Catherine (alternative rock band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Catherine
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Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = Chicago, Illinois, USA
Genre = Alternative rock Indie rock Punk Metal Shoegaze
Occupation =
Years_active = 1985—1998
Label = Limited Potential TVT Scratchie Records
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URL =
Current_members =
Past_members = Mark Rew Kerry Brown Keith Brown Neil Jendon Jerome Brown Scott Evers Todd Tatnall
Cliff Fox
D'arcy Wretzky

Catherine was an Alternative rock band from Chicago, Illinois that was active from 1985 to 1998. They were signed to TVT Records.

Biography

Early years

In the early phases of their career, the band was frequently dismissed as being "little more than a second-rate Smashing Pumpkins knockoff". The fact that drummer Kerry Brown was married to Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'Arcy did little to weaken this allegation, along with the notable point that the two bands would occasionally borrow members from one another in the recording studio. In hindsight, however, Catherine probably did not deserve to be pigeonholed in so simple a manner. Although their earlier releases bared a slight resemblance to Billy Corgan's crew, Catherine eventually discovered their own sound over time.

The original band lineup slowly came together during the late '80s and early '90s, with founding members Neil Jendon and Jerome Brown providing the band with their name (for reasons unknown; even to them). Along with a drum machine, they were joined by bassist Cliff Fox for their first release, the Sparkle/Charmed 7" single, which was put out on the local Limited Potential label.

Public debut

With the addition of drummer Kerry Brown (no relation to Jerome) soon afterward, the drum machine was shelved. New guitarist Mark Rew also came aboard, and the group released the Billy Corgan-produced "Sleepy" EP in 1994. The EP was embraced in college markets, which prompted the group to sign with TVT for their debut album, "Sorry!", later in the same year. Due to touring constraints, Fox left the band shortly after the release of Sorry! and was replaced by Keith Brown (Kerry's brother). Catherine's tour in support of the album found them opening for the likes of The Smashing Pumpkins,Hole,Suede, Dig, and Letters to Cleo. As a result of this widened exposure, Sorry! went on to become a largely appreciated college hit.

Final album

In 1996, Neil Jendon and Jerome Brown both left the band, leaving Mark Rew and Kerry Brown as the primary singer/songwriter for the final Catherine release, "Hot Saki and Bedtime Stories". Bass player Keith Brown also contributed, writing songs on the CD. While Mixing the CD in Chicago, the band met audio engineer Todd Tatnall, and later recruited Tatnall to play percussion and keyboard on tour. The band also recruited Scott "Fever" Evers (former bass player for the Urge Overkill) to play lead guitar on tour. Shortly after joining for tours, the band asked Tatnall and Evers to remain as full members.

Final tour

In 1997, Catherine toured the US and Europe, opening for bands like Garbage and the Lemonheads in the US, and playing several large festivals in Europe, including Reading (UK), Bizarre (Cologne), and Rocknacht (Leuven).

Breakup

After their 1997 tour, the band began recording a new LP in the studio they built in a remodeled barn outside Watervliet, Michigan. Meanwhile, TVT Records would not return the bands phone calls. Opting out of their contract, Catherine was unable to secure a contract with another label. Although a total of 13 songs were written and recorded, none of the songs were ever released. The lost "My Friend the Snake" sessions have only been heard by a few friends and fans of the band. Discouraged by the lack of progress in securing a new contract, Evers and Tatnall left the band, followed by Keith Brown. Mark Rew recruited a few young musicians to continue playing, but eventually permanently dissolved the band. Rew now plays some of the Catherine songs in the band "Buglette."

Discography