GalleryCat
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GalleryCat

Dallas, Texas, United States

Dallas, Texas, United States
Band Hip Hop Avant-garde

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Question: What Was The Best Show You Didn't See Last Weekend?"

Answer: That AwkQuarius gig at Rubber Gloves that we told you about in last week's Good Friday.

Of course, we didn't tell you about the Dallas-based hipster-hop outfit known as galleryCat that opened for Pikahsso and Tahiti--mostly because we didn't know them at the time either...

So how do I know that you weren't there? Because, sadly, only maybe two-dozen people showed up--most of which seemed to be entourage types. But, the paltry turn out didn't make a shred of difference to galleryCat's frontman Angelo Gonzales. He chatted up the crowd between songs like a pro, and it was obvious he knew how to get even the smallest crowd engaged.

Admittedly, it may have helped that he started out the night wearing a giant, mascot-style cat head and paws. But the rapping cat isn't a necessary gimmick. The group's songs stand on their own. Take a listen to "Saysaysay"...

So good.

Like most of galleryCat's other songs, "Saysaysay" is a light-hearted, poppy romp about a relationship with a girl. And Gonzales' lyrics are spot-on hilarious: "Girl take me by the hand...for now. / I'm not talking about forever. / I just want to take it slow. / Because we never know what the future will hold, for us, for us. / You can be my shorty and I can be your boo."

Most of the songs are about crushes on nerdy art chicks or new girlfriends, as well as skinny jeans and dance clubs. But, there's not a bunch of braggadocio or I'm-cooler-than-everybody-else-in-the-hood talk.

"I grew up in Pleasant Grove," Gonzales says. "But, I guess I want people know that it's OK to grow up in the 'hood, and not act like it and portray the 'hood persona. I mean, not all rappers are arrogant douche bags, and especially on stage, most just put on that I-don't-care-what-anybody-says thuggy persona. But I don't believe that you have to intimidate the crowd to get them to have a good time."

Gonzales says that, over the years, he's found that audiences at indie and rock at clubs are more receptive to rap shows when there's a live element to the set. So, for the live show, he asked his friends Jonny Mack to play drums and Rich Williams to play bass. And last weekend, galleryCat easily grabbed the attention of the mostly ho-hum crowd and had them singing along.

Even though galleryCat is from Dallas, we don't need to expect them to introduce a dance move for us to learn any time soon.

"I use to be really into the Dallas hip-hop scene," Gonzales says. "Apparently, now, we're supposed to talk about doing something, like doing The Ricky Bobby, or The Skanky Legg, or about how much people like you, or something about you. But, that's not me, I'm more like, 'I hope they read my blog. I hope they read my blog.'"

Speaking of the blog, Gonzales just posted a new song "Life Is So Good" over on galleryCat's MySpace page. But, while you're there, make sure to give a listen to "U Get On My Nerves", "Crush" and "Let Me Unwind."

Not really a stinker in the bunch. And, Gonzales says, this April we should expect galleryCat's full-length debut, Bi-Polaroid.

Someone really needs to book a hipster-hop show with these guys and Damaged Good$, and maybe Scuba Team Go or Ian Bangs... and soon please. - Dallas Observer


"Spotlight:GalleryCat"

The major move in the music business over the last couple of years has been towards a model of giving away music for free in hopes that the added publicity and ensuing popularity might bolster potential ticket sales to shows, and invariably boost merch sales in the process. It’s not an ideal arrangement, but realistically it is one growing increasingly common in the face of a failing music industry.

On the other hand, it is a model that has worked out pretty well for a guy like Angelo Gonzales of galleryCat who released a pair of free albums in 2009 that saw the performer rise from absolute obscurity to a staple of the local hip-hop scene. When the guy first popped up on our radar he was playing small club shows in Denton, protected by the anonymity of the comically oversized head of a high school wildcat mascot uniform.

Needless to say, with songs like the dizzyingly frenetic “Say Say Say,”—which went on to be named as one of the Dallas Observer’s top songs of 2009—galleryCat didn’t remain anonymous for long. Not to be contented with early successes of his early performances Gonzales assembled an outfit of local musicians to serve as his live backing band. Headed up by arranger Jonny Mack and the impressive guitar playing of Johnny Hatcher, one of the region’s most gifted/unsung musicians, the band are quite the spectacle and are able to pull off the wide variety of style in the galleryCat catalog surprisingly well.

And the move has paid off swimmingly, as the band are now widely considered one of the foremost hip-hop acts in the city, even garnering a nod in the ‘Best Rap/Hip-Hop’ category of the DOMA’s earlier this summer. Catch them this Saturday at The Doublewide. - My Dallas Music


"The Best Songs in Dallas Music, 2009: galleryCat and "Say Say Say" Speak Volumes En Route to No. 17 On Our List"

Back when we first caught him, just as the calendar had turned to 2009, Angelo Gonzales' galleryCat stage persona boasted something of a gimmick--namely, the fact that he performed while wearing a wildcat mask he'd borroewd from high school mascot costume.

In the following weeks, Gonzales was unmasked. But revealing himself hardly left his eight-bit- and synth-influenced skater-hop any less innovative or catchy.

From its opening, "Say Say Say" makes its position clear as a fast-moving, electronic earworm-to-be, one that, admittedly, borders on headache-inducing. But be fair, and credit how much is actually happening there in the beat. It's mind-spinning, actually. Off the wall.

But even more impressive here is the fact that, on top of this over-the-top beat, Gonzales somehow manages to more hold his own, even stealing the spotlight away during the beat's incredibly interesting pace-changing transitions. And, in doing so, Gonzales has done more than simply produce a track worth listening; he's crafted his defining track--both for him and his musical style--and established himself as a lovelorn skate-hopper with something to say and a compelling way of saying it.

From the verse to the chorus and everything in between, galleryCat's "Say Say Say" is perhaps the top example of the kind of honest, innovative hip-hop DFW should be proud to call its own. - Dallas Observer


Discography

2009
Biploaroid
(Released as a free download)
2009
Im Doing Fine
(Released in limited edition cassette tapes and as a free download)

Photos

Bio

With a 2010 Dallas Observer Music Award nomination for Best Rap/Hip Hop Act and the No.17 Best Song in Local Dallas Music, GalleryCat is posed to be a major player in the Dallas Hip Hop scene. Having toured the country for the past 5 years, he has gained the knowledge and experience that grants him a commanding presence on stage. The recent decision to go strictly live with his performance has added an even deeper dimension to GalleryCats already impressive sound.

In 2009 GalleryCat released two albums. The first offering called “BiPolaroid” was independently released and included songs like “Say,Say, Say”, “Hip Hop Save Me” and “Life Is So Great”. A few months later, GalleryCat released his second album called “Im Doing Fine”. This album was a response to Daniel Johnston’s underground cult hit “Hi, How Are You?”. Recorded with just two mics in an open room, each song was performed once and , for better or worse, kept on the album. The recordings are gritty and raw; haunting at times. The first 100 copies of the album were given away for free on cassette tapes that GalleryCat duplicated and numbered by hand.

GalleryCat gives away most of his music and you can download both albums for free. (click an album cover to download now!)