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catatf's Journal
C/A/T
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End of August update
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August 24, 2008, 11:44:pm
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First off... somehow the "At Peace" 'free' EP has wound up on file sharing sites and networks in... well... less than stellar quality. Considering this has now apparently gone beyond the "free for people who buy The Great Crisis on CD" original intended distribution... I will be providing mp3 files of that 4 track EP in 320 kbps compressed format COMPLETELY FREE here on VampireFreaks.com very soon. Of course, if you want the lossless FLAC files, and you've bought The Great Crisis, you'll still be able to grab those there. But, mainly, I'd rather have higher quality files circulating for free than a bunch of shitty double-encoded variable bit rate mp3s for those songs.
Next. The next official C/A/T release will be a remix and rework album, as stated earlier on this blog. That will be called "The Second Chance" and is set for a late October release date. The album will feature remixes from: Unter Null, Bitch Brigade, SAM, FabrikC, XP8, Uberbyte, Caustic, Marching Dynamics, [syndika:zero], Alter Der Ruine & Manufactura plus re-worked and re-recorded versions of Parasite, State Of Decay and Shoot To Kill.
Futhermore... I'll be bringing in Erica Dunham from Unter Null (and the C/A/T live band) to help produce the re-works on "The Second Chance" as well as production on the upcoming C/A/T album. So, expect a tighter all around mix and some really enhanced vocals on the re-works.
Also, as mentioned above, Erica will be co-producing the next C/A/T album with me... set for February 2009. Not much can be said about this album at the moment as I'm still in the pre-planning stages... but expect the unexpected there.
Lastly... work continues on the Captive Six project... more project demos will be posted on the MySpace and VampireFreaks pages shortly.
Thanks for reading...
-Ben
C/A/T
Music: mind.in.a.box
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More updates on things...
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July 29, 2008, 01:43:am
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1. Crunch Pod's Mail Order should be fully up and running by Friday evening. I will be gradually adding back all of the in stock items (plus some new stuff that just came in while I was gone) over the course of this week. I'm still pretty road-weary so it'll take a few days. Thanks for your patience.
2. I did a remix a while back for the band Animassacre. And you can now download that track for free via some promotional/free EP they have just released on VF.com
3. Despite the tour with Unter Null being over... I know of at least two one-off shows currently being organized that involve both Unter Null and C/A/T. Probably more of those too before the year is out if all goes as planned.
4. I am guest DJing THIS SATURDAY NIGHT @ the opening (re-opening?) of Club Subversion in Sacramento. It's at Silk Too (Folsom & Bradshaw) and is 18+ and kicks off at 9pm. Come check it out if you're in the area... should be fun.
5. Since a few people have asked at the last few shows...
Here is the status of C/A/T at the moment
• The Great Crisis is OUT NOW on CD and you can buy the CD pretty much anywhere in the U.S. at this point. It's also up on all of the major digital sites (iTunes has it incorrectly listed under the band name "Cat").
• I did a free "EP" that is currently held in the "bonus area" on the website WeAreStillAlive.com. If you buy the CD version of The Great Crisis, the card inside the case gives you the direct link and password combination. I will likely release these 4 tracks for FREE via the VF.com site in early Fall to make sure the people who picked up the downloads still have access to the bonus material.
• Now that I'm home from the road, I'll be finishing off some remixes for some bands, writing a few exclusive tracks for compilations and then dive into the We Are Still Alive album which is set to release in April 2009.
• In late November of this year, I'll be releasing an album of remixes and alternate versions of Point Of No Return tracks. This remix/re-make album has more or less been compiled and I'm waiting on a few remixes to come rolling in and it'll be ready to go. And this (Yeah, I know I need to call it something soon) remix album will have nothing to do with the 51X trilogy of albums that began with The Great Crisis. It's mainly coming out because I got a bunch of incredible remixes of tracks from PONR and I have redone several of the songs for our live sets and want to be able to share studio recorded versions of those tracks with you as well.
• The live line-up is locked as a two person act with myself and Erica from Unter Null. I do like to throw some special guests up there once in a while though... so you never know. But, for all intents and purposes, I plan on sticking with this live line-up for the forseeable future.
• And last, but not least... Kat is doing well. She's officially in remission and we're all very happy here in the C/A/T camp to have received that news while out on the road a few weeks back. She still has a few months of chemotherapy to endure but that is a small annoyance to get the excellent result of "no more cancer". She is still very limited on her ability to travel but you should start seeing her out with me outside the Sacramento/SF area by October or so.
