-Interview- (12/19/24)
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound? How did the name "Catfish Seminar" come about and is there any meaning to it?
My influences came to me at an early age when I decided to join the concert band offered through my local middle school, where I picked up the Baritone (Euphonium) as my first instrument. It was then that I started diving into whatever genre of music I could get my hands on. Being on the farm, with no internet and only a landline telephone, limited my ability to discover my soon to be influences so I found myself trading cassette tapes on the school bus ride to school with my friends in the back of the bus. I bought a set of walkman headphones and a tape player. It was then I became one of the "cool" kids. I became a member of the classic rock radio station that I could tune into from Champaign, IL.... It was ZROCK haha or something along those lines... They mailed me a set of "Dog Tags" (like the military), I might still have them, but that was when I started learning the names of the bands and their music. Then I was given the gift of the band, "The Beatles." My life was changed forever. I couldn't stop listening to every one of their albums I could get my hands on. It was then I decided to put down the baritone for a bit and I bought a harmonica. I wanted to learn John Lennon's parts to songs like, "Love Me Do." I was terrible at it. In my early High School days my friends would force me to ride in the back of the truck because they couldn't stand the shrilling sound of a beginning harmonica player. I learned that I understand now when I hear someone pick it up for the first time. As they say, "Practice makes perfect." I then found myself getting decent enough by the time I was around 15 or 16 years old I had Amazing Grace, Love Me Do, Please Please Me, and could play along to the radio while driving my truck in the country. I never stopped and always, and still do carry a harmonica in my pocket. Then probably one of the most influential nights of my music career happened in the lobby of a hotel in Chicago, IL. My uncle, who introduced me to the Beatles, took me to a convention called "Beatle Fest" in Chicago. This led me to sitting in with a pop-up band that was jamming Beatles and old Elvis tunes in the lobby of the hotel. It was then I became hooked. They saw me playing along in the crowd and invited me on stage to play the song that I obsessed over till I got it down, "Love Me Do." After we jammed till around 3:00 am I sat with the older fellow that was the lead of the band for that session. He spoke to me in a British accent and said, "You're pretty good at that harp young lad." It turns out the man was a member of a skiffle band called "The Quarrymen." This was the band John Lennon started before the Beatles were born! I was as close to my hero as I possibly could be out of the blue sky! He told me stories about him and John skipping class to learn chords on the guitar and their time as "Mates" in the early days of Rock N Roll. It was then I knew I wasn't alone for being dedicated to music and I was on the right path taking lessons from legends and my heroes. The man told me with a tear in his eye, "You remind me of John, He always had a harmonica in his pocket and he was always playing it in our ears." He then gave me the best advice I've ever received. "Never give up your dream, and always carry the harp with you." I've tried my best to follow his advice and stick to my path for the 30 years that have passed since that meeting with destiny. I then went on to decide the harmonica wasn't enough. I had saved some money from detasseling corn and working on the farm, so I asked my mom permission to use the money to buy a guitar. She responded, "Why would you want to do that?" I took that as a yes and drove to the nearest music shop about 45 minutes from the farm. I bought a left handed fender acoustic guitar for $200. The shop owner discovered I was a lefty after giving me a few right handed guitars to try out. He said wait, "Try this one out," he then saw I actually held it more naturally then the others. It was the only lefty he had in his shop. I bought it and raced home to begin my journey with a new instrument! I found a guitar book of songs for beginners at the library and stumbled across the chart for "House of the Rising Sun." I whittled away at learning the chart and building my calluses up while bleeding from my fingers. I shared a small room with my younger brother in the farm house we grew up in. Just like my friends and my harmonica, He didn't get much sleep at night. I never stopped playing until I had the song down. Then I had a few chords down pat, G major, Am, C, Dm, E etc... That was when I became a songwriter. I had the tools and the melody from my harmonica along with the lyrics I had written from earlier years and somewhat of a voice, haha, then I really felt sorry for my brother at night, I started to sing!! Then I became so obsessed with the idea of playing the guitar and harmonica at the same time, I used an old wire coat hanger to make a harp holder while I played the guitar. This gave me the ability to play the melody I had in my head while strumming rhythm along to the idea of the song on the guitar. Then around that time the lights turned on and I was introduced to the music and poetry of Bob Dylan. I believe Bob Dylan was the reason I failed the first half of my younger days in college. I couldn't focus on anything else besides learning his songs and honing my craft. Later down the road I read that Robert Johnson also was known for using a coat hanger as a harmonica holder (hahaha). Once again, I knew I was on the right path or least to me I was, my family might have thought differently. I left the farm at the age of 23, put college on hold and dropped myself in Denver, CO, where I was determined to make it as a songwriter. I started by busking on the street for tips, playing open mics every day, then getting some solo gigs. I then was introduced to the music of John Prine, Neil Young, Jim Croce, Steve Goodman, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earl, The Allman Brothers, and the Band. I tell people "There are the three B's,..The Band, The Brothers, and The Beatles." If you study the incredible music from these three bands you can't go wrong. It was then I found myself stranded in Nashville, TN after being dumped by my girlfriend at the time. She left me at the airport and I had no choice but to start busking on Broadway in Nashville to make a few bucks to eat and get enough gas money to get out of the music city and back to Denver.... I can't wrap my head around the fact that I ended up in Nashville for the first time with a broken heart and a reason to write a grip of songs. I guess as it turns out, I should thank my ex-girlfriend for making all of this happen! Well that turned into another story! It was then that Catfish Seminar was born.
