Exclusive Interview with The Wildcat O’Halloran Band

When did you first know you wanted to make a life in music?

Wildcat—I know it’s a cliché, but that would be the Beatles on Ed Sullivan…..and yes, I’m that old!

How would you describe your music to someone who had never heard it before? 

We’re not your father’s blues band.    It blues that’s never dreary, and rarely sad!

Who are your top 5 musical influences? 

James Cotton, with whom we appeared many times, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters….and the aforementioned boys from Liverpool

What new music are you listening to at the moment? 

Contemporary by Rick Estrin and the Nightcats….also been digging It WAS the Wine Talkin by Shemekia Copeland and the Cash Box Kings

What city is your home base and what is the music scene like there? 

Sunderland (Massachusetts) hardly a city, so I guess we’ll say Northampton, which has a very active hipster young band scene, but also a “still-alive-and-well” boomer scene…when the young kids wander into the boomers dancing wildly, it freaks them out!

Which do you prefer more, performing live, or recording in the studio, and why?  

We’ve been recording for so long, and my band is so tuned in, that it’s completely comfortable in the studio…but live, where you can SEE what’s communicating, is still where it’s at!

Is there a song on your latest release that stands out as your personal favorite, and why?

I like Deck Of Cards best because of the interplay, and how the words flow….bassist Kathy likes If Ifs Were Fifths, We’d All Be Drunk

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to? 

UMASS brought Ricky Lee Jones to campus right after her first album….forgetting that school would be out in Amherst on that date….also leaving the rooftop scene from West Side Story onstage….her allstar band (Les Dudek on guitar, Richard Tee….all studio legends) walked out the roof shack and just killed….also ANY James Cotton show!

If you could collaborate with any band or artist (living or dead) who would it be, and why?  

Of course I’d love to see James….or Muddy again…but for a guy who starts with the Blues impulse and really takes it somewhere, that would have to be Stevie Wonder

What are your goals for the future?

Though the million dollars may not be coming, we do tour a bit now, so taking it national is the next step….Then there’s my friends in the other Sunderland (UK!)

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/The-Wildcat-OHalloran-Band-132034760198877/

OFFICIAL URL: https://wildcatohalloran.com/

APPLE MUSIC: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-wildcat-ohalloran-band/380441045?ign-gact=3&ls=1

End of Interview