The buzz on Mojostock 2010 has been building for months, a testament to the good music and great times at last year’s inaugural celebration of local music. Camping out July 17 at Sleepybear in Noblesville, festival attendees will get to see 28 Indy artists in 24 hours, and no act is bringing the campy funk more than The Twin Cats, Mojostock’s headliner.
It’s taken a few years for the quintet’s funk/rock/jazz fusion to catch on locally. “Our first few shows only had five or six people,” said Adam Catron, the band’s drummer. “I remember playing at Birdy’s and by the time our band went on, there were four people in the bar.”
Now, the Cats are garnering solid radio play in Philadelphia and New York, and filling up venues from jazz to hip-hop bars. “Somehow even the bikers love us,” Catron said — so music-lovers-in-the-wild shouldn’t be too hard a sell.
How often have you guys played outdoors before?
We love playing outdoor shows. There is just something free and open about it, like you can act however you want. You know when you were a little kid and you were running around the house like crazy and your parents said, “If you’re going to do that, do it outside, not in the house”? I think that’s the mentality of people when they go to shows outside. We do about five or six shows a year outside.
What's your worst camping experience?
The worst camping experience for the band might have to be at a small festival up in Northern Indiana. It was 100 degrees the whole weekend with no shade and right next to a highway. I mean, right next to the highway. You could practically feel the semis’ breeze as they drove by.
Favorite part about Mojostock?
I think the thing we are most looking forward to about Mojostock is playing outdoors with some of our friends who will be performing there and really just being a part of an Indy Mojo event. I think this will be great for the music scene, and it gives people in Indy a festival to go to that isn’t four to eight hours away.
How funky do you think this year's Mojostock will get?
I hope Mojostock gets so funky that they can smell it from Ohio. When we get on the stage, they will.
Who would be the worst Twin Cat to share a tent with?
Well, we all share a two-man tent at festivals for good luck, so whoever is sleeping with one Twin Cat gets them all.
Tickets for Mojostock, July 17, are $30. Info at www.mojostockindy.com.
The Twin Cats
Latest album: “Within Imagination,” 2010 on Owl Studios.
Members: Seth Catron (guitar, vox); Phil Geyer (keyboards); Nick Gerlach (saxophone); Cameron Reel (bass); Adam Catron (drums).
Website: www.thetwincats.net.
Shared stages with: Rusted Root, Here Come the Mummies, Charlie Hunter, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