The band was born at a dive bar in East Nashville, called Fran's Eastside. It was on a Sunday afternoon, I remember there was hardly anyone there when the usual Sunday night Karaoke began hosted by Sam. Sam started the night with only three or four of us there and literally forced us to get the ball rolling and sing songs in the rotation. So we were getting called up to sing song after song on the dead night. It was then that Terry Taylor, original bassist for Catfish, started joking into the microphone in between songs that Sam was bringing up to sing in the cue for Karaoke. Terry for some reason out of thin air said to the empty room, "Next Sunday we are having a "Catfish Seminar," where we are going to teach you everything you need to know about catching a Catfish.." We laughed and it became the running joke amongst us when Sam called us up to sing. "I'd say in between songs, yeah the Catfish Seminar next Sunday don't miss it folks!" After awhile, Terry came up to me and said, "Man Craig, I think I'm going to have to go to Captain D's and bring a bucket of Catfish into Fran's next Sunday, "People keep asking me about it." I told Terry, "Well hell if people are actually going to show up for a "Catfish Seminar," then we'd better have fried catfish and live music!" So next Sunday, we went to Fran's in the afternoon and set up to play a live acoustic show for a bucket of beer and I don't think there was any Catfish hahaha, but we played, and the name stuck. Meaning of Catfish Seminar??... It means exactly what we did on that Sunday at Fran's. We gathered as a group and played songs, and anyone was welcomed to play or jam along. It was a community meeting, kind of like church or a family potluck. I always like to say we play, "Songs For The People." It was also set into my heart and stone forever as when I was eating at the Waffle House with Sam after I would help him break down his gear after a busy Saturday night at Fran"s, he would buy breakfast at the diner. The last words that I heard Sam tell me before he passed away were over breakfast at the Waffle House, "So Catfish Seminar?? hahaa, he laughed....then said,"Craig, "I think you're onto something..." Sam passed away shortly there after being hospitalized for a heart condition,,, He was a true friend and the backbone of the meaning of "Catfish Seminar." You were right!! old friend, Thank you Sam!!! Miss you brother.....
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
One of the first things I wrote down about the idea of music when I was a kid on the farm was that, "Music is the universal language." I know the truth in those words because I have also heard it said from others in different ways, from different backgrounds, different cultures etc.. John Lennon also said something like, "The blues is the chair that we sit on." This means to me that music, not only is a form of communication amongst differences, but is also a relative foundation to which we can all have a commonality with no matter the distance in geography or culture. Everyone's experienced some level of the feeling of the blues, whether happy or sad, or whether they like it or not. It's part of the human experience. I tell people Catfish Seminar plays songs for the people. I'd like to give people a chance to feel like they are not alone when hearing our songs. I'd also like to also relay that things don't have to be so "Serious," when it comes to hearing our songs. Some of our music will make you laugh, some will make you wonder, and some might make you dance, and there are some ballads we play that might even shed a tear from the listener. I guess it encompasses the whole picture of life, or at least our rendition of our experience and songs written based on the experiences of others. My approach to writing is kind of like the old country song adage of, "Three chords and the truth." Maybe just not that advanced even in that sternness. I guess you gotta go to a show if you want to know!
