THIS IS A REVIEW FROM MSN MUSIC...
Even after just the first few seconds of what is one two-minute-ish song out of seven two-minute-ish songs, it's pretty clear what the Polyplush Cats are trying to drive home. They like to rock & roll and they're wondering if you'd like to rock & roll with them. With songs titles such as "Skid Row," "Cinderella," "Warrant," and W.A.S.P.," it's not too difficult to guess their influences, either. Speedier than heavy metal and not as bleak or opinionated as most of the other metals -- death, grindcore, black, what have you -- the Cats' mission is to party hard rock style: loud, fast, and dirty. That said, Drivin' It Home is recorded somewhat ridiculously over the top -- did the instruments and vocalists all share one microphone in a drunken heap? More often than not, the vocals lose, getting buried under stacks of thrashing guitar riffs and high velocity hi-hat and crashing cymbals. One thing that can be culled from this recording, however, is that the Polyplush Cats are an explosive live presence, a party from start to finish. This is driven home quite deeply. Whether they're capable of physically driving home after the party is another question entirely. ~ Melissa Giannini, All Music Guid ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Somebody at The Siouxland web site had this to say about the Polyplush Cats ... http://www.siouxland.net Polyplush Cats are nothing if not dedicated to rock. Rawk n' roll, that is. And they're not talking about that weenie rock crap that today's corporate-friendly radio stations dish out, but rather the raw rock that fuels crowds into chanting the music, then getting up and jumping around . "Our mission is to take over the world and make our rock and roll be the ultimate party," said Catherine Terranova, bassist and vocalist for the Washington, D.C., band. "We just go from city to city and rock our little hearts out - it's our whole entire life." Well, most days, that is. However, on Monday, Terranova and bandmates Scott Garrish on guitar and Eric Surratt on drums, were relishing their serene surroundings lakeside on their day off, before setting out for the Twin Cities for a pair of shows, then to a Sioux City show this Thursday night. "Sitting next to a lake is one of those little guilty pleasures that most bands don't get to see," she said. That's because they don't drive an RV from town to town and camping overnight. And while it's a pleasure they enjoy, Terranova admits they'd love to be the band to summon rock out of "hibernation," she said. "There's a few bands that do [rock] really well ... but they're not getting any recognition. I'm just hoping that the door will blow open and give us all a boost." For now, however, the Cats are taking things in stride. They've been on the road for months, rocking out at night, then hitting the road for the next town, setting up, getting the kids jazzed up on monster riffs and loud drums, then hitting the road again.. Each night is different for both the shows and for the band. "I think my vocals come from years of playing on the road, it's turned them into what they are today," Terranova said. "It's always had a certain kinda lilt, a way that I sing. But it's got more powerful and raspier and I scream more now. The whole live thing - it brings it out of you." The Cats have had plenty of time to hone that road sound - they've been performing together since 1995, first in DC and then along the East Coast, and since 1998 across the nation. They've released two full-length CDs and a six-song EP in that time, and later this month will stop in New Orleans to record their next CD. For Terranova and the Cats, this rock thing is really about reminding people that music is a lot of fun, and it's more than just sound. "With rock 'n' roll also comes a great stage show. It's about entertaining people." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And here the nice people at The Tuscon Weekly had this little bit of info to share about us ( Polyplush Cats ). Cat Call The Polyplush Cats Respond To The Need For Something Real In D.C. WHEN THE D.C.-based pop/punk/glam trio Polyplush Cats rolls into town for two nights at the Double Zero (Friday, October 27 and Saturday, October 28), we can thank our lucky stars that for once we are getting proper entertainment from the nation's capitol. Election year jokes aside, the Polyplush Cats, those tough and sexy darlings of the east coast alternative club scene, are sweeping their besequined selves around the country to promote their third studio release, Drivin' It Home. This punky rock'n'roll record showcases the band's early '80s L.A. style. (Think X, or The Motels, when Martha Davis was really drunk and angry). The nonstop high-energy guitar work by Scott Garrish makes one wonder what they feed him, and drummer Eric Surrat must have a direct link to an ancient tribal skin-pounder (and we also hear that he's quite the between-songs comedian). But bassist/vocalist Catherine Terranova is the real showstopper. Full of trashy glam bravado, Terranova growls, screams, and bites out lyrics with the perfect balance of energy and drone that is the hallmark of purist's punk. You know that this trio has done some serious time with old New York Dolls and MC-5 records. "A lot of people have compared us to the MC-5 and that's cool," says Terranova. "Actually, right now I am into country. The new Johnny Cash CD just came out--if it weren't 18 bucks, I'd be listening to it right now. He is so freakin' awesome. I like Monster Magnet, old Metallica, punk, really heavy fast stuff or the total opposite--Johnny Cash." The Polyplush Cats are currently on the west coast side of a U.S. tour that ends in early November. After they return home to D.C., they will board a plane for Brussels to begin their first European tour. "We will play 17 dates in 17 days," enthuses Terranova. "Except for a breakdown in Denver, this tour has gone really well," she says. When asked about who they like to see in the audience at their shows, Terranova responds, "I love crowds that are there because they like music and are there to see and hear the music. I don't really care if there are 10 or a thousand if they are really pumped up and into the music. You never know what cities are going to be great--it changes from tour to tour. "We put on a big rock show--we look the part, play the part, we're totally into it. We are there to entertain and have fun. That's kind of been lost in rock. We don't listen to anybody (from the record) labels, you know. We do what we want to do. We work so hard, and we need the freakin' money, but we hope to get on a label who loves us the way we are." Whiling away the hours in the R.V. isn't difficult for the Polyplush Cats. They don't listen to the radio because, according to Terranova, "There's nothing on there that I like." Instead, the band is currently reading a biography called The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pasatorius. "He was a great bass player from like the '70s. He's a crazy, manic-depressive rock-and-roller jazz player. He died on my birthday--September 21. When the book fails to keep them occupied, they fantasize about what three people, living or dead, they'd like to pull into the R.V. and take with them on tour. Surrat's choice would be Keith Moon, Garrish's would be Randy Rhoads, and Terranova's would be Janis Joplin. "Isn't it funny that Eric chose a drummer, Scott picked a guitar player, and I picked a singer?" muses Terranova. Coming to us for two nights courtesy of local guerilla promoter Mike Monzel, who discovered them on a compilation CD given to him by another touring band, the Polyplush Cats, sans dead rock music legends, are sharing bills with some other notables on the van-touring circuit. Friday, October 27, they will be joined by Tucson's own glam-metal vixens and dicksons Clovenhoof, wild-eyed southern boys South 75 and L.A. hardcores Tongue. On Saturday, October 28, they will return to the Double Zero stage with local punks The Stalkers and metal-billy gut-shots The Tribulators, featuring Fish Karma and Gordon Groves. Pull out your maribou and lace up your Docs. Both shows begin at 9 p.m., and the cover is $5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The nice people at [ press: nashville scene (nashville, tn) > 05.16.02 ] had this lovely bit o info about us. As for D.C. band The Polyplush Cats, we're not sure what they sound like, but when it comes to facial hair they send Rollie Fingers and Styx drummer John Panozzo back to look for their mustache wax. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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