The Pinecats are elusive. They appear and disappear as the years pass. Charlie "Pinedog" Williams is at the heart of the band and does all the writing, engineering, and production as well as handling the vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, native American flutes, percussion, and a variety of traditional mountain instruments. Old friends and former bandmates make up the Pinecats, offering skilled solos on guitars, harmonicas, and bass, as well as some back up vocals on occasion. All songs are recorded in Pinedog's cabin studio in the rolling hills and hollows of the northern Appalachian Mountains near the Pennsylvania/New York line. We are fiercely independent and have complete control over what kinds of music we do and answer only to our fans. We enjoy genre jumping and our albums are very diverse. ..
Interview
Pinecats are very strange. – says Charlie, 61 years old – They are rarely seen in the daylight. They live deep in the wilds of rural America. The come out only now and then to howl at the moon in different genres...
The Pinecats are really just me, Pinedog, recording in my cabin microstudio in the northern Appalachians. The "Cats" are my recording toys and occasionally my musician friends. They include: Billy "Redaxe" Williams, Jim Lester, Gabe Stenziano, Paul Killington, Jud, Kevin Miller, Bill Peterson..
Why this name?
My home studio is deep in a pine forest and the band members are hip cats...
Do you play live?
I don't play out much anymore...just an occasional coffehouse or jam with friends. I worked with live bands for many years. These days, i am a "one man band", thanks to multitrack recorders.
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
It allows Cats like us to be artistic and not to have to conform to "acceptable standards" which has brought about the cookie cutter era. It's also the only place you can go to find really bad music.
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
Only if they agree to pay my Health Insurance.
...and dental...and a new hearing aid?
Your influences?
My influences are too diverse to name. I guess most everything i've heard since about '55. It all goes in....i love all kinds of music as long as it has real feelings and emotion.
Favorite spot?
Rural America. Where a Cat can be a Cat...or a dog...
Equipment used:
Boss BR1200CD
Casio CTK 691
Boss DR-3
Shure & MXL mics
An arsenal of stringed instruments
Anything else...?
Please stop over to the store and pick up one of my albums and save me from acorn soup this winter ;-) Thank you all for your endless support!