Paper Cat

The Paul Green's School of Rock Alumni do it again! Julie & Eric Slick (bass & drums) a brother and sister team who have made their claim to fame by being the glue behind the Adrian Belew Power Trio. Forge out into new territory teaming up with Eric Slick's Project Object bandmate Robbie "Seahag" Mangano for this new instrumental Power Trio known as Paper Cat. And a Powerful Trio they are......

With the Slick’s having just recorded their first album together with the elder Belew, it is evident that the rhythm section of this new trio Paper Cat, have really honed their chops. Doing so by gigging endlessly crisscrossing the United States, Canada and other assorted parts of the globe for the better part of four years now. Fresh off a recent Russian tour the Adrian Belew Power Trio has Playing in festivals and sharing the stage with the likes of Tony Levin, Eddie Jobson and his project U-Z, Umphrey's McGee and many more. As well as contributing their own precision elements of bass and drums to Belew's well orchestrated instrumental 5 part suite entitled "e".


The duo of Eric & Julie recently shared the stage with The California Guitar Trio contributing some powerful back end to their sets as well. But on to new projects ….this duo does not set idly by waiting for the next Adrian Belew Power Trio tour....they dive into studio for this new project with Robbie "Seahag" Mangano of Project Object on guitar.

Recently the new trio called Paper Cat played a live gig in the Philly area and recorded it and Julie made it available on a website called Band Camp. Julie Slick has not only toured with the Adrian Belew Power Trio for the past 4yrs but she has also completed a degree in music engineering at Drexel University (with honors I might add). Putting herself through college by part time waiting on tables at a local Philly establishment when not in school and on the road with Adrian Belew.

Eric Slick is just as busy as his sister, when not on tour with Adrian he has been doing gigs in Philadelphia, NYC and at Bonnaroo where he played drums for several grueling days and several shows a day with a belly dancing act? He also regularly sets in on live gigs with many well known musicians. He recently played NEARFest with Oblivion Sun the progressive rock band at 3pm and immediately following the NEARFest set he raced across town to do the set with sister Julie and The California Guitar Trio.



From reading various blogs on the internet I have discovered that Eric and Robbie were on an airplane and they created this hilarious version of a paper cat from the airline's vomit bag. Said Paper Cat… appears on the recent poster for their live set at the Kyber and on their new My Space Page Here

There you can catch 3 new tracks recently recorded at Studio Slick (Julie's studio) where she has also been recording and producing the music for her boyfriends band Cheers Elephant. But let's not forget the band at hand...Paper Cat. Take a listen for yourself to the 3 new tracks recently posted on the My Space page and it is evident that this new instrumental trio is maturing as we speak.

I love the sonic sounds the band has been creating in the studio. The first track titled Spider Song starts with Julie hammering out a nice bass riff......and Eric coming in on his drums....and then the attack is on Robbie comes in like a machine gun on the guitar.....and the trio is off and running on this progressive journey. Robbie's playing is very crisp and well planned...this is a band that is really thinking about what they do before laying it down in the studio. There are elements King Crimson in the mix but it's not a copy by any stretch.

Operation: Desert Storm starts out with some nice melodic guitar.....but you know there is an attack coming somewhere in the near future. The bass starts to brew up from the mix and the drums start marching in for the kill that you know is about to occur. And YES they launch into a total guns blazing attack, Robbie laying down some very sweet tones that remind me of elements of Mr. Jimi.....I bet this is a total hit in the live shows.
The dynamics of sound on the ending create the scene for this desert landscape. Slowly winding down into the sweet eternal oblivion, a place that can only be truly found in the calm after this desert storm.

Novembeard starts with Julie ripping in with some very in your face bass resembling the way that Tony Levin does in Crimson. While Robbie comes in with some sweet harmonic tones which you know are going to develop. Meanwhile Eric is not setting by doing nothing either...his sense of timekeeping is well planned out in the proper progressive instrumental fashion. But before you get too relaxed Robbie begins his guitar attack once again. This song has a nice groove to it and I really appreciate the various textures going on here. Julie is laying it on thick in the low end, her bass is constantly ripping and bubbling out of the background at times sounding very much like Tony Levin. Just as you wish this song would go on forever it is over all too soon and hopefully like me, you are left longing for more.

Well this band has certainly stirred my progressive soul and I am hoping for a whole album sometime in the very near future.

Peace & Music,


Michael A. Inman