Katsük
Feb. 26
at the Grotto, 517 University Drive, Fort Worth
Daniel Katsük describes his band, Katsük, as an out of this world-beat tribal funk rock experience. The full band consists of Katsük on kick drum, guitar, vocals and American Indian flute, Orion Pitts on violin, Jeff Dahlgren on guitar and Matt Skates on bass.
"Fort Worth is very incestuous," Katsük said, "Matt plays in 10 bands. I'm very thankful he is so down with what we're doing, he's the best bass player in town."
The show at the Grotto on Feb. 26 was an acoustic act, starting off with just Daniel and Orion. The melodic electric violin, and the harmonic, wailing vocals from both performers provided an Eastern feel to the overall sound. Katsük's guitar strumming was impossibly frantic, yet precise, and the songs were punctuated by simultaneous kick drum hits and vocal shouts that you could feel in the base of your skull. There was an intangible, emotional element to the music, and before the first song was finished, I knew this was not going to be a typical acoustic set.
"I write this music for my own healing. It feels like there are a lot of people who resonate with it because I feel like it's genuine, and it's dark. I'm not afraid to talk about the ego, the shadow, about the things we try to deny. Light and love over the top of things is kind of the icing. I feel like I've been given something that is not mine, and I want to share it with people." -- Daniel Katsük
While mostly an original act, we got the first of the few covers for the evening in the form of R.E.M.'s The End of the World as We Know It. Daniel then picked up the native flutes and played while Orion filled in on hand percussion (including a slick combination necktie/washboard). A spoken word/music piece filled out the eclectic first set just before Skates joined in. The acoustic/electric bass that Skates plugged up barked like a French horn full of mud as the sound man scrambled to bring it under control.
After a brief break Katsük returned to a much better sound and an even more enthusiastic crowd. The dance floor was getting crowded -- something rarely seen at an acoustic act.
During the second set, Skates filled out the sound nicely and, during the second song, Skates played an odd sort of flamenco bass part that nicely filled a musical space that would normally call for hand drums.
For the end of the show, we got a few more well-chosen covers; Closer by Nine Inch Nails, Norwegian Wood by the Beatles and then the Kermit the Frog classic Rainbow Connection.
" Rainbow Connection is just one of those songs that people just get, it draws back to their youth, it draws back to a time when they didn't have bills, they didn't have worries," Katsük said. "It brings back a whole sense of innocence."
During Rainbow Connection a group of about 20 people joined arms and swayed back and forth while they sang and laughed. More bands should do Muppets covers.
Katsük the band will be taking a break while they search for a new drummer, but Daniel Katsük and Orion will be performing with A-hummin' Acoustical Acupuncture at the Pussycat Lounge in Dallas on Sunday.
