Noah & The Stratocats

NOTE: This website has not been updated since Feb 2000. Much has happenned since then--the band has evolved and now enjoys significant recognition nation-wide. I was sad to see Griffin Hussong leave the group. Griffin had a special genius for funk and jazz which helped launch the band into quick local success. The band was lucky enough to find an excellent bass player -- Marty -- to take his place. The Stratocat sound continues to evolve as each of the musicians grow. I wish I could continue my zealous tracking of the Stratocat history, but my personal circumstances forbid it.

Fortunately, a new volunteer (Karin) has stepped up to the job. She developed a new Stratocat webpage, with an address you can actually remember: www.geocities.com/noahandthestratocats/ Type this into your location window (or just click the "Go To" link above) and then bookmark the new website. You'll be happy with Kathy's work. She will keep you up-to-date on critical things, like when and where the band will be playing.

As for this site--I think I will leave it here as a kind of museum of Stratocat History. When the band becomes overwhelmingly famous (as I expect in a couple or three years), I might even get to charge money for tours. In the meantime, feel free to sample the sounds and copy the historic photos (for personal use only--Brusky has the copyright). They tell an exciting tale.

Great Sound Recordings -- The Stratocats have completed a LIVE CD titled "Noah and the Stratocats," which is available through Gem City, Best Buy and the Oregon nightclubs. If your system runs RealAudio (free software), you can listen to a cut from this exciting CD. Click "RealAudio Streaming Sample" to visit the Stratocat sound test page. Special thanks to DAVE YOUNG, a Cincinnati fan, for the weeks of research and experimentation he put into getting this sound page on the web!

Crude Sound Samples -- Click "Band Members." Then select the musician of your choice. A photo page will come up. If you wait, you'll hear half a minute of good music. Sound files are humongous and load slowly. You may just want to "park" your browser on the page, launch a second session of Netscape and go on browsing while you wait. Once the sample plays, you can replay it with no delay by hitting your "Reload" button. These samples are brief and primative compared to the RealAudio cut.

Noah and the Stratocats is a three piece blues based band originating in Dayton, Ohio. They were organized in August 1997 to participate in the first annual Yellow Springs Blues Festival.

The band members are Noah Wotherspoon (guitar and vocals), Griffin Husson (bass and vocals) and Josh Johnson (drums). Noah and Griffin are 17 and are high school students. Josh is 27 and employed by Ameritech.

The band's focus has been to develop their own style by following the influences of traditional blues and jazz legends, from Robert Johnson to John Coltrane. Modern musicians, including the Meters, Taj Mahal and many of the Texas artists have added to their range. Funk, rhythm and blues, reggae and improvisations with world sound enter into their realm during a typical club night.

Highlights of their past year and a half have included two appearances at the Chicago Blues Fest '98, the Dayton Blues Fest '98, the Yellow Springs Blues Fest '98 and the Tipp City Music Festival. They have played in Kentucky and Cincinnati, and can be found in the Oregon District, downtown Dayton, almost every weekend. They have opened for Leon Russell twice at Gilly's in Dayton, where they also appear solo once a month. They are members of the Cincinnati Blues Society, which has been helpful keeping them true to the blues art.

Versatility has been the key to drawing and holding enthusiastic audiences at their four and a half hour club gigs. They have performed over eighty times in the past twelve months-increasing their stage presence and following. They have a fan club that sponsors an unofficial website (you are there!). The band is currently adding their own input, in cooperation with site coordinator Tom Robinson and photographer, Rick Brusky. A CD produced by Kurtis Kostello at One Night On Earth Studio is in the works and will be released prior to the band's appearance at the Chicago Blues Fest '99. They are scheduled to perform Saturday June 5 (evening) and Sunday June 6 (around noon) on the Best Buy Stage.

Griffin and Josh offer a wealth of musical experience with their backgrounds. Griffin grew up with the blues as son of Shakin' Dave Hussong-Dayton musician, blues radio show host and vintage guitar shop owner. Josh has performed publicly since elementary school. His solo of "Wipeout" earned him fame in the sixth grade. Before joining the Stratocats, his former band placed second in a city-wide competition.

Noah began playing in Dayton and Cincinnati blues jams at the age of 13. He was a member of Bobby Rock's Band for a period in '97. During that time, they opened for Lattimore and Denise Lasalle, and they played the Dayton Blues Fest '97.

Independently, Noah has played as a guest with Eddie King ('96) and Bobby Bland ('98). He also performed with bands in Nashville, Tenn.; Fayetteville and Wilmington, N.C.; and was in the Cape Fear Blues Fest '98 (scheduled for '99 as well).

The band would like to expand their horizons artistically and geographically. The estimated 4,500 observers in Chicago last year will expect to be equally entertained this June. That is the band's focal point now. They will take one day at a time thereafter, knowing that many of these opportunities are due to their youth. Longevity in the music world depends on integrity and quality worthy of any age.

3/5/99 For the band: Bea Wotherspoon, noahtcb@webtv.com.

All photos by BRUSKY IMAGES, copyright 1998 and 1999
rbrusky@erinet.com

Page by Cosmonster--cosmotr@yahoo.com

Updated 2/4/00
Posthumus update posted 1/27/01

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