Bandleader and composer Marcel Illetschko and lyricist John D. Cima met by happy coincidence some years ago. They started talking and discovered a shared love of the Blues and the music that it has influenced for well over a century. This conversation culminated in an impromptu rendition of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire”, which probably

Bandleader and composer Marcel Illetschko and lyricist John D. Cima met by happy coincidence some years ago. They started talking and discovered a shared love of the Blues and the music that it has influenced for well over a century. This conversation culminated in an impromptu rendition of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire”, which probably speaks volumes, and a subsequent decision to compose together. “Midnight Moon” is the initial result.

On the album, The Raw-Cats featuring Millibird demonstrate a versatility and virtuosity that encompass echoes of everything from Country to Jazz and from Barrelhouse to plain and simple Rock ’n’ Roll. Nonetheless, the originality and authentic musical fingerprint of the band are constantly discernible. Therefore, although the Raw-Cats refer to the past and occasionally go back to the roots, they never imitate or descend into false nostalgia. Hence the fact that the resultant sound is not derivative and of yesterday, but instead vibrant, fresh and very much of today.