As Easter approaches, the musician known as Big Kitty has a lot to celebrate.
He’s about to record a new album with some old friends. And he’s on the verge of a big cross-country tour that includes several shows in his adopted home of Chattanooga.
But he’s probably most excited about a visit from the Pre-Easter Dog.
“Pre-Easter is a tradition not too many people know about other than maybe me and my daughter,” he explained. “Everyone knows about the Easter Bunny, but the Pre-Easter Dog comes really early in the morning in the days leading up to Easter and puts out bowls of cereal.”
Apparently this cereal-loving canine deity also serves as the inspiration for his new album. But there’s also a good chance that Big Kitty was being irreverent and evasive when I tried to ask a serious question about his art.
Oh by the way, Big Kitty isn’t his real name. But neither is Roy, the name he gave me when I asked if I could use his real name in this article. He seems to enjoy shrouding himself in a healthy mix of mystery and absurdity.
On the other hand, he’s completely candid and sincere when discussing his love for the Chattanooga music scene.
Before he was Big Kitty, he was an artsy kid from Marryville who moved to Chattanooga to attend UTC for music, English, and French. After graduation he started writing and performing his original songs and found a home in the local punk scene.
“Most of my friends were involved in the punk scene in Chattanooga. Everybody who played in my band was a part of that scene, even though I never really made punk songs.”
I’m still not really clear what kind of music Big Kitty makes. Whatever genre he belongs to is defined less by its music and more by its sense of humor. If you think it’s funny that an artist would give a journalist a fake name, then congratulations Big Kitty’s music is for you too.
Since those formative years in the Chattanooga punk scene, Roy has moved all around the world. He spent a few years in California, then Spain. These days he lives in a cabin in the mountains of rural France.
But he still considers Chattanooga his home. “Chattanooga’s really more of my hometown than the place where I was born and grew up. I have way more connections to people in Chattanooga than any other place.”
“It’s so different from when I moved there in 2003,” he said. “I don’t know if it was better then, but I feel pretty nostalgic for how cheap and run down and depressing it was. At the time I didn’t appreciate it enough, but the punk scene was great.”
If the circumstances were right, Big Kitty would live in Chattanooga again. But in the meantime, he’s happy to visit during his upcoming tour.
Big Kitty will perform on Thursday March 21st at 8pm along with Matt Bohannon and Alex the Band at the Woodshop Listening Room. Later that night he’ll head over to JJ’s Bohemia to host a theatrical karaoke show. In April he will return to Chattanooga for performances at Sluggo’s and Cherry Street Tavern.