American Catapult

Every good band has a story, something that marks their territory in the landscape of worthwhile artists, and deepens their connection with their fans. Southern California-based American Catapult has been living out their story in unlikely places over the last few years, choosing to take their alt-country/roots rock songs to any place that would give them permission to play, and even a few that wouldn’t.

AmCat, as their friends call them, reside happily on the outskirts of Americana music, and have taken to showing up for impromptu shows in places like rest stops, bartender schools, abandoned airfields, and laundromats. “We have found over time this incredible difficulty in finding decent places to play out”, says Tom Townsend, lead singer and guitarist. “It became our mission to get out of our little rehearsal space and find an audience, any audience – even if that meant playing during the spin cycle at a local laundromat full of strangers.” Just hearing AmCat play live reveals how quickly they would win over a crowd wherever they are. Their music is as timeless as American music gets, as free and optimistic as a scene from Athens in the ‘80s, and instantly accessible.

Their latest release is Trees of Mystery (Cooking Vinyl USA/Further South Recordings), an all-original, 11-song compilation driven by the unknown open roads that they’ve seen before them both in travels and in life. It was recorded in order, from first track to last, and with a cohesive spirit of adventure and marvel throughout. “We had laid out all the songs we wanted on the record, set them in order, then set out to record them that way, just to say we did it. There was even an intentional effort to finish all of side one, then work through all of side two till it was done, as if it were vinyl. I guess that dates us some, but some of our favorite records sound as if they were made that way, and that was our tribute to them.”

This time, given, standing / A slow burn, is never for nothing / This time, newness, knowing / It’s already done, and still worth doing. – “This Time,” opening track from Trees of Mystery

Trees of Mystery reveals some of the mature pop/rock sensibility that AmCat possesses in spades, a personal work that is still inviting. It should come as no surprise that when American Catapult finds themselves on much larger stages, playing for people who actually paid to come hear them, that they will come across as four guys who still get great joy out of playing their music together. The audience will be a bonus. And when many more people get a hold of Trees of Mystery, they will instantly want more of the same (already in the works) – and AmCat will be happy to oblige, even if that means playing in their front yard or parking lot.