CATtales – Details, episodes & analysis

Dave Hill is a national treasure. Half a century after Slade’s first hit, surviving a stroke, depression and the departure of his former band mates, Dave is still going strong and entertaining Slade fans with live performances of the band’s hits - seventeen consecutive top twenty and six UK number ones to be precise.

We chat about Slade’s fourth-coming tour, their latest box set release All The World Is A Stage, what’s next on the horizon, and how Dave put on his ‘Batman cape’ to emerge as one of greatest glam rock icons of the era.

The Slade tracks featured are: Cum On Feel The Noise, Coz I Love You, Far Far Away, How Does It Feel, and My Oh My. For more information about Dave and Slade visit www.davehillslade.com 

Before becoming one of the biggest names in rock history, Status Quo honed their craft as a holiday camp act at Butlins in Minehead. Sixty years later, the same venue was the chosen to host the last performance of John Coghlan’s Quo’s farewell tour.

But John is not ready to hang up his drum sticks for good just yet….well…as he explains, he hasn’t got a dog after all. So what does a man with such a successful career behind him do? Well…make more music, of course!

The tracks features are: Rockin' All Over the World, Mystery Song and Down Down by Status Quo, and Lockdown by John Coghlan's Quo.

Photo credit: Will Ireland

Twenty years of interviewing fabulous musicians is no mean feat and I thought it deserved some kind of celebration, or at least to be marked in history for posterity.
So, I’ve recorded Cat O’nine Tales; nine special episodes of CATtales to look back on those early encounters where the recordings of the interviews no longer survive and the details only remain in written form.
After introducing my guest, I’ll give you a link address to read the interview and play some of their key hits for you to listen to whilst you enjoy it. 
Thank you to you the listeners and my fabulous guests for your support over the years, I hope you enjoy these special 9 Tales.

Tale 5:
Laura Cantrell’s country vibe struck a chord with the Cambridge Folk Festival crowd with her soft, melodious tones wooing the audience. 
Her 2000 debut album, Not the Tremblin' Kind brought the Nashville-born and New York City-based performer considerable acclaim and I was interested to learn whether the American music industry differed much from that in the UK.

This tale dates back to 2 August 2003, visit CATtales.co.uk/118 for the one with Laura Cantrell and sit back and enjoy these tunes. Visit lauracantrell.com for more information about Laura.

Feb 2017: I spend a little time with Anthrax bassist Frank Bello on the last UK date of the band’s Among The Kings tour. He chats to me about being part of ‘the big four’, the band’s very own beer, experiencing music on vinyl and why he wants to pass on the torch of playing music to the next generation.

#FrankBello #Anthrax #BigFour #Metal #Rock #interview

Feb 2017: There are some people who deserve to be in demand and bassist aficionado, Marco Mendoza, is one such person. He’s rocked the world with Ted Nugent, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders, and collaborated with music’s great, and now he chats with me about the excesses of rock n roll, divine intervention, and playing a bit of jazz.

When he writes that autobiography, I'll be first in the queue!

#MarcoMendoza #DeadDaisies #BlackStarRiders #ThinLizzy #Whitesnake #rock #tednugent #interview

April 2016: Earl Slick Talks Bowie and Station To Station

He's played with David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono Band, The New York Dolls…and now the legendary Earl Slick chats to CAT about his Station To Station tour and an illustrious career spanning over 40 years.

#EarlSlick #rock #blues #YokoOno #JohnLennon #NewYorkDolls #DavidBowie #interview

March 2015: I caught up with rocker's Europe in Norwich on their latest tour. Mic Michaeli chats to me about the rock 'n' roll circus, the band's journey in a musical universe and their latest album War of Kings.

#Europe #EuropeTheBand #MicMichaeli #pop #rock #interview

March 2015: He's played with #Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, and #Megadeth, now Drummer Jimmy DeGrasso chats to me about Back Star Riders' transition from Thin Lizzy, what it's like touring and their new album.

#ThinLizzy #BlackStarRiders #JimmiDeGrasso #AliceCooper #rock #interview

August 2014: FM at 30

Rock band FM are celebrating being in the business 30 years. I had a little fun with them backstage at Cambridge Rock Festival, this is how it went…

#FM #rock #CambridgeRockFestival #interview

July 2014: I chat to John Jones of folk-rock band, Oysterband, at the Cherry Hinton pond at #CambridgeFolkFestival as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

#Oysterband #JohnJones #folk #interview