Biography

Stiff Dead Cat, a four piece band emerging from the hills of Northern California, have distilled a combination of Bluegrass, Jazz, Blues, Jug-Stomp, and Funk into what they call- Porch Punk. Whatever you want to call it, it’s raw, freight-train poundin’ power, full of blazing licks and high-spirited improv, is bringing audiences to new heights with acoustic music. Stiff Dead Cat tears through their roots of mountain and swamp music with wood and wire to push the limits and show what they think music is made for. Stiff Dead Cat’s music conjures up tragic and comedic images of the backwoods and it is a window into a lifestyle both wayward and contagious.

Though members of the band have been playing together for over 12 years, Stiff Dead Cat became an entity 6 years ago with Sweaty Paws, their first album and accompaning tour. For their second album, they teamed up with pop-producer, Gregory Haldan (Joey Calio, Vinyl, Samantha Stolenwerk) and producer/engineer Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, George Clinton, Bill Laswell) to make the ground-breaking album, Snake Oil. The band’s big sound was captured so well on analog tape by this team, that Stiff Dead Cat used the same recipe for their third and coming album, Molotov Barbeque.

Stiff Dead Cat’s burning performance style has earned them the right to spread their unique sound to classic Bay Area venues like the Fillmore, the Mystic, and the Great American Music Hall; and festivals like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and the Harmony Festival. Their engaging blend of sonic mischief has wielded them a large following and

achieved them a Norbay Award for Best Bluegrass/Cajun/Folk Band. When they leave their barns and coops to play a show, one thing is certain, folks can’t seem to quench their thirst for this brand of music.

Stiff Dead Cat includes:

Wylie Woods– lead vocal, mandolin, banjo Wylie lives in a barn in the backwoods of Forestville working as a Blacksmith. When not playing music, Wylie can be found killing and butchering wild game, making grappa, and burning coal before his wife gets home.

Dave Lux– Rezo guitar, vocals Dave lives in a complex of trailers in the hills of Cazedero. He is a carpenter by trade, who spends his his spare time feading raw meat to his dog, raising chickens, and eating fresh vegetables when he remembers to water the garden for his wife.

Jesse Rudolph – Drums Jesse works six days a week at feed store in Penngrove, but he’ll call in sick for any Stiff Dead Cat gig. His Steer is almost ready for a trip to the butcher and he is planning to raise another batch of pigs. He hasn’t met his wife.

Curly – Bull fiddle Curly spends half his time in Europe playing avant-garde. We can’t figure out why. The other half of his time he resides in the Oakland ghetto. We can’t figure that out either. We think he might have more than one wife.