SAVAGEKAT

SAVAGEKAT review from the live show at the HUNGRY BEAR BAR in Needles CA. written by Craig Stien (aka BIG STIEN)

I just wanted to give some love to all the fuckers and fuckettes who showed up for the Savage show last night at the Hungry Bear in Needles, CA. I'll tell you what, that joint was flat stacked last night - from assholes to elbows! I'm talkin' every type of head that lives on our River was there - white boys, injuns, Mexicans, Costa Ricans, black dudes, cholitas, old, young, fat, skinny, fine-ass hotties, and not-so-fine-but-whatever girlie girls, and more were in the muthafuckin' house.

And guess what? NOT ONE OUNCE OF DRAMA - NO STEPPIN', NO SHIT-TALKIN', NO FOOLIOS JUST PLAIN GETTIN' KNOCKED THE FUCK OUT, NO NOTHIN'!!! (except for that drunk dude who had way too good of a time before the party started, but that was all on himself) It was fuckin' unbelievabley awesome - especially if you've had the kind of run-ins I've had in Needles over the last three decades.

As far as I'm concerned, that's the uniting power Shawn Maloy from SavageKat brings to the table - not to mention a ton of talent, a sick sense of humor, and mad flavor that seems to eminate from a soul much older than he can chronologically account for.
I love that guy!

So if you missed the show last night, be sure to check out JR's in BHC tonight to catch the third installation of this week's Savage gigs.

AND I WAS ASKED TO PASS ON A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO MY RED SHIRT WEARIN' CLAMPER BRETHREN JUST FOR SHOWIN' UP AND SUPPORTING THE CAUSE - FROM JEFF DUNN, THE CAT WHO PUTS THE SHOWS TOGETHER. GLAD TO BE THERE, JEFF! BUT YOU'RE WELCOME ANYWAYS BRO!!!
- CRAIG STIEN (BIG STIEN DESIGN)

by Andrew Lay Hornet Staff Writer

September 22, 2005
A soft, roaming melody with a driving drum-beat fills a brick-lined room. The music seems to amplify the quiet chatter of Stubrik’s patrons as they digest alcohol and a random variety of dishes purchased from smiling waitresses dressed all in black. The overall affect is sublime, transcending the machismo usually exhibited so unabashedly at the majority of downtown Fullerton’s finer establishments. The mood is capricious and cheerful, like the pubs of old London.

Here it starts out all quiet and smooth. The distracting tinkling of glasses can barely be heard over Greenleaf Ave.’s first song. At first the two guitarists, bassist, and drummer tease the audience with only a small taste of their talent. They play unconvincingly and their lyrics are of no particular merit. They meander through their first few songs sullenly, barely noticing that the audience is not taking notice of them.

Halfway through the set, though, something changes. The drummer comes alive suddenly and the beats crash out at the audience, whose full attention is now redirected toward the stage. The lead singer wails a Live-like high pitched tenor, scratchy but always in key.

The lead singer has full control of his vocal apparatus. He croons indignantly at the audience, showing off his stylized, practiced moves.

The two acoustic guitars bellow out brilliantly conceived harmonies. The bassist begins to make his way across the full range of notes available to him. His fingers fly with the dexterous precision and speed of a truly practiced professional. Sol Rodriguez, the lead guitarist, plays solo after solo that verge on total brilliance.

Fooled for a moment, it seemed as if Carlos Santana himself had graced the stage of Stubrik’s. This Whittier-based band certainly can lay claim to a budding talent. Their music is fun, “rootsy” rock and roll.

SavageKat followed Greenleaf Ave. Led by Shawn Maloy, this band was the real star of the show, and the obvious crowd favorite.

Maloy was approached by one of Stubrik’s bartenders to play a gig several months ago, and they now play there on a regular basis.

Their following has grown steadily over the past few months, and they now have regular gigs at The Tuscany Club and Back Alley Bar & Grill. As SavageKat plays their bebop song “Rise Up,” the crowd, now 80 strong, comes alive with hoots, hollers, and many a raised glass. Maloy strums away furiously on his six-string. His arm become a blur. His face contorts tragically as he bellows out the lyrics, completely at ease with unabashed e m o t i o n a l e x p r e s s i o n despite the large crowd.

His r a s p y , c o a r s e voice draws the audience toward the stage. The crowd swells.

