The Cat Empire Quotes

Australia,
1999

The Cat Empire is an Australian rock band formed in 1999. Their core members are Felix Riebl (percussion and vocals), Harry James Angus (trumpet and vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala (decks, percussion), Ollie McGill (keyboard and backing vocals), and Ryan Monro (bass and backing vocals). They are often supplemented by The Empire Horns, a brass duo composed of Ross Irwin (trumpet) and Kieran Conrau (trombone), among others. Their sound is a fusion of jazz, ska, funk and rock with heavy Latin influences.

We were jazz musicians in the early days. But as soon as we brought in the DJ, the shows turned from people sitting down to dancing.

Felix Riebl The Cat Empire
- Jazz
- Musicians
- Days
We already knew that any soul and jazz band has to go through James Brown. He didn't impart any wisdom -- he mumbled a lot when we talked to him -- but we learned a lot from his performance.

Felix Riebl The Cat Empire

We're from Melbourne. And Melbourne has a scene where anything goes.

Felix Riebl The Cat Empire
- Scene
- Melbourne
My little 8-year-old brother drew a picture of three cats and he wrote 'Cat Empire' under them. When we were looking for a name, I saw that drawing and it stuck with us.

Felix Riebl The Cat Empire
We do a lot of improvisation. There's definitely an element in the music that is well-suited to that scene.

Felix Riebl The Cat Empire
- Music
- Scene
- Element
We're quite comfortable playing to anyone. Our music adapts to the situation.

Felix Riebl The Cat Empire
- Music
- Situation
- Adapts