Who Is Flock of Cats?
Flock of Cats is just me – Michael Maharrey.
I am a multi-instrumentalist. I would define myself as a jack of all trades and master of none.
I’ve been writing and performing music since my middle teens, longer than that if you count elementary and junior high band.
My primary instrument is the saxophone. I started playing when I was 10. I picked up guitar when I was 16 and started teaching myself keyboards around the same time. I also play bass.
In college, I played guitar and keyboards in an alternative Christian band called ‘The Move.’ After college, Regina Green and I performed as a duo called ‘Kinetic Fish’ for more than a decade, playing Christian-oriented alternative/electronic music.
I later played in several church praise and worship bands and began dabbling in writing and recording original music in the 20-teens.
Over the last few years, I’ve had a growing, nagging itch to begin recording again in earnest, and the time is now! So, here we are!
What’s In a Name?
So, why Flock of Cats?
First, an astute observer will realize this is a nod to the era of 1980s New Wave.
But the meaning behind the names runs deeper than that.
A flock of cats describes my mindset after my mom passed away after a long battle with cancer.
My head is spinning
My mind is blown
My brain is full
An incessant drone
My thoughts are running
Playing chase
Nose to tail
Like a feline race
There’s a flock of cats inside my brain.
Who could imagine something quite so strange?
Perhaps it means I’m a tad insane.
With a flock of cats inside my brain.
After penning those lyrics, I thought, ‘This would be a great name for a band.’
It’s actually an even better name for a solo artist. After all, cats don’t flock.
Influences
It’s hard to sum up a lifetime of influences, but I’ll do my best.
I’ve always loved music. The first real album I bought with my own money was Paradise Theater by Styx. By high school, Rush had become far and away my favorite band.
When I was 18, I embraced Christianity and took a deep dive into the world of Christian rock. Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) in the 80s and early 90s wasn’t like today, with the genre dominated by sappy “praise and worship.” There were hundreds of bands playing every style of music imaginable – from heavy metal to rap. I gravitated toward the alternative music coming out of Southern California at the time – bands such as Undercover, The Choir, The 77s, Adam Again, the Alter Boys, Mortal, LSU, Code of Ethics, Mad at the World, and many others.
The stated point of CCM was to provide kids with an alternative to “secular” bands, but it worked the other way for me. As I got into more alternative and punk Christian artists, I began to discover a whole new world of music I never knew existed. By the time I got to college, I was listening to The Cure, Depeche Mode, New Order, and a host of other New Wave and punk artists.
When I started playing sax again, I began contemplating how I could incorporate the instrument into the electronic dance/alternative music I love. I had already been listening to a lot of Moby’s work. That led me into the world of deep house and DJ club music, which fuses some jazz elements and hip-hop into electronica. Artists such as Ben Böhmer, Nora En Pure, Little People, RJD2, Dominic Kelly, and Eli and Fur guided me along this path.
Branford Marsalis is my favorite sax player. I was introduced to him through his work on Sting’s first two solo albums. And of course, what sax player doesn’t love Coltrane?
That’s not all. This may seem a little off the reservation for me, but I love the Big Band sounds of the 1930s and 1940s.
Why Make Music
Music is about more than sound. I believe it has the power to bring people together. It’s a tangible way to inject beauty into a world that can seem pretty dark and chaotic. And as Dostoevsky wrote, “Beauty will save the world.”
I hope to create something that will uplift people, move their feet, and maybe make them look at the world a little differently.
Music is almost always influenced by the artist’s worldview. (Unless they’re just in it to make a buck, which I suppose is in and of itself a worldview.)
With that in mind, it might be helpful to know that I’m an Orthodox Christian. I’m well beyond the idea of playing “Christian Music.” Quite frankly, I’m not sure a strict separation between “secular” and “Christian” is particularly useful. God is in all, and my relationship with him colors everything I do, even things that aren’t overtly “religious.” However, you will undoubtedly find Christian themes running through many of my songs.
I am also politically libertarian and vehemently anti-war. These themes will also show up in my music. I don’t think you have to embrace these ideas to enjoy my music, but they are undeniably interwoven with my work. I’ll be sharing more about these ideas in the blog section of this website.