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
At our full capacity with the ship at full sail, Catfish Seminar has around 7 to 8 members on stage. There are sounds coming from a full horn section, (trumpet, saxophone, Tuba, ..), sometimes pedal steel, fiddle, double harmonicas, lead guitar, bass, rhythm guitar, vocals, background vocals, keys, drums, percussionists, accordion, banjo, and even a blade of grass, (played as a wind instrument for a solo at last year's Summer Camp festival!) It is very hard to describe this sound to the listener as one thing or one specific genre of music. We have had our songs played on Jazz playlists on Spotify, Americana roots radio stations In Nashville, some songs might even strike the grounds of being Rock n' Roll. I don't like to think that we are a certain style or genre, this would only limit our creativity. We are a revolving door of musicians playing songs for the people. Like I said before, come to a Catfish Seminar show and let me know what we are or what we sound like. I'd like to hear the report of what we encompass from the audience myself!!
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
Here are about ten bands that we have been influenced by or are even lucky enough to be friends with, and also have been on the same festival bill... in no particular order..
Railroad Earth
Leftover Salmon
MOE.
Elephant Revival
The Tillers
Lukas Nelson and The Promise of the Real
Widespread Panic
The Infamous Stringdusters
Rumpke Mountain Boys
Mountain Sprout
The People's Brother's Band
Bob Dylan and His Band
The Grateful Dead, aka Dead N Company, Further, RIP Phil!
5. What's your thoughts on AI generated music?
hey Alexa? what is AI? or Siri... Sing me a song..
Have you ever asked Alexa to tell you a joke? or for a recipe for a certain dish like Lasagna? I would find it hard to believe that the delivery of the joke the robot would tell would have the passion of a comedian of the likes of Robin Williams or Steve Martin. I would certainly bet the farm that I would like my grandmother's recipe for homemade noodles that has been passed down the line as a form of tradition that will never be like the original dish. It is not even a question. The fact that we are facing the elimination of art and culture due to AI is "Artificial" in itself. We should be ashamed of ourselves for not knowing how to get home without a GPS, not knowing our friends or even our own mother's phone number by heart, not having the ability to do basic math, not having the ability to write without spell check, telling a robot to write a research paper for us, create a concert poster, auto tune our vocals,.....this is a problem. If we let it consume our idea of art and culture, we will have de-evolved ourselves, to nothing but robotic figurines walking with our heads down into traffic, getting run over by Tesallas, while only using our opposable thumbs!! Need I say more.... is this Science fact or Science Fiction??? I'd call it laziness based on the idea of efficiency.
6. What’s your take on the current state of Rock?
"Hey, Hey My, MY, Rock N' Roll Will Never Die!" Thank you Mr. Young! As long as there is a person that is willing to make noise on an instrument and a person that is willing to dance to that sound. Rock and music will never go away. The fact that it costs money to do those things might hinder its quality, aka question above, but the blues will never be extinct. At least I sure hope so!!
7. What’s the current music scene like there in Tennessee?
I like this question, because you guys aren't robots. You actually read and did your homework, meaning you know where we are based and I'd really hope that you have actually listened to our music. I've been through this process where it is all a robotic scam to collect money to get robots to follow you on facebook or instagram cracker box cereal pages. hahaha.. sorry I don't like robots..
Anyways, the scene in Nashville is very strong! I have friends there that would blow your minds with their talent in performing and songwriting. I am very blessed to have such amazing talent around me in this band and within the Nashville community. It would be an amazing dream to be able to get these folks out there to be heard. Maybe switch up the "Rap Pop Crap Country," as my dad calls it, on mainstream radio. Give the people that actually are telling a story and dont use auto tune on their vocals a shot, then we might start to hear some new stuff on the radio. Just saying... my opinion... All music is good if it's good for you!
We since then have recorded two albums, both of which have been played on multiple radio stations in Nashville. We continue to perform shows at festivals and venues all over the country and are aiming to play Internationally as well. Our path is far from over, and as I see it, has only begun!
