Quick 5 with The Cat Empire’s Drummer Will Hull-Brown
We remember the first time we heard an album by The Cat Empire. Some songs were played on repeat! Some songs got turned up even higher for volume. It was an experience! If you like a strong beat, elements of jazz, funk, rock and ska, this band is for you. If you have been keeping up with Music in the News you would have seen The Cat Empire performing on morning shows! The Australian band has a strong following due to their high-energy festival performances. Part of the magic is due to the heart beat of the band, The Drummer, Will Hull-Brown. Will took some time out of his busy Summer schedule to answer our Quick 5 Questions! Check it all out below!
It’s finally Summer! What are your favorite summer activities?
Just the thought of summer right now seems like a dream because it’s so cold back here in Melbourne right now! I love just being outdoors in summer. Feeling the sun on your skin. I like to get to the ocean as much as possible too, especially with the whole family. The kids love the beach, and there’s nothing quite like cooling off in the sea during a hot summer day. The other great thing about summer is the long daylight hours. It’s great to be able to eat dinner outdoors while it’s still light.
If you could jump into a Winnebago for a road trip where would you head? And whom would you bring as your navigator?
I’ve always wanted to explore New Zealand. That’s where I would go. The landscape there is so amazing and dramatic. It’s no surprise that they filmed The Lord of the Rings there. As a navigator I would take Sam Neill, he’s a New Zealander. His local knowledge would be great. I would also enjoy just listening to him talk because everything would sound like a quote from a movie!
Summer is usually the most happening / busy time for musicians. What live performances / appearances are you gearing up for this Summer?
We have quite a busy Summer Tour ahead of us in Canada. It’s mostly Festivals – Le Festif in Baie St Paul, Rock the Shores in Victoria, Calgary Folk Fest, Osheaga in Montreal, Edmonton Folk Fest, and the list goes on! I think playing festivals is the best part about summer touring. We’re also doing our own headline shows in amongst that schedule.
When you think of a ‘Song of The Summer’ from previous years (and by another artist), which one do you recall as your “Song Of The Summer” and why?
I’d probably have to go with ‘Mr Bobby’ by Manu Chao. It’s from the album ‘Esperanza’ and was released in 2001. As a band we used to listen to this album a lot over the summers of the early 2000’s. Manu’s quirky style of Spanish meets Reggae meets Ska has such a summer flavour about it. I still put this album on every now and then and it always feels like the best representation of the warm weather to me.
While on the road, you meet a lot of new supporters and fans. When they ask you to describe your music, what do you say?
To be honest, I find it very hard to describe our music. I always think that’s best left up to the fans, and that’s often what I say to anyone who asks that question. If I really have to say something, then I guess I feel like The Cat Empire is about energetic, rhythmic world music with a jazz spirit because of the level of flexibility the music has in terms of spontaneity and style.
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