Cal

"A desire to be in charge of our own lives, a need for control, is born in each of us. It is essential to our mental health, and our success, that we take control." Alexander Graham Bell
The quote above, kind of sums up the thoughts currently dwelling in Colin McMurray’s head at the minute. Gone are the days of sitting and waiting for someone to stroll in and rescue him from his small, house bound studio. The last year has seen these three guys write, record and pick over tracks until they were fully satisfied that they could do no more with them. In short, Cal are here for some hard graft and have their feet firmly planted and ready to work for as long as it takes.
This Belfast based three-piece band is made up of Mike Patton (drums), Henrik Favarri (bass) and Colin McMurray (guitar and vocals). When forced they will tell you that they sound like anyone from Neal Finn to Neil Young, Counting Crows to KT Tungstal.
“Its hard to pigeonhole our songs, not because we sound radically different or anything. Its just that, I know what it sounds like and Mike and Henrik know what it sounds like but because music is so subjective we may not even agree ourselves what it sounds like, so everyone has a different and relevant opinion….do you know what I mean”? Colin McMurray
“Colin McMurray’s vocals soared effortlessly – McMurray seems utterly at ease on stage and interacting with an audience - but the acoustic-based trio delivered a set that built to a considerable power, giving bite to the clean lines and sinuous structures of the songs.” Maurice McCartney Oxfam gig 2006
After their first gig in 2006 at the Empire Music Hall in Belfast, the guys wasted no time in booking a flight to London for a handful of gigs in the UK’s music capitol.
“We didn’t see any point in waiting until we’d clocked up a couple of shows in our hometown. After the first gig we thought, well why don’t we just branch out now while everything is fresh and exciting instead of waiting 6 months or a year when we may loose some energy?”
Cal quickly made some friends in London and are pleased that a significant proportion of their recently released EP “In Your Way” made its way across the water to them. This should come as no surprise to those who know the band.
“Colin McMurray fronts Cal and they’re a nice band. I hate to use that word to describe anything but it seems to be the most apt word in this case. They seem like very genuine guys who play a very genuine style of music drawing on some country, blues, and indie rock influences. The vocals are strong and passionate and the musicianship of the rest of the band is superb, tight and professional.” Scott Edgar (drop-D)
These three, easy going characters are very comfortable chatting to the audience after a show, in fact they thrive on it.
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