After performing a set at Atlanta’s Masquerade, the Thunderkatz emerged from backstage to mingle with the lingering fans. ro spoke with group member o8o about their rapidly expanding fan base, new record deal and their niche in the music industry. Congratulations on all the success.
Your single, ‘Cupid Baby,’ is quickly ascending the charts and you guys have had a growing underground following for a while, but things are about to get even better thanks to your new record deal, tell our readers more about that. The Inc Record signing is cool. We’re finishing up the paperwork. What’s crazy about Irv [owner of The Inc. Records] is that he’s been going forward full steam for about a couple of months now. Since you are a male band with a female singer, you guys draw a lot of comparisons to the Black Eyed Peas. Does that bother you?We do get compared to the Black Eyed Peas. I’m not going to say it’s not wanted, because the Black Eyed Peas picked a lane and exploded on it. I think that’s a lane that is looked over since they’ve gone their separate ways and are doing their separate projects.
Right now, the whole ‘rock star’ gimmick is kind of trendy. But, you guys really do play instruments and are an actual band. We’re an official band. We’ve played at CBGB’s in NY. It’s no longer open, but it’s a historic rock club. We came to Atlanta and performed at Club Vision before it closed and won the BMI showcase, against snap and neosoul in a predominantly black crowd. We didn’t do the hip-hop stuff. That sh*t was rock. People appreciated that, because they heard something refreshing. How would you describe the band’s sound?It’s basically a culmination of ’80s pop culture. We’re all ’80s babies. It’s all about swagger to me. I try to keep the swagger at 300 percent. My favorite artists are artists like Jay-Z, T.I. and Lupe Fiasco and Mos Def, those are the artists that I look up to as a songwriter. No matter what subject they’re tackling, they keep swagger at 100, 200, 300 percent at all times.
So, what mark do you see the Thunderkatz having on the music game?I want Thunderkatz to be a Trojan horse and let in a lot of different ideas and a lot of different artists that have things to say. –adam jones