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Major update
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April 06, 2008, 09:32:pm
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Hello -
First off, thank you to everyone who responded when I blanked the C/A/T MySpace page last night even though you guys had no idea what was going on.
Now that most everyone directly related to us has been contacted, I got the go ahead to say something here from Kat as it’s something people who have enjoyed C/A/T should probably know.
On Thursday Kat was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Kat has been feeling ill for about a year or so now and until yesterday they could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong with her. Her declining health was one of the major factors behind the drastic line-up change in February that had her leaving C/A/T after 3 years of being my main live band mate.
Fortunately, Hodgkin’s lymphoma typically has one of the highest survival rates as far as cancers go (she has "the good Hodgkin’s" if you are familiar with the show ’Curb Your Enthusiasm’ at all, heh). While we are of course optimistic that she will fully recover and beat this disease, it was, obviously, a pretty heavy thing to have dropped in our laps this evening.
Kat has been adamant in encouraging me in continuing C/A/T through this ordeal, so beyond maybe a few days that will be lost in post-production for "The Great Crisis" this will not, as far as planned, affect the band in any real major way. Likewise, this will not affect the activities of the label and mail order side of things for Crunch Pod. I’d just ask that people give us this coming weekend to relax and recharge our batteries and I will catch up on orders and label related business at some point next week.
And to anyone curious, Kat and I still plan on getting married despite all of this. 
If you wish to contact Kat or send her a message, you can do so by sending her something to her personal MySpace profile which is in the C/A/T Top 8.
Thanks again for your understanding and well wishes,
-Ben Arp
C/A/T & Crunch Pod
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Interview that is listed on the main page...
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March 23, 2008, 05:18:am
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Is from last summer. A lot of the information about the "future" is completely irrelevant.
For the record, the live band does NOT feature anyone mentioned in the interview.
I will have an announcement in the next 7 days (maybe even sooner) regarding the next C/A/T album along with pre-ordering information.
Thanks and I'm sorry that is being presented as "new" information as it's really somewhat dated.
-Ben
C/A/T
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Upcoming show near Sacramento, CA
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February 29, 2008, 03:05:am
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Blog added to C/A/T website...
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February 27, 2008, 03:49:am
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While the site itself still is pretty much devoid of content... I've added a blog to the site that is far more detailed than what I go into on here.
You can find the blog by visiting:
http://www.crunchpod.com/cat/ and clicking on the logo...
Thanks for reading,
-Ben
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Erica/Unter Null joins the live C/A/T line-up.
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February 12, 2008, 06:03:am
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Effectively immediately, joining me on stage will be Erica from Unter Null and Stray. Kat has left the live band on good terms and I look forward to spending life with her outside of the music realm.
I'm currently working on new C/A/T material and we should be hitting the road within the next few months. New album information will be provided once a more firm release date is scheduled.
See you out there...
-Ben
C/A/T
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News...
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February 01, 2008, 03:20:am
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Q: Where can I buy your CDs, t-shirts, digital downloads?
A: It's actually listed ON the profile but here are some options: Crunch Pod Distro (direct from the band), Metropolis Mail Order, COP Int'l, Amazon.com... the full list of places is on the actual profile.
Shirts are only available from the band directly via the distro/mail order or at shows.
Digital downloads are available via most of the major online distributors... such as: iTunes Music Store, eMusic, Rhapsody, Napster, etc.
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Q: Do you actually get money if I choose to download just a few songs I like from iTunes or somewhere similar?
A: Yes, we actually do get money 4 times a year from all of the major online distributors that have our music for sale. So, if you only want a few tracks or don't like buying CDs, go for it, you are supporting the band just as much as you would be by buying a CD.
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Q: When is your next show and are you playing [insert name] Festival this year?
A: All confirmed live shows are posted on this MySpace page. Right now the only confirmed show for 2008 is at Vector in Las Vegas on February 9th. C/A/T is not currently booked to perform at any festivals for 2008. The year started with me not even having a live band, so to speak, so I unfortunately did have to turn down some offers to hit the road between February and Summer of 2008. Until very recently it was logistically impossible for me to play live at all so I haven't aggressively gone after any live dates yet for this year. Besides, I'd like to finish some new material before hitting the road too aggressively any way.
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Q: Your vague posts on MySpace the past few weeks have been confusing. Is C/A/T going away? Will you ever play live again? What gives?
