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ECMA Day Three: We Are Experiencing Some Technical Difficulties
Tuesday February 18, 2003 @ 04:00 PM
Following their televised stint at the 72-Hour Jam on Thursday I was impressed by The Amazing Catfish, but decided that I'd need to see them in person to determine if they were the real deal or not. Luckily, my gut instinct was correct — they're pretty damn good.
While they sound somewhat like Nickelback and Theory Of A Dead Man with a touch of Seattle, singer Gus Arsenault's voice doesn't wobble like Cher. In fact, he sounds more like Layne Staley than anything else. With their crunchy guitars and hard-hitting drums, The Amazing Catfish definitely caught a couple of ears and it definitely helps that their new CD, Gravity, is pretty damn sweet, too.
- Jon Bruhm
ECMA Day One: Reporter Frozen, Wintersleep Solid
Friday February 14, 2003 @ 04:30 PM
Finally, The Amazing Catfish (Moncton, NB) flat-out kicked ass. The catchy guitar-driven rock was extremely tight, resembling Alice In Chains on a small dose of antidepressants. My instinct is that they might join the illustrious club of my ECMA Discoveries, alongside Ermine and Dionisus, but I'll have to catch them live on Saturday before I make that decision.
- Jon Bruhm
The Amazing Catfish are just that...amazing.
At first when I read their name and checked out their bio at their website I didn't know what to really make of them...especially since their name brings a certain imagine to mind. Their music though...blew that image away.
For the song "No One Else", imagine a classic Nirvana groove from "Bleach" with the songwriting talent of a Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. Now take that...and mix it with the pop sensibility of Collective Soul...and you have The Amazing Catfish.
The recording was really crisp and clear and reminded me very much of the 90's grunge sound that lauched a hundred bands in Seattle.
The intro riff is compelling and the verses break down nicely over the vocals. The chorus is very Nirvana like...climactic and simple...the best formula for a catchy hook.
"No One Else" is very accessable for people interested in many different genre's of music. Their sound borders on so many musical tastes that The Amazing Catfish are sure to appeal to many different crowds from the deep south of the USA to the most hard to impress crowd in NYC.
My only criticism is the general sound of the vocals and the drums. The snare is tight and the cymbals are very clear but the kick seems lost in the mix....and a little too "ticky" for my tastes. Also, the vocals are very strong...but are somewhat lost in the mix. A little reverb and a more generous portion of the overall mix would make this track commercial as shit. These minor flaws could be in part due to the compression of the mp3...which can really change the overall make-up of the song.
The Amazing Catfish are compelling and really decent songwriters who have a flair for creating a good hook. While the style may seem dated, it in no way detracts from the quality of the song as a whole. Check out "No One Else" yourself and draw your own conclusions...I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surpirsed.
Oh yeah...and don't let the name fool you!
- AJ Simiele
The Amazing Catfish are the latest entry in what is turning out to be a thriving hard rock scene in Metro Moncton. Their first indie CD, Gravity, hits all the right notes, fist pounding riffs and a galloping rhythm section that nail you to the wall, while Gus Arsenault's vocals have just the right amount of Ozzy sneer. Their sound runs the gamut of hard rock, from Sabbath to the Chili Peppers to Alice in Chains. These songs are made to be played loud and live. Commence head-banging now. - Dave Gauvin
The ECMAs:
Hits and misses
Hits:
The Amazing Catfish
(Moncton, NB)
Saw them first on the 72-hour jam coverage on TV and had to check them out for myself. Sound like NickelCreed being punched out by Alice in Chains. - Jon Bruhm
Discography
Gravity
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Being a little fish in a big pond is never easy. In a Maritime music scene full of ‘buzz bands’ who are just waiting to explode, it often takes lesser known acts a great deal of time to distinguish themselves from the rest.
Enter Moncton hard rockers The Amazing Catfish. Together since 1998, the quartet has been performing in and around Atlantic Canada for six years, sharing stages with the likes of Big Sugar, 54-40, Kim Stockwood, and, yes, even Ed the Sock(Much Music).
"My gut instinct was correct — they're pretty damn good."
- Chartattack.com
The Amazing Catfish made their inaugural trek outside of their home region for a pair of appearances at the 2003 East Coast Music Awards weekend in Halifax, Nova Scotia, creating some buzz of their own through local, regional and national media coverage. The band played a prime time set during the televised 72-Hour Continuous Jam, and also had a slot during the much-hyped no-case event, The Moncton Invasion.
"These songs are made to be played loud and live. Commence head-banging now."
- Times & Transcript
Each band member has a rich musical background, each with over 10 years of musical experience. The quartet combined their personal experiences to record 2002's Gravity in guitarist Steve DeYoung’s home studio in the summer of 2001. "We did everything on the computer," explains the guitarist. "Everybody’s been asking what we did to record it. It’s amazing what you can do by yourself now."
Gravity offers a dozen meaty tracks which have drawn comparisons to heavy hitters Ozzy Osbourne and Soundgarden, to the pop-savvy Collective Soul, and fellow Canadian rockers Nickelback and Theory of a Deadman.
"Sound like NickelCreed being punched out by Alice in Chains."
- Dalhousie Gazette
Having been named "Band of the Year" by CKDU-FM in Halifax, it's obvious that The Amazing Catfish are no strangers to the airwaves. They have also received reviews and press across Atlantic Canada and can be found on the web at of a variety of sites, including newmusiccanada.com, ubl.com, and chartattack.com.
"The Amazing Catfish are just that...amazing."
- Godsofmusic.com
Intriguing monikers usually have interesting stories behind them, and The Amazing Catfish do not disappoint: "We were searching for a name, and our old drummer had a survival guide that talked about not peeing in the Amazon River," explains DeYoung. "If you do that, these little catfish can swim up ‘inside’ you. We kinda thought ‘that’s a pretty amazing fish’, and that’s where the name comes from. It’s not a pretty story, but it works."
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