Cat Merkle and Her Band Kick Off the Year at Martyrs
by Caitlin Dennis | January 11th , 2024
All images are from Cat Merkle’s - Show in Chicago, IL on 1/11/25
Photo by Caitlin Dennis | @cait.dennis.photography
Over the weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Cat Merkle and her band play their first show of this year at Martyrs in Chicago. I got to talk with the band a bit and they wrote some bios they wanted to share with the world:
“Cat Merkle is a pop singer-songwriter based in Chicago, IL. Drawing inspiration from artists like Amy Winehouse, Lizzy McAlpine, and Lake Street Dive, Cat's musical style ranges from loud and dramatic to intimate and heartfelt. She developed as a vocalist largely through musical theater. Although she entered college as a well-developed singer, she made a conscious effort to redevelop her singing style. She spent all of her college years singing in bands, writing songs, and finding a voice that could best deliver the songs she wanted to create as a musical artist.”
“Her current band has been playing live shows across Chicago since October 2024. Brian, the bassist, met Cat through a mutual friend and it was musical chemistry at first sight! Brian co-wrote and produced Cat’s second single, ‘feeling you’ which helped solidify their musical partnership. Scott, the drummer, goes way back with Cat to their college a cappella group. It has been Cat’s dream to play her original music with a band and couldn’t be happier it is with this group.”
Photo by Caitlin Dennis | @cait.dennis.photography
“The bassist, Brian Kaiser, is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist from the Chicagoland area and one of the recording producers of the group. He has played the bass since the second grade and has been in bands since the age of 11. Attending Northwestern University to study Learning and Organizational Change and to play tight end on the football team, Brian graduated in 2022 while also winning Mayfest’s Battle of the Bands to play on the main stage for Dillo Day. He also produces his own music and is a mixing/mastering engineer for various Chicago artists”
“Scott has played music his whole life, participating in jazz ensembles, quartets, acapella groups (with Cat), rock bands, and all other musical endeavors he can find. He’s a drummer at heart but has played guitar, bass, and keyboard in past musical projects. Scott grew up in Boston before moving to Seattle after college, and recently moved to Chicago in the fall.”
They put on a lovely set opening for The Front Desk this past Saturday. Cat opened the set with ‘do you still think i’m pretty’ a beautiful ballad about the struggle of heart break with a catchy tune that makes you want to keep listening. The set continued with more original music, and a special guest! They brought out a friend from college to join them on stage to play the clarinet! It added a layer to some of the songs that elevated the set in all the right ways. She also played her latest single, ‘The Same For Us’ which was super fun to hear live! The passion in the song with the constant building of tension in the instrumentals makes for the perfect addition to a breakup playlist. The real kicker of the set in my opinion was the mashup cover of ‘Feeling Good’ by Nina Simone and ‘House of the Rising Sun’ (while trying to find the true origin of a folk song is on the side of impossibility, it was first recorded under a different song title by Clarence Ashley, but a more modern popular version was recorded by The Animals). Cat blew the socks off the crowd with her vocals and she certainly has some pipes. It was absolutely beautiful and if she wanted to get the band to record and release that cover on streaming platforms I certainly would not complain.
I think Cat and her band are definitely one to put on your radar in the local Chicago music scene. You can catch them at their next show in Chicago at The Burlington Bar on February 6th (and I highly recommend you do so)!