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
Thank you to the heroes I mentioned above, Bob Dylan and the Beatles. You showed me that your music is not sacred anymore. Mr. Zimmerman, "Why do you think it is fair to the up-and-coming artists like Catfish Seminar, that you would set a standard or a bar to feed the machine you spoke against in your early writings by selling the rights to your art for $300,000 million dollars?" Sir Paul McCartney, "Why do you think it is fair and what integrity is gained by you selling the rights of The Beatles to MJ, then to Sony records to make you the first Billionaire musician?" I mean didn't you already sell enough records to feed your families? You get to sell out twice? Isn't that called Double dipping? Is that not what congress isn't allowed to do but still does? Now you guys? the role models are sealing the fate of only having terrible music allowed to win the monopoly game? While other artists can't even afford the cost of vinyl to print to have a chance, let alone having holes in their socks and shoes, while homeless, and suicidal? I've lost some of the greatest writers and artists to suicide, mental health issues, sickness in the course of my career that if given a chance would have brought some of your music to your knees and back to the drawing board. Isn't that the point? I thought you were supposed to pass the torch and not pimp it out like an over worn whore of a "classic rock" song of yours on the f...ing radio. You can take your royalties and shove them straight up your apple I tune, I pod sponsorship from the monopoly board super bowl commercialization of consumerism and send them up your hypocritical assholes. Is that enough? Did I make myself clear on my take on Royalties and the payouts for artists? You are no longer my heroes, it is a disgrace, and I no longer listen to your music.
The answer my friends is blowing in the wind the answer is blowing in the wind.......It comes down to what the artist is willing to agree with that sets the standard for the rest of the game. Especially the influencers like Dylan and McCartney. It is then that we lose control of our culture and our freedom to create art.
Man, it sure would be cool to be able to play some Catfish Seminar songs on a juke box... I guess we aren't one of the "Chosen" ones...much love, The Stone Age Man.
9. What’s next for Catfish Seminar?
Ok.... Wow, I'll take a breath after that last question and climb back up from the rabbit hole! (Hahaha) First off, Thank you all for inspiring thought and addressing these issues that affect the future of the music industry along with many other sectors of business within our global economy. It's very important to be aware and discuss these issues, both pros and cons, as well as with the artist and the audience, or in Charlie's hypothetical case from above, the Farmer's view and the consumer's point of view.
As far as what's next for Catfish Seminar? Well here are about 5 things that I know or will hope to happen in the coming year.
1.) My guitar has been staring me down in the corner while I've been completing this interview. So first thing I'm going to do is start working on finishing and recording the song I started working on from the interview questions, "The Red Rooster, Robots, and Royalties." I think it might even be a Christmas song aka story kind of like "Alice's Restaurant," Arlo's thanksgiving song. As you can all tell, I tend to get a little windy with my words. And I can almost guarantee folks that you won't be hearing this one on Spotify,!! after doing my homework for a bit during this dissertation. (haha) But I might take a video of us playing it as a band when I return to Nashville in the next few days. Stay tuned!!
2.) After a short visit to Nashville, I am lucky enough to be able to spend time over the holidays with my family! I'm looking forward to having a break and a good restful time with them. We all can always use that to put coal back in the train to get ready for the next adventure on the road. I am thankful for my family and I hope you all get to also spend time with your loved ones as well.
3.) Then its all aboard to begin our 2025 tour!! We are ringing the new year by making a run through the midwest from Nashville to Madison, WI then back down through Chicago right along the path of Steve's Goodman's classic song, "The City of New Orleans." It will be a tour where we will get to see our families at a couple of shows along the way. Our bass player, Patrick "Wiley" Russel, will get to see his parents in Madison since that's where he was from originally. I myself grew up along the railroad tracks in the middle of corn country in a small town called Paxton, IL. So we will be pushing through the cold arctic tundra to play some shows for January. Then we are making plans to Return to Colorado this Spring, Arkansas, then potentially Key West ....to the moon and back I suppose!! Also stay tuned folks for our list of 2025 tour dates once we are able to release them.
4.) We are also gearing up to lay down another record this year with a new grip of songs, some from the past that have not been recorded along with some fresh songs that were written last year while touring. We are hoping to get both a studio and live recording if we play our cards right in 2025.
