Category 9
Houston, Texas, United States | SELF
Music
Press
By:
Silvia Bejarano - Photographer/Graphic Designer
at Millennium Photography & VideoProductions
This past Friday, December 2nd of 2011, I had the pleasure of getting the opportunity to exercise further as a photographer. While there were various bands competing to be recognized through their unique sound, I set out to capture their performance and ambience of the bar's stage.
Although I was invited by a friend who was competing, it was my first time listening to Category 9 live, and not only was I impressed, but a member of the audience felt the need to mention how great the vocals were with such energy. I agreed! The mixture of an edgy electric guitar accompanied by a steady bass, surprising drum beats, and mellow yet upbeat vocals reassures the audience and myself that their melodies are both refreshing and nod-worthy.
As I am continuously working with Millennium Photography & VideoProductions and expanding my photography portfolio, the images taken have captured exactly what I hoped they would - being a variance of color, light, and darkness, which I incorporate into my work in terms of artistic perspective. - Silvia Bejarano
Category 9 is an alternative rock quartet that started off as an acoustic duo. The band hails from Houston Texas and has really started to tear up their local scene. They are a true testament that desire and musical talent can bring people together in a genuine way when common goals are shared!
Category 9 hit the Supernova stage with full force in late 2011 for the Band Wars series http://www.supernova.com/shows/13042 This was their first major show and they grabbed 2nd place and won 4 hours of recording time for their performance and they also won the Wildcard fan vote online as well, showing off the passion that their fans have for their music and the support that they receive.
Introducing Category 9:
Jay Garay - Guitar/Vocals
Oscar Delgado - Lead Guitar
Matthew Vu - Bass
Anthony Vu - Drums
What is your band’s history; how did you get your name, and what got you where you stand as a band today?
We have been a band since August of 2011. We are just a bunch of friends who wanted to make music so we created Category 9. We chose the name because it sounds three times better than Category 3.
How would you describe your band’s sound?
We think it sounds like a mixture of all of our influences put together in a blender. One part guitar ambience (with a pinch of delay and phaser); one part steady bass; one part simple beats and two parts acoustic guitar and melody. Shake well and you get a tasty treat of Category 9.
What is the most rewarding thing about being in a band?
Finding an outlet to express our love and hunger for music to anyone who will give us a listen. It's always fun to put ideas into our music and watch people bob their heads and tap their toes.
What is your most memorable moment (so far) as a band?
Winning 2nd Place and the wild card vote in our first "real gig". This has definitely helped us to become more confident in what we do as musicians.
What is the biggest challenge facing new artists in your opinion?
Gaining Exposure and the opportunity to play shows for a live audience.
How did your band find Supernova.com? What would you tell other bands about it?
We were lucky enough to have been discovered by Nancy Chen from Supernova. She found us on Facebook and she liked our sound and booked us into the show. We would tell other bands that it's a great opportunity to play and listen to other local bands.
What would be your band's "motto" or "recipe" for putting on a good show?
"Keep it slow and sexy".
Where is your favourite place to practice or play?
Our favourite place to practice is at The Rhythm Room. Our favourite place to play is Fitzgerald's in Houston, Texas.
Is there any other Artist who you'd consider a "mentor"?
We wouldn't exactly consider any artist as a "mentor" but we have a handful of artists that we consider influences in our sound. Such as:
Incubus
Radiohead
The Beatles
Maroon 5
Coldplay
and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Is there such a thing as "bad music"? If so, how do you define it?
We don't think any music is "bad". We respect all artists' and their efforts in writing their music.
Is there anything else that makes your band unique that new listeners should know?
We think that our music makes us unique. Every one of our songs sounds different from the last. This makes it hard to put our music into one genre. When we're asked what kind of music we play, we usually have trouble describing it.
- Lance Ryan
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Category 9 started off as a small acoustic project between Oscar Antonio and Jay Garay but decided to pick up the sound for it needed more than just 2 guitars to contain what they had in ideas. Later on a mutual friend named Jeremy Vu introduced them both to his brother Matthew Vu who had previously worked along with his older brother Anthony Vu in a band named Bad Channel as a guitarist and drummer respectively. The Vu brothers loved to play and found this as an opportunity to play with 2 guys who had similar tastes. Matthew picked up the bass and Anthony the drums to complete the band of 4.
Jay, who was influenced by bands like Coldplay and Radiohead as well as artists like Adele, had already written a few original songs In Los Angeles, California. Oscar, who was influenced by guitarists like Mike Einziger from Incubus due to his use of effect pedals, started adding guitar parts to Jays music which made the songs take on a slightly different sound. Later, Oscar started to contribute original music of his own which further expanded the groups sound. Matthew and Anthony would then write their bass and drum parts and add any input they had to further change the sound of the current Idea.
Together they practice in a small studio that serves as a small getaway from their everyday lives to torture the smallest of their ideas and force them to mix into something that has everyone's inspiration and heart in it.
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