THE LITTER OF THE PACK
Scruffy The Cat (which includes singer/guitarist Charlie Chesterman, lead guitarist Stephen Fredette, bassist MacPaul Stanfield and drummer Randall Gibson IV) falls under that loose catchall term “American roots music,” only they’re significantly smarter and more eclectic than many of their colleagues.
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THE LITTER OF THE PACK
Scruffy The Cat (which includes singer/guitarist Charlie Chesterman, lead guitarist Stephen Fredette, bassist MacPaul Stanfield and drummer Randall Gibson IV) falls under that loose catchall term “American roots music,” only they’re significantly smarter and more eclectic than many of their colleagues. With a critically praised LP (High Octane Revival) and almost-new LP (Tiny Days) under their collective flea collar (sorry guys—they hate feline puns), Scruffy The Cat is garnering more and more attention from folks who know quality rock ’n’ roll.
The band was formed in Beantown in late ’83 with the nucleus of Chesterman and Fredette, and, after the usual personnel switcheroos, settled into this current lineup. The kitty moniker, incidentally, was inspired by a mange-ridden pet which belonged to their original bassist’s dad.
Scruffy began attracting attention on the Boston club circuit ’round about the same time as Del Fuegos and their ilk. “Our rock ’n’ roll bar music was the type of music, to have fun to,” says Stanfield. “We didn’t have to struggle to find clubs to let us play.”
Things really began popping when the boys began touring colleges, and it wasn’t long before intrepid indie label Relativitiy Records came a-courtin’. Scruffy toured on the strength of their Relativity debut, High Octane Revival, an “eye-opening experience” as they put it (once playing to an audience of six in a 1500-seat hall in Kentucky), and then returned to record Tiny Days with ex-Waitress Chris Butler producing.
Now they’re legging it around the country again, introducing discerning music fans to their scrappy, down-home rock ’n’ roll. “A lot of bands that do the American music thing stick to a form, obey the rules,” observes Fredette. “We aren’t interested in that.”
Moira McCormick
