The defCATS

Mixing an early 90s’ grunge ethos with a dash of early 80s college radio sound, the defCATS came together in the fall of 2008 in Denver determined to bring their own distinctive sound to the masses. As happens more often in these modern times, the group formed through Craig’s List. Guitarist/vocalist Scott Poward, a recent emigrant to the landlocked confines of Colorado from sunny Southern California, met bassist Adam Brinkman and drummer Brian Estep after answering an ad for a lead vocalist. The group found guitarist/violinist Candace Horgan after she posted on Craig’s List looking for a band after her previous project ran its course.

The defCATS play all-original material that reflects the background of the band’s three different songwriters, Poward, Brinkman and Horgan. Poward plays guitar and is the primary vocalist. Candace plays guitar and violin, Adam anchors the bottom end on bass, and Brian adds a madcap drumming sound to the band’s driving originals.

BAND MEMBERS

Scott Poward
Scott hails from Southern California and serves as the band's lead singer. He moved to Colorado in 2008 to explore musical opportunities.

Candace Horgan
Candace’s earliest musical training came on the piano, which she pursued until she was 15, learning a variety of pieces from the standard classical oeuvre. However, as a teenager, after she first heard Jimmy Page, she started to play guitar. Other guitarists she admires include Jerry Garcia, Kristin Hersh, Michael Timmins, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhodes, Mike McCready and Michael Houser. Aside from rock, she always had an interest in folk music, and currently appreciates the acoustic brilliance of Norman Blake and Tony Rice. After going to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Candace was inspired by the playing of Kevin Burke and Altan to take up the violin, which she was worked into her rock playing.

Adam Brinkman
Adam has been playing bass guitar for the better part of 17 years and has had the pleasure of playing in and recording with several bands. In his early 20s, he played bass for the band Eighth Day, which went on to record its debut album “Pandora Wept” at the Record Plant in Los Angeles and at Colorado Sound Studios, where they gained the attention of former Samples’ singer Sean Kelly, who later sang backing vocals on the album. Adam also played in the band Clockworked, which released the album “It’s Raining Again” on the local Hapi Skratch label. Now as a founding member of the defCATS, he is not only cranking away on the bass, but also putting his studio experience to use engineering and producing the band’s initial recordings.

Brian Estep
Brian grew up in Texas, and has been playing the drums for as long as he can remember.