Flat Cat

Flat Cat evolved out of informal acoustic jams on a farm in West Bertram, Iowa back in 1994. Sessions around a campfire mutated in more electrified sessions inside the farm's shed when the weather cooled. In the beginning it was Dave Bader, Mark Anderson and Zeke Schuller and rotating cast of characters sharing some fun and a long list of songs. Eventually, Butch O'Connell started coming over to bang on percussion. A string of guitar players ended when Jeff Reeder drifted in and things began to click. Dave grabbed a bass and the groove really started to come together as acoustic gravitated to a funkier electric sound.

The first Flat Cat gig was at a roadhouse called Nancy's Country Inn down the highway from the farm in West Bertram. We survived the evening and attracted our first herd to a show. We had fun, the crowd had fun, the club made some money and away we went.

We've come a ways, but in reality not much has changed. We've got better equipment, draw bigger crowds and make more money than Nancy's but it still boils down to having fun when we play, taking lots of chances in what and how we play. We've played for crowds as low as five (thank you Lisbon) and as big as 10,000, tiny clubs and big outdoor festivals. We've had the pleasure of jamming with the best of the Eastern Iowa music scene - Ron DeWitte, Dennis (Daddy-O) McMurrin, Craig Erickson, Butchie Satterfield, Billy Janey, Dave McMickle, Tim Razor, Bruce Chadima, Jeff Taylor, Bryce Janey, Billy Davis, and many, many more.

We've stayed true to the spirit of experimentation and diversity that started in the Shed. Our set list runs over 100 songs that run the gamut of originals, New Orleans funk, Memphis soul, Bay Area rock n roll and Chicago blues mixed up in a stew with a little Iowa polka/country thrown in for seasoning. Connecting together as a band and then reaching out to audience for what you have to give back is what gets us clicking.

The band has evolved over the years. Tom Giblin joined the band on keyboards and vocals. Tom spent 14 years playing keyboards in the Lonnie Brooks band (Alligator Records). Tom Dowd joined the band adding soulful lead vocals and his own brand of Midwest mojo to the mix. Butch's brothers, JR and Pat, added a depth of percussion to our sound that comes out in our bigger shows. Jeff Reeder moved on to Kansas City in early 2003 and Craig Erickson joined the band - Craig is a world class player on his own and a great guy to play with.

We're hard at work on new songs, some planned to blow your mind. We have been fortunate to share the stage with some great players laying down the music we all love some so much, Lonnie Brooks, Joanna Connor, Merl Saunders, Chubby Carrier, America and many more. We look forward to taking the music even higher.