2011 Arts Beats & Eats: Beats Preview with Cats and the Fiddler, Michael Bermudez

August 25, 2011

In anticipation of the 2011 Arts, Beats, and Eats Festival coming to Royal Oak Labor Day weekend, the Urbane Life will be talking to some of the festival’s biggest and best bands and performers. Keep checking back to keep up on this year’s acts.

Cats and the Fiddler

Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort Stage, Friday Sept. 2, 2 to 3pm

Cats and the Fiddler are veterans of the Mitch Albom radio show and they’re only 16 years old. The Michigan youths play a brand of bluegrass heavy on precision and execution. The band’s management group convinced the teens to put down the fiddles for a second to answer our Urbane Life A.B.E. Q&A’s:

Q: The Arts: What artist or piece of artwork best represents your band?

A: The members of Cats and the Fiddler felt that DaVinci is the artist that represents them best for his Igenuity and Precision

Q: The Beats: Name your Top 5 Michigan musicians/bands of all time.

A: The Band members (all 16 years old) chose the following Michigan musicians: Bob Seger, Kid Rock, Eminem, Jill Jack, Neil Woodward (state troubadour)

Q: The Eats: What’s the best restaurant in Metro Detroit?

A: All the band members (twin brothers and a first cousin) are half Italian so they chose Alfoccinos serving Italian food

Michael Bermudez

Ford Focus Stage, Saturday Sept. 3, 2 to 3pm

Michael Bermudez is fresh off the release of his ‘Scatterred Hopeless Hearts’ LP. The local songwriter, a regular on WDET’s Essential Music program, spent some time at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Here are a few of his answers to our Urbane Life A.B.E. Q&A’s:

Q: What artist or piece of artwork best represents your band?

A: John “Crash” Matos – Pioneer of the Graffiti art movement. Everything he’s done blows me away from the guitars he’s done for Fender/Eric Clapton to all the works on canvas. He’s been a great friend contributing artwork to all my records.

Q: Favorite music festival moment of all time.

A: Bonnaroo 2005 watching Herbie Hancock with the Headhunters 05 arguably the best players at every instrument in one group, it was a real maserclass.

Q: There’s over 200 bands playing the festival. What is it about your band that people will remember you for?

A: Getting rocked sensitively.

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MJ Galbraith

MJ Galbraith is a songwriter and local musician, freelance writer, baseball enthusiast, lover of travel, and a terrible mechanic. When MJ graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in Creative Writing, he was immediately barraged with 'questions' of "What are you gonna do, teach?" He is determined to not get a job teaching. So far, so good. With music, MJ's traveled the country touring on his songs. Having spent time in places from Chicago to Seattle, LA to New Orleans, and Nashville to NYC, he is convinced that Detroit and its 'burbs have the the highest concentration of 'native' songwriting talent anywhere. Eat it, New York. You too, LA. MJ started writing for the Urbane Life in the summer of 2011. He also writes for a handful of other websites as well as an immigration lawyer. He used to work in a publishing house. He's glad he's out.