Copeland, the percussionist, wails on his drum with his arm in a full s w i n g . T h e sound echoes off the red-brick wall and several people begin to dance in the small spaces offered to them.

Chairs are pushed aside to make space, and a drunkard trips. They played a Bad Religion cover and furious punk rock on an acoustic guitar never sounded so sweet.

The Violent Femmes favorite “Blister in the Sun” is also played. The crowd screams. The entire bar starts to sing, all except for a select few who are unfortunate enough to not remember the words.

A daring musical trapeze act of bebop, scat, jazz, punk, funk, and ska, SavageKat somehow brings them all together pristinely.

Maloy calls it “high octane, asspounding, acoustic rock.” Blazing, the crowd sways jovially back and forth, bringing lips to glasses and smiles to eyes.

Ears are all strained as conversationalists battle the music, looking for green eyes, travesties, and forgotten misspelled words. Everyone seems strangely at ease as the band plays its last song and the crowd begins to slowly fade away.

The bar closes and everyone goes home slightly drunk and satisfied. - Fullerton Hornet - Fullerton California

M.J. SmithRich

Guitar licks and fun lyrics separate the group from the average underground band, fans said. "Their music is upbeat and fun," said Krysta Thomas who saw the group at the Lake Havasu Underground! (music venue) "When they play, its about the music and enjoying the moment. Their CD is good but you have to see these guys live to understand the energy and the vibe."
Kenny Linton, who caught the act at the Country Cornfest in September said he was very impressed by the group's vocal quality and low key "Los Lonely Boys" style. "I didn't expect to like a group called Savagekat," the 46-year-old father of three said. "But alot of their music could be heard on an easy listening station or Top 40. It's just good. It's not over the top or buried in a bunch of synthesized garbage. It's straight vocal and musical talent."



- Mohave Valley Daily News (Dec. 8-9 2006)

"SavageKat is music declawed"

This evening I am at home and it isn’t even 10 in the evening and I’m slowly sipping wine out of a coffee mug and going through the week’s neglected emails (It’s amazing how a job in an office will add years to your demeanor. I’m not even a quarter of a century year old and I drink everything out of a mug and I have to actually watch what I eat. Damn.) And here I see a little something sent from crunkbox.com guru Nick Rios about a little project I’m supposed to be working on. About this time I remember that, oh yeah, I said I would write for this site.
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I log in, probably for the first time in two weeks, and the first artist I see on the front page is called SAVAGEKAT and for the life of me I can not see why they would put it all in caps lock. So I listen, both here on Crunkbox and on their myspace page and I am not driven away quite as quickly as most myspace artists manage to do.
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So tonight I write about SavageKat.
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What is SavageKat like? I would say they sound like a mix between my favored local bands Vitamins and Ready Three Coffins and Achille Laro. And then it also sounds like other stuff. But you, the reader, would have no idea what I was referring to. So, I’ll do this route: SavageKat is like Jack Johnson without the suck. SavageKat is what would happen if 311 finally grew up, got a hell of a lot smarter, played acoustic all of the time and even dabbled in country music. It’s like that.
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This is why I love independent music, because in the process of relating the unknown to the known I manage to make mainstream music look like crap. Which is totally OK.
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SavageKat is who you would want playing on the patio at your Grandfather’s 80’th birthday backyard bar-be-que. And everyone, even Aunt Cynthia - who doesn’t like anything unless it has a drive thru - would love it.
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SavageKat’s two records, Acoustic Debauchery Volumes 1 and 2 are just that – a debauchery of one’s auditory senses. Even when singing about heartbreak (at least, I think that’s what the song is about) the acoustic rhythms make me want to light a tiki torch just so the ambiance would match the music. A tiki torch. In February. In Denver. It’s that good.
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While I can’t put my finger on it, I feel that my appreciation of this music is justified. I made comparisons between SavageKat and pop musicians earlier. In an earlier review I berated “indie” disgraces – The Sessions – for being just like the Killers. Being the same as a pop group and failing to make money at it does not make one independent. Just listening to SavageKat one can tell that this band just enjoys making music. They play a circuit of clubs, they don’t try to glam anything up or try to have a little kitsch that they rely on to set themselves apart.
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These Kats, they’re just different.
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But what do I know? Just listen, will ya?
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<a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmNydW5rYm94LmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlcy9hcnRpY2xlcy8xMDMvMS9TYXZhZ2VLYXQtaXMtanVzdC1nb29kLW11c2ljL1BhZ2UxLmh0bWw=">http://www. crunkbox. com/articles/articles/103/1/SavageKat-is-just-good-music/Page1. html</a> - Crunkbox.com - Popular Authors David Pennington

