Cat from Hue sounds off

Nikko Van Wyck, Wes Williams, Matt Olsen, Jase Ihler and Evan Downey are The Cat from Hue. Nikko Van Wyck and Wes Williams were seniors in the Stanwood-Camano School District, contentedly jamming in Williams’ garage, when a graduation requirement presented them with an opportunity.

“I needed a senior project,” said Van Wyck.

The two decided to put together a recording for the project, something they’d never done before. They recorded the track, graduated, and kept on recording.

The two credited this impetus for their success since, which has brought them to the semifinals of the Experience Music Project (EMP) Sound Off! the under-21 division of Battle of the Bands, on Feb. 20.

Along the way, they picked up three more members and a cool name.

Matt Olsen, Jase Ihler and Evan Downey joined to become The Cat from Hue. Van Wyck sings lead vocals and plays guitar and Williams is lead guitar. Downey picks bass, Ihler beats the drums and Olsen pounds keys. They share background vocals and Williams often brings a ukulele and percussion into the mix. The sound they’re going for, Van Wyck said, is best described as Puget Sound rock.

“It doesn’t like to be con- stricted,” Van Wyck said. “I suppose you could call it ‘cohesive abrasiveness.’”

The band’s name hails from John Laurence’s book by the same title, although the band pronounces the last word in English, which connotes a spectrum of color.

The author, Nikko explained, is a journalist. He’s reporting from Vietnam during intense fighting when he discovers a cat surviving amongst the rubble.

“It’s a glimpse of hope – this cat living in the middle of a war,” Nikko said.

That’s the feeling the band tries to evoke.

“Hopeful, even if it is haunting,” said Van Wyck, who writes most the lyrics.

Those lyrics, he said, are meant to provoke feelings rather than tell a story.

“It’s about sharing where we’re from and our backgrounds. I try to piece together how we felt at the time, because the feelings are more important.”

The music itself draws from a plethora of influences. Modest Mouse, Grizzly Bear, Portugal the Man, and “of course, the ‘60s throwbacks” – the Beatles definitely pop into a few tracks.

So far, the eclectic influences are working. The Sound Off! panel said the band had “created an indie folk sound that is decidedly original.”

These praises have left the five young men supremely happy, if a bit dazed.

Before making it to EMP, they said, they were e-mailing venues like crazy, trying to book shows. Now, they’re turning down offers.

It’s surreal, and it keeps them busy – on top of playing gigs, the guys are all fulltime college students – but it’s awesome, they said.

“We all genuinely love music,” Olsen said.

“We’re just playing – I don’t want to say ‘for ourselves,’ because that sounds selfish, but we are,” Williams added.

The band agreed they’d be playing even if no one knew who they were.

But, they said, it’s insanely cool to do what you enjoy, and have other people enjoy it, too.

“It’s a musical high,” Van Wyck said. “It feels good when you’re making the music.”

They’re hoping this high floats them through the semifinals and into the March 6 finals.

At the very least, “Sound Off! will be the best-equalized venue we’ve ever played, with the most cleancut sound,” they said.

And if they do make the finals, opportunities await.

Four bands will compete for bragging rights, gear, and recording consultations. First place will perform at Bumbershoot, and second place plays Folklife.

By competing, Cat from Hue also hopes to bring even more notoriety to the Skagit Valley.

“The Skagit area has some really good bands,” Van Wyck said.

Williams and Olsen agreed they have a good chance at becoming one of the next big underground music scenes, citing Oregon Donor, Mission Orange, Mount St. Helens Vietnam Band and Lonely Forest as some of the great music coming out of the area.

“There’s a sense of community,” Van Wyck said. “Bands book shows together, support each other – it’s fun.”

Fun and good music is what it’s all about, said Williams.

“To eventually be able to live a healthy lifestyle doing what I love – that’s the goal, whether it’s in a band, as a session musician, or both.”

In addition to preparing for Sound Off!, Cat from Hue is getting ready to release a new EP album, “Chalk.”

“The whole album is unplugged and organic,” Van Wyck said.

“It’s us having fun and trying something different with our songs,” Williams explained.

The group plans to showcase the new acoustic tracks at a Feb. 19 performance at Western Washington University’s Underground Coffeehouse.

Then, it’s off to EMP. The doors open at 7 p.m. on Feb. 20, and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, and are available presale only.

If all goes well, Cat from Hue will be back on March 6. If not, they all agree the experience has catapulted them into one heck of a ride. They plan on rolling with it.

Staff Reporter Jeremiah O’Hagan: 629-8066 ext. 125 or ohagan@scnews.com.