Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish’s ‘aggressive, crazy’ two-man rock: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight

The Grand Rapids duo draws rockabilly-styled inspiration from Elvis but adds its own lively punk growl. (Story, video, podcast)

 

Think ’50s-era Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash … only with tattoos and a punk attitude played by a pair of 20-somethings with an “aggressive rock ’n’ roll sense” and a “crazy, angry style.”

That’s Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish in a nutshell.

The two-man band has quickly emerged as one of Grand Rapids’ most distinctive and exuberant acts, combining blues-hued, rockabilly fervor with New Millennium punk uncorked in the form of a growing catalog of original, retro-flavored songs.

“It’s the rhythm and blues. It’s the rock ’n’ roll,” guitarist and singer Jesse Ray Cahue says of the music that inspires him and drummer Josh Worsham. “It speaks to me in a way that a lot of other things just don’t. I can’t explain it. It’s that attitude, that growl: Elvis Presley on stage live.”

It took some time for Jesse Ray to find that inspiration. Growing up listening to ’70s and ’80s rock, he fled Michigan for Portland, Ore., for a year after graduating from Cedar Springs High School, playing folk music on street corners for tips from passersby. He quickly altered his busking techniques to get attention.

GETTING PEOPLE ‘UP AND JIVING AND HAVING A GOOD TIME’

“I started playing country covers instead. The only way to do it was to play ’em fast and loud. That was the only way to get money in your guitar case,” he recalls. “I just liked it. It was fun for me in a way that folk just didn’t get people up and jiving and having a good time.”

After moving back to Grand Rapids, he met Worsham while working at Guitar Center. They ended up becoming roommates and started playing music together, even though they were hampered early on by lousy equipment and the “worst drum set” ever, aka “the shit kit.”

But their gear and approach rapidly improved and, Worsham jokes, “It’s been downhill ever since.”

The duo has gained a reputation for ultra-lively performances, shows that have spawned an enthusiastic fan base. Consequently, they’ve never considered adding any other musicians to the mix.

“As a two-piece, we have really good chemistry,” says Worsham, who graduated from Forest Hills Northern High School. “We can improvise on spot, we can throw things into half-time. It makes it so it’s very entertaining. … We can fill a room so easily because we’re loud, we’re fun, we’re a little chaotic and crazy, and people like that.”

‘REALLY BAD GIRLFRIENDS’ AS INSPIRATION FOR SONGS

That’s certainly the case when it comes to a small radio studio. The duo cranked out a blistering acoustic rendition of their song, “I’m Leavin’ You” during Local Spins Live on News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) this week. The song about “a really bad girlfriend” was the first original tune the pair ever played together and appears on the duo’s sole, six-song “Tattoos and BB Guns” EP, which is available for free at jrcc.bandcamp.com.

Listen to a podcast of this week’s show here, and check out a video of their performance below.

Jesse Ray concedes the band is “very much still in its infancy,” so is focused on performing as much as possible, “getting more fans and getting our music out there.”

And it’s serious about that mission: Jesse Ray already devotes his energies to music full-time and Worsham recently put in his notice at Guitar Center to do the same. Not only that, the duo recently had identical catfish-with-a-dagger-through-the-head tattoos emblazoned on their forearms to represent their dedication to the band.

The duo has at least 20 original songs already in its inventory and hopes to eventually record a full-length studio album, perhaps by the end of the year or in 2015.

INSPIRED BY THE BLACK KEYS AND THE LOVE HATE

They point to other successful two-piece outfits such as The Black Keys, The White Stripes and Grand Rapids’ own The Love Hate as good examples of powerful duos that can electrify a crowd.

“A lot of people don’t think a two-piece band can fill a room,” Jesse Ray says, “but we love finding ways to do it.”

On Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day), Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish will do just that at Teazers Bar & Grille, 819 Ottawa Ave. NW. The show starts at 10 p.m. The band follows that with performances at Rocky’s Bar & Grill on March 1, Mulligan’s in Eastown on March 21 and Jake’s Music Festival at Wealthy Theatre on April 12.

“We have these devoted fans and it’s really pushed us forward,” says Jesse Ray, who views shows as having the audience “locked in there with us. They have to put up with us because we have the microphone and they don’t. We love engaging people. We love seeing people dance, fight, punch each other. It’s all fun.”

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music