A little bit of Nashville right here in San Diego…

This month, our featured artist is the kind of act that makes you go, “ahhhhh!” At least that describes one of the many feelings that I had the very first time that I met Will Faeber and the guys of Cathouse Thursday. I really think that these guys are ready for the Big Arenas! The harmonies in this band are so tight that you think you are watching a bunch of people lip syncing to an audio track, but the truth is that they are the real deal. (We know that long ago, people did not have that luxury and were forced to be talented, and work hard to perfect their craft!. A lesson for the next generation of musicians!) I wanted to feature Will because he and his team are definitely on the “must see” list.

Where did you start in the music industry?

I started playing professionally in Nashville at the age of fourteen and had my first, (bad), record deal there at sixteen. I then left Nashville area for Boulder, Colorado, at seventeen and joined the Steve Getz Quintet with whom I toured and recorded for five years, Steve is the son of the great sax man Stan Getz. We won a contest that was being put on by the Newport Jazz Festival for young Jazz bands.

What travels have you experienced?

I toured from Colorado to Boston in my Jazz days and started doing small tours in Europe as a singer/songwriter in 1991 after another bad record deal in Nashville. I released No Small Comfort, a CD that I recorded outside London in 1997 and it was an immediate hit. I toured England and Europe for three years and played most of the major festivals there including Wembley Arena in London before returning to the states.

When writing a song, how do you fi nd inspiration to start, and when do you know that it is complete?

I try to live life as fully as I can, have as many experiences as I can and keep my eyes and ears open all the time. I find that words and phrases pop out at me from the people that I talk to, watching movies or television or reading books or the internet. I’m a student of life you might say, it’s always trying to teach us something if you’re open to the experience.

When did you come to San Diego?

I lived in San Diego from about 1976 to 1984 and had a scholarship at USIU here for writing and directing. I moved to LA to get closer to the action and moved here again to get away from it about five years ago after returning from Europe.

How did Cathouse Thurs- day form? How did you meet your bandmates?

My European company was bought out by a company in LA who brought me back to the states. The great guitarist John DePatie was recruited for my recording band, and we’ve been best friends ever since. We’re recorded four CDs together and completed one feature film sound track. About a year and a half ago I put an ad on Craigslist looking for a recording engineer and that’s how I met the Bagley Brothers, Aaron (bass and Vocals) and Jody (keyboards and Vocals). They started their careers with the Boy Singers Of Maine and are the best Harmony singers and arrangers that I’ve ever worked with.

Who are some of your infl uences and why?

I saw Jimmy Webb sing Macarthur Park on the tonight show in about 1968 and was moved beyond words. I knew then that I would become a songwriter. Beyond that I love all types of music but have never been an audiofile. I prefer to listen to the radio and hear things at random, letting them fl ow over me without stopping to break them down too much.

Tell us about your latest recordings?

We’ve just released two new CDs, with the Cathouse Thursday band, ‘Til Death Do Us Party, and Nashville Baby. ‘Til Death Do Us Party is just what it sounds like, a swinging, bluesy kind of thing with plenty of songs that with get your feet moving, full of great solos and harmony work that will remind you of the kind of tight vocals that Bett Metler might have done in her heyday. It will become the sound track for our next feature fi lm of the same title. I’m working on the script now and hope to put it into production by next year. We did another film a couple of years back called “Clothing Optional”, a comedy that you can find at Amazon On Demand. Our second new release, Nashville Baby, is recorded with the same lineup and approach, but the songs are more reflective and introspective with a bit of that Nashville flavor.