August 24th 2011 by Chuck Rathbun
With front man Shawn Maloy, this Bullhead City group is probably the most ubiquitous of all the bands performing. They have bookings everywhere in the area, either in a full band format or pared down group--and always featuring Maloy's throaty, with feeling vocals.
"Light on the gear heavy on the ear" is how Savagekat describe themselves when it comes to "kickin' out those beats on the cold hard streets."
Though we said they are from Bullhead City, Savagekat actually came together in Fullerton, California, in 2005. When Maloy migrated to the tri-state area a few years ago, so too, did the Savagekat name and sound.
This is a tough band to pigeon hole because they play everything from reggae and ska to traditional Merle-Haggard-Country to hip hop and rap. Add to this their original, edgy tunes and a penchant for over-the-top energy in live performances and can understand why they get so many bookings.
Savagekat has released two albums, Acoustic Debauchery Vol.1 and 2, which can be found on Youtube, iTunes, Facebook, ReverbNation and Twitter. Band members include ShawnMaloy (songs, lead vocals, guitars and harps) Copeland Holt (percussion, vocals) Dave McKennen (Bass) Ronnie Belton (Drums) Laurence Brajas (Percussion, vocals) Ando Skunk (guitars, percussion, vocals)












With front man Shawn Maloy, this Bullhead City group is probably the most


- Entertainer Magazine - Laughlin, Nevada

January 2008:

SavageKat has followed up their debut Acoustic Debauchery Vol. 1 with Acoustic Debauchery Vol. 2. Following in the tradition of its predecessor, Vol. 2 was recorded live at Unit 6 Studios. On it, the four-piece take inspiration from just about every genre — from country to reggae to hip-hop — and fuse them together to create a musical splendor of acoustic ear candy. While listening to the album, one gets the impression that this music was never meant to come out of a speaker. The raw energy
and truly roots mentality of the Savage sound instantly transport the listener to the very place the music was created. Conversely, with tracks like "Tape Down Yo Wig" and "Makin Waves" (which range from punk and soul to folk rock) the immediacy of the recording also places the band in the same room as the listener; lead singer Shawn Maloy is both laughing and screaming in your face while simultaneously belting out melodies in perfect harmony with Allan Benton (bassist) and Matt Wiesgerber (lead guitarist). With their mind-pounding riffs and spontaneous time changes, SavageKat take a different approach to acoustic rock. Though doubts might arise about how much rock they can serve up without a drum set or electric guitar in sight, Copeland Holt (percussionist) pounds enough djembe to put them to rest. Picking up where their
debut left off, SavageKat have created a highly enjoyable album with Vol. 2, dishing up enough purely fun energy to fuel a game of beer pong and enough translatable appeal to blast at a good old fashioned house party. (Rydm Records)

SavageKat has followed up their debut Acoustic Debauchery Vol. 1 with Acoustic Debauchery Vol. 2. Following in the tradition of its predecessor, Vol. 2 was recorded live at Unit 6 Studios. On it, the four-piece take inspiration from just about every genre — from country to reggae to hip-hop — and fuse them together to create a musical splendor of acoustic ear candy. While listening to the album, one gets the impression that this music was never meant to come out of a speaker. The raw energy
and truly roots mentality of the Savage sound instantly transport the listener to the very place the music was created. Conversely, with tracks like "Tape Down Yo Wig" and "Makin Waves" (which range from punk and soul to folk rock) the immediacy of the recording also places the band in the same room as the listener; lead singer Shawn Maloy is both laughing and screaming in your face while simultaneously belting out melodies in perfect harmony with Allan Benton (bassist) and Matt Wiesgerber (lead guitarist). With their mind-pounding riffs and spontaneous time changes, SavageKat take a different approach to acoustic rock. Though doubts might arise about how much rock they can serve up without a drum set or electric guitar in sight, Copeland Holt (percussionist) pounds enough djembe to put them to rest. Picking up where their
debut left off, SavageKat have created a highly enjoyable album with Vol. 2, dishing up enough purely fun energy to fuel a game of beer pong and enough translatable appeal to blast at a good old fashioned house party. (Rydm Records)
-Ryan Murphy



-Ryan Murphy

- Perfomer Magazine/West Coast