Party w/THE WILDCATS - A FUNdraiser for ADA's CAFE

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

How did you and your Palo Alto dad friends get the idea to form a band?

Back in 2000, fundraising was still specific to each individual school. When our kids were 1st and 2nd graders at Walter Hays, some of our wives were involved in planning the annual PTA fundraiser. The original plan was to hire some musical entertainment for the event. But a few of us dads got to talking and realized that we had a core group that had played in bands in college. Some in the group had even played professionally. So, we offered to form a band and perform for the fundraiser instead of hiring entertainment. Even though we had a limited set list at this first gig, we were a hit and The Wildcats were born!

Tell us a bit about the band.

We’re a classic rock band and we don’t take ourselves too seriously! We like to joke during our intro that “We’re the band that puts the hip in hip replacement,” hehe. And, we like to say: “One day the only place you’ll be able to find classic rock is in the classical music section of your local library!”

Who was in the band back then and who’s in it now?

Some of our original members are still in the band today! Hank Barry (drums, vocals), Michael Brown (keyboards, vocals), Al Kenrick (rhythm guitar, vocals), and myself (rhythm guitar, vocals) are original members who still perform in the band. Newer members include John Hiss (bass) and Kevin Mandia (lead guitar). Others—like Karen Salveson, who founded Children’s Musical Theatre (CMT)—have played with us in the past.

What kind of music do you play?

We play rock ‘n’ roll covers (think “Born to be Wild” and “China Grove’”), dance and disco tunes (“Love Train,” “Disco Inferno”), a mini Rolling Stones set, and also more current songs like “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars. We cover a range of artists including The Beatles, Van Morrison, Steppenwolf, and Tom Petty, as well as one-hit-wonders like Tommy Tutone (“867-5309/Jenny”) and The Romantics (“What I Like About You”).

What’s the most fun gig you’ve ever played?

During the spring of 2015 we made a surprise appearance before 3,000 people at a Symantec sales conference at the Hakkasan Nightclub, in Las Vegas. That was something else!

Host or Publisher Club Fox