5.) This is what I meant when I said, "I hope" what is next for us in the near future and beyond. First and foremost that all of us maintain our health and happiness in the year and years to come! Nothing really matters, Spotify Royalties, chickens, Facebook likes, Instagram followers, etc.. if everyone doesn't have the basic life goal and blessing of health and happiness. Also "Laugh and Dance" for f..k sakes, life is too short to be that serious!! Beyond that goal, I hope we are still able to continue our path of being able to "Play songs for the People." I believe that simple purpose will coincide with health and happiness. Lastly, I hope to maintain the following life philosophies that I hold true that I follow from myself as well as the wisdom of others that have influenced my life, these are as follows:
I always will say, "You can't catch a fish unless you have a line in the water." Also, "The tortoise wins the race," and from my friend Eamon Kennedy, "Just gotta keep paddlin." From the late Guy Clark's song "L.A. Freeway," "Don't get killed or caught." Then a quote and a lesson my dad, an American farmer, told me when I was young while he was driving through a thunderstorm. He said while pushing through the mud and ang the lightning, "He who Hesitates Gets Stuck!" and lastly from a song I discovered while driving solo around 3:00 am in the middle of Kentucky on the way back to Nashville that somehow popped into my radio on some local AM radio station, Its called "Too Blessed to be Stressed," sang by Dorthy Norwood. I pulled over in the middle of the night and cranked the song to the point of blowing my speakers out!! Life changing moment and by far the best advice a song has ever given me. I'm not even a religious man, but I truly believe in the power of music, and how it can heal. So folks, no matter how bad things can get in this roller coaster ride we call life, "We are too blessed to be stressed!"
10. Any shoutouts?
Alright!! This is what I call the encore or the part of the show where we are thankful to those that helped us to get to this part in our journey as Catfish Seminar. So do yourselves a favor and I'm going to do the same. If you have the ability click the link below and play this song at full volume wherever you are out there! ("Please don't do this if you're driving or at least pull over like I did:. (hahaha) Remember, "Don't get killed or caught."
click the link and raise your glasses and let's go!!
Curtain call Catfish Seminar encore shoutouts!!:
Number reason we are here!! THANK YOU to all of our fans, whether you are friends, family, dedicated, fairweather, have been to one show, have been to 100... Without you all, we aren't here as a band and there is no dream to keep on dreamin. So please continue to give us hope and purpose by going to our shows and listening to our music!!
To my brothers and sisters from other blood relationships, the members of Catfish Seminar!! Thank you for standing beside me on many stages and for many miles to come! Without you guys putting faith in this dream, It also would not exist. Active members include:
Craig Anderson, (guitar, harmonica, vocals, and songwriter)
Patrick "Wiley" Russell, (bass, vocals, foundation)
Fredrick Weathersby, (Trumpet, percussionist, band director of composition)
Tau Chapman, (Drums, Vocals, Musical leader and instructor)
Jacob Markus, (Saxophone, The glue of virtuous hope and melody maker)
Jesse David Corti (Keys, Newest member of Catfish and the Captain)
This is not including the past and other members that includes a number of over 30 members and will continue to grow. Like I said, "Catfish Seminar is a revolving door of musicians."
And now a shout out to the General of the Catfish Seminar, Mr. Peer Munck. He is the 5th Beatle or more like the Wizard of the Grateful Dead. Always with cigar in tow and always on a mission to record, produce, and engineer live music and keep the spirit of music alive. Congratulations my friend on another Grammy Nomination and you deserve all the Gram crackers and trophies a man can earn.
Peer is the reason why we are here. With his work of recording and producing the record "Live In Nashville." Catfish Seminar. He has also taken charge of engineering the last two "Dancing on the Duck," music festivals, held in Lewisburg, TN, hosted by Catfish Seminar. We will see you all, god and luck willing, at the 3rd annual, "Dancing On The Duck," 2025 this upcoming Fall season. Please follow the link below to learn more about Peer's live recordings and also if you are feeling like a kind person, order one of the "Live In Nashville," Catfish albums soon to be released on Vinyl..
https://www.MunckMix.com
Thank you to the loving support of my family and friends for the patience that it takes to follow me through the storms with at times no direction of why or how to get out of them. Dreams get heavy sometimes. Thanks Eamon, Thanks mom and dad. Dad, Thank you for teaching a few lessons at farming this last Summer, You are a true Cowboy, don't let anyone tell you any different. love and blessings to all the loving Grandmothers, Mothers, and daughters out there. Mom thank you for feeding the homeless, Abbey thank you for being you!
NOW Raise your glasses and cheers!!!!
I don't care if it's apple juice, apple jack, beer, water, milk, champagne, Dr. Pepper etc.. Raise em up!!
Here is a huge thank you from Catfish Seminar to Mike Bohn, and the staff of From the Depths Music for giving us the opportunity to be heard along with having the honor of you believing that we have something worth sharing with you all!! We are very proud and happy to be aboard your ship for 2025!! Now let's go onward and upward!! Many blessings for everyone to have a safe and happy Holiday Season!!
Much love and best fishes!
from,
Craig Anderson and The Catfish Seminar
(In Loving Memoriam of our friend Dillon, fly on friend, buckets of rain for you and Phil, rip 2024)
