Catfish Haven, Magnolia Electric Company Wrap Up Tour Together

It Happened Last Night

Catfish Haven, Magnolia Electric Company Wrap Up Tour Together

MEMPHIS, TN: The Chicago-bred bands traveled to the Tennessee city for one of the last two dates of their tour together.

By Spin Staff 09.27.06 3:00 AM

Chicago natives Magnolia Electric Company and Catfish Haven landed in Memphis last night to play to an enthusiastic crowd at HiTone Memphis. Catfish Haven unleashed their blend of classic riffs and upbeat blues-rock, performing songs from their new release, Tell Me, as well as assorted material from their 2001 and 2006 EPs. The band claim their early influences are from punk and thrash records, but many songs sounded more like a tribute to Otis Redding than to Joey Ramone. The trio have been covered extensively in the blogosphere, stirring up so much hype that a backlash has already begun on hometown site Chicagoist, where a debate was sparked on whether the band is genius or generic. Unsurprisingly, the audience at their Memphis show leaned more towards the former description. RACHEL HURLEY

We asked: Catfish Haven: All hype or the real deal? COMMENT

Name: Katie Hazard
Age: 24
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Occupation: Student/Bartender
"I was pleasantly surprised by their rough, authentic jazz sound."

Name: Elizabeth Flaga
Age: 25
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Occupation: Personal Living Implementer / Student
"They're the real deal! I loved it!"

Name: Patrick McLatyre
Age: 28
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Occupation: Bartender
"They put on a good show, but Magnolia Electric Company is still one of my favorite bands."

Name: Lisa Stanley
Age: 28
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Occupation: Attorney
"I really liked the diversity of the set, especially the more bluesy stuff. I respect a band that isn't afraid to mix it up."

Name: John Argroves
Age: 30
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Occupation: Owner, Taylor's Music
"I didn't know there was any hype, but I thought they sounded like the real deal. I'd buy the record."

Name: Charles Farley
Age: 30
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Occupation: Student
"When I saw the singer, I was afraid they were going to be a Soundgarden cover band, but they were actually very pleasant."