There comes a time when you have to stop worrying about what you sound like and what people think of you and just play music. You heard guys all the time saying, “We do it for the music.” Well, these guys do it for the music. They have fun while doing it though. They have a blast up there on stage playing songs that sound good enough to listen to again, and they are just super nice guys to boot. When I first met Colin Clark I was unaware he even worked in the music industry. Let alone worked with three different, and equally unique bands. The band that I am sitting with today have a name you won’t soon forget and just like to get up on stage and rock. Thanks to these guys I will never look at seafood the same again. Sit back and get to know the guys in Pissed Off Catfish.
Where did you guys get that name?
When Rob Doty was in high school he was jamming with some old timers on the porch and between songs one of them said that if he could go back and do it all over he’d start a country-bluegrass band and call it the Pissed Off Catfish. Apparently it made an impression, because ten years later…well the rest is history.
Is there really a pissed off catfish out there somewhere?
I’d like to think that there’s a little pissed off catfish in all of us. The catfish is a symbol of the part of every person that makes mistakes. We’d all like to be perfect, but deep down we’ve all got a bottomfeeding pissed off catfish walloring in the mud.
Where did you all meet?
Rob and I lived began playing music together when we lived on the same floor freshman year at Indiana University. We met Jeff shortly after graduation when we were all living in Indianapolis.
How long have you all been performing together?
The Pissed Off Catfish formed in the fall of 2008 as a classic country cover band, but we soon had a large arsenal of original music and soon we had a set list that was predominantly made up of our own material.
If you could live anywhere else in the world where would you go?
I’d probably move to Austin, Texas. It just seems like a cool place to be.
So I love that there is actually a catfish on your MySpace background. Who’s idea was that?
Rob Doty found that by doing a google image search. Don’t tell anyone, I think that image might be violating copyright law!
What are your thoughts on MySpace?
I think it’s still important for bands to have MySpace pages, but we’re more focused on building followings on Facebook.
Are you on Twitter?
The best way to connect with the Pissed Off Catfish on Twitter is to follow our record label which is @mwmcrecords, but you can also follow the band @poccatfish
Tell me I can find you all on Facebook.
Of Course! You can connect with us or connect with any of us individually. We love friends.
Describe your genre in one word.
Mud.
What kind of merchandise does a band like yours have?
We’ve done tons of posters and handbills. Our debut album comes out next month.
I hear a hint of blues in some of your lyrics. Who are some of your biggest influences?
Big props to Willie and Waylon, and I don’t think any of us would be here without Hank Williams. We’re also big Jimi Hendrix fans. And we’re kind of fond of the Beatles, but who isn’t?
What is the biggest crowd that you have ever played for?
We recently played to a packed house at Pat’s Tavern in Mooresville. Probably a couple hundred people.
The smallest?
We played this charity event in Bloomington at a day spa that was attended by ten people.
So, any Justin Bieber fans in the house?
Ummmmm.
What is the best concert you have ever witnessed in your life?
I saw David Allen Coe once at the Civic Center in Danville, Illinois. It was incendiary. He looked like a wreck and he kept forgetting the words to the songs, but the sound and the vibe was amazing.
What are you drinking on stage?
We love any kind of beer that’s cold and plenty of whiskey.
Do you guys have jobs outside of music?
Colin owns Tribeswell. It’s a company that designs pretty things for the web. Rob is an architect. Jeff Sigelman is a scientist, specifically he is a microbiologist group leader pharmaceutical microbiology. so yeah he’s a scientist.
Can I just call you POC?
(Laughs) Yeah that’s what we call ourselves for short, although some people like to call us the POC Catfish, and we’re like… You don’t have to say catfish at the end! That’s what the C stands for! But anyway…
Let’s say that you only have twenty-four hours left to live. How do you spend your last day on earth?
Drinkin whiskey, playin music, and loving everybody.
While we are at it, what is your last meal?
We’d just throw a bunch of meat on the grill and eat it all.
How did you guys react to the passing of the King of Pop?
Colin wanted to do a tribute set, but couldn’t get buy-in from the rest of the band. In a lot of ways MJ hadn’t really been on top of his game for over a decade. It was kind of sad to see the choices he made for the last several years of his life. Such an amazing talent though.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
We recently were playing a cover of Folsum Prison Blues, and half way through the song we kind of collectively forgot how we usually end that song and it just went on and on for about five minutes. Eventually we just kind of quit playing. It was pretty rough.
Any plans for a full-length disc?
We’re currently in the studio working on an eight song extended EP. There seems to be a trend towards shorter albums with iTunes and Amazon and all that. It seems like the era of the thirteen to fifteen song full length album might be coming to a close. We had eight songs that went together really well, so we decided to take just those eight into the studio. The record will probably be called Whiskey Whiskers and we’re releasing it next month.
Any tattoos in the band?
Rob has a spray paint can with wings on his back.
Do you like Lady Gaga?
Lady Gaga is a pretty cool dude, I guess.
With a grove like this I bet one of you owns a pair of cowboy boots. Which one of you wears boots on stage?
Jeff wears cowboy boots all the time. He actually inherited them from his dad who was a country musician back in the 70’s.
Where do you see yourselves in five years?
We’ll have sold a few hundred thousand records, we’ll be playing a lot of shows, and we’ll be producing a lot of cool music and art.
What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?
We’d like to be remembered as a bunch of guys who were great musicians and artists who did amazing things that no one had ever thought of before.
I always let the artist get the last word.
Check out the calendar page on our website and come see us play. Free admission. Money back guarantee.