A: I know, the past 8 months have been confusing for me as well.
1. C/A/T is NOT dead. I will release more music under the name. I'm even compiling a remix album that will be part of the limited edition of a future C/A/T album.
2. Yes, C/A/T will perform live again. The show in Las Vegas in a few weeks will serve at Kat's last show with the band and signal a very short "break" for me to work on several different projects (C/A/T included). I'm still assembling a new live band for C/A/T and there could be a further post or two on that a bit "later"... or not. Nothing is certain at the moment beyond the fact that C/A/T will take the stage again in 2008.
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Q: What is this 51X thing?
A: It's a project that is very close to the future of C/A/T. Something that I'm working on right now. And it has it's own page here.
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The end as you've come to know things.
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January 20, 2008, 08:32:am
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02-09-08
Las Vegas. Vector. Playing with and booked by a great friend of mine... DJ Razorslave / Death By Corrosion.
This will be the last C/A/T performance for at least a good 8 or 9 months. Maybe longer.
I've made this decision prior to tonight... prior to this posting... but out of respect for the show in Phoenix tonight... I didn't want to make a big deal about anything until that passed.
02-09-08 will be the last time any incarnation of C/A/T will EVER play Smashed, Music To Piss You Off or Enhancer ever again. It will also be the final time many of the tracks from Point Of No Return will ever be played live again.
Regardless of if C/A/T carries on down the road... this show will be the last show that Kat ever performs live with me in any capacity. We're planning on getting married and being in the band together, in my opinion has affected our relationship at times and I feel I need to keep the two separate from here on.
I want to publicly apologize for the unfair treatment my previous live band member, Malice / Projekt Malice received in late summer 2007. Sometimes it takes 6 months to realize that you've made one of the biggest mistakes of your life and have acted unfairly towards someone you consider a friend and who you miss performing with. I'm sorry. I'd give anything to go back in time and be able to share the stage with her again. I miss our friendship more than anything.
So. Where does this leave things?
I still have projects in the works. I have no idea what will materialize and in what forms. Only time will tell. After Las Vegas in February, I will take a break... do some remixes and start working on a concept project I've wanted to work on for a while now but haven't had the time.
Maybe C/A/T will come back and be better than ever. Maybe something new will take it's place. Only time will tell. We're only people... we make mistakes... we start over... we try and heal old wounds... sometimes we're fated to move on and can only relive moments from memory.
Either way... I'm not going anywhere and you definitely haven't heard the last from me...
And thank you to all of the fans who have quite literally kept me going the past 6 months... without you guys... I am nothing.
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2008
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January 03, 2008, 03:52:am
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The Future...
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
Well, it is 2008.
I can't say I'm sad to see 2007 go... though we definitely thank everyone who showed up to a show, bought a CD, t-shirt or digital download or told a friend about C/A/T and Crunch Pod.
I'd first like to extend a special thanks to Infinite Connections for having us out in Seattle for their New Year's Eve party. We had a good time and it's always fun to be back in Seattle for something.
So, where do things stand in 2008? I've had a lot of questions over the past few weeks as to what is going on with the band so I guess I'll make it more clear here.
The "This Season Of Chaos" EP was canceled and will never be coming out. I scrapped the few songs that were in production as I didn't feel they met the standards I have for a new C/A/T recording. I know some of you were looking forward to the release, but, honestly, the best elements from what was started will filter their way into future C/A/T recordings. I promise.
The next you will hear from me is the debut of my new project, 51X, some time this Spring. It will be a full album of 8 - 10 completely instrumental tracks. I have a few remixers on board to round out the album as well.
C/A/T will re-emerge towards the end of Summer in 2008 with a full length album. It will also be available in a "limited edition" with a bonus disc of extra material not found anywhere else. Information pertaining to the next C/A/T album is already available in various places on this MySpace page as well as a few other MySpace pages. All I can say now is that there will be some surprises and the album will be taking the style of "Point Of No Return" and turning things up a notch or two.
I'm currently working on getting C/A/T out on the road either before, or ideally, after, the new album hits. That said, I already have us booked in Phoenix, AZ and Las Vegas, NV in January and February.
So, that is what is going on. I'm also doing a ton of remixes at the moment so look for those to appear on a bunch of upcoming albums, singles and compilations over the next 6 months or so.
Thanks and I hope you have a great year... I plan to.
-Ben
C/A/T
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