unsuspecting masses in late April. This may very well result in wide-spread shock because I doubt that anyone is expecting a record this good to come out of three kids from Cleveland.
  
  Cactus entered the studio with songs written and arranged to be performed as a trio but they also made it clear (to producer Michael Seifert) that they didn’t want to limit their recording to what could be pulled off live. “This opened the door for some really interesting textures, counterpoint melodies, and production ideas that I was able to weave throughout the album”, says Seifert. “The record was a lot of fun to work on. They had really well written material and they’re all great players… Nothing’s more important than that. They also gave me a lot of levity when it came to production decisions. Some people freak out if, say, you want to introduce an entire orchestral arrangement for 30 seconds in a rock song... It scares some people to make a record that doesn’t sound like every other record that’s currently on the shelf. With these guys, it didn’t seem to matter how simple or lavish an idea was… They were always open to new ideas and never concerned about needing to sound like anybody other than Cactus 12 which was really refreshing”. Some of the best examples of Seifert’s contributions can be found on tracks like “Dream” and “Gotta Find A Way”.
  
  Other stand out tracks include the disc’s hard hitting opener “I Want” and the hook laden “Back Down”. In all honesty, there’s really not a bad song on the disc. Even the retro sounding “All I Can Do” is downright endearing. “We wanted to make a CD that sounded more like a record”, says Getz. Jimmy Weaver (who mixed the album with Seifert at Ante Up Audio) adds “Almost everything out right now sounds so bland. We wanted this record to be bigger, warmer, and deeper sounding”. Mission accomplished guys! Seriously, put this disc in next to any major label release and see if it doesn’t sound as good if not better.
  
  “Stay” is already creating a buzz among industry types as one of the most solid and best sounding independent releases this year. I’d suggest that you keep an eye out for Cactus 12 but with everything they have going for them, I suspect that they’ll soon be hard to miss!
  
  
  
  -Jonathan Brooks
  

Setlist

I Want
You
Gotta Find A Way
Took Me Down
Stay
Last Sunday
Dream
Been Here
All I Can Do
Back Down
A few different covers including:
Ain't To Proud To Beg (The Temptations)
Just What I Needed (The Cars)
It's Alright Ma (Bob Dylan)

Basic Requirements

Calendar