ROCK IN DETROIT’S
MAY 2026
BAND OF THE MONTH:
DEATH CAT
DEATH CAT is an indefatigable creative force that prowls the alleyways and dive bars of Detroit, while relentlessly touring, recording and shifting line-ups. Rock in Detroit recently spoke to DEATH CAT’s top cat, ToM Cat.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Let’s start with a Brief History of Death Cat. How did it all start?
TOM: Death Cat officially began Sept 2008 in Redford MI. The earliest song “Evil Dead” was written in 2005 in my first band “BathrooM” and a couple other songs written in 2006-7 in a street punk band I was in called “KillAttacK.”
ROCK IN DETROIT: What else led up to DEATH CAT?
TOM: In early 2008, I began playing under the name “ToM Noise” either solo or with a drummer. The drummer was flaky and she would just not show up to shows randomly. We did a long demo that September on CD. And we had a synth player who still is a good friend, but would just con me into driving him to drug houses at the time and half-assing practices. The synth player and drummer never even met because they were so unreliable!
I played this experimental noise punk thrash around coffee shop and bar open mics and booked shows around Detroit. I just was anxious to perform. Therapy. I used to get in arguments and fights over being too loud and basically was playing for the wrong audience half the time.
Part of the music was me instinctually rebelling against the Detroit punk scene, which was super clichy. The bulk of street punk all simultaneously changed into crust punk & had a holier than thou attitude. It just seemed insincere, and I still have an issue with many “scenes” because it’s more about networking and hanging out than just loving the music or coming together with sharing the same emotional malfunction or disdain for society and the system’s failures.
ROCK IN DETROIT: What sort of project did you have in mind then?
TOM: I was heavily inspired by Black Flag, and their progressive nature that kept true to their vision. I wanted to push the envelope as well for my own entertainment. I make music for myself and for whomever else is crazy enough to relate to it–for the undercats who don’t fit. I also wanted a band that could play whatever the fuck it wanted and not be held to a single genre. If I wanted to play a street punk song, then a thrash song, then a folk song, then an avante garde song, so be it. I figured people were ready for more eclectic mashup, but they weren’t.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Where did it go from there? Were you recording much in those days?
TOM: I put out a sloppy album with mostly me doing keyboard and drums and not crediting Jade the drummer since she had stabbed me in the back too often. Bad idea. The album is a mess and we actually redid it recently.
In 2009, Seth Mehan joined as the drummer and Joseph O’seph joined on keyboard. This was a nice lineup that lasted six shows. Together we recorded the bulk of the second DEATH CAT album “Submit to Nothing,” which wasn’t finished and released until 2011 once Joe and I moved to Chicago.
We were taking lots of acid and were doing recording sessions/adventures called “The War Against the Living,” which still is one of my favorite improvised albums and times of my life. We would dress up as pirates and spray paint property, steal things, and go insane basically. I was literally trying to unravel the Universe through cosmic art and it turned into a semi-fake cult and got real weird, but allowed my consciousness awakening into striving for balance and hoping to ease suffering versus revenge.
We put out like four improvised albums under the name “Gatto di Morte” before finishing Submit to Nothing.
ROCK IN DETROIT: You mentioned Chicago. What was that about?
TOM: Yeah, in Chicago, the band reformed with Jesse Kimo Thomas Knowles on keys, Melissa Birckhead on drums, and our robot Demodog-1138. We played shows and did a failed NYC tour. We also incorporated live painters and video projections with the help of our taxi driver friend Brian Evans who helped us get our gear to shows since taking busses and trains was a bitch. After I ruined my life in Chicago, I moved back to Detroit to make a movie, “Telepathic Telephones,” semi-based off our acid adventures. The sound track had a few songs that actually made it into the current new album.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Detroit, Chicago, where else has your music developed?
TOM: In September 2013, I moved to L.A. to pursue film. But I couldn’t avoid doing DEATH CAT. I teamed up with Spirit Sanctus on accordion, and we street performed until meeting Ryan Skaggs on bass and eventually Harry Cloud on drums. Harry and Ryan are still two of my best friends. This was the first solid lineup starting in 2015. We did a West Coast tour to practically no one. But it was a blast. We released an EP on tape and the Horrible Halloween Noizes album. We did a cross country tour for 3 weeks in 2016.
Then Spirit left and our friend Svetlana joined on keys. We toured the West Coast with Fannyland in 2017. Then Harry quit and Svetlana was sort of kicked out. My friend Nikolitsa joined on drums and we added a saxophonist KT and, Batman Catman on keys and finished the Dodo Bird/Dirt /Eyeball album in 2018. I emailed over 300 labels who wouldn’t or couldn’t put it out so we again self-released.
ROCK IN DETROIT: It seems you guys have a lot of energy! What next?
TOM: Well, Ryan was living in Sacramento and worked for the government. So we ironically played a bass-driven album without a bass player half of that year. Harry returned on drums, and we got George Hanna-Wilson on bass. KT left due to drugs. We did an Xmas album and an EP, and toured the East Coast in fall of 2019. Harry quit again and then the pandemic hit.
In 2021, I moved back to Detroit again and reformed the band with three people who all turned out to be real monsters, which I suppose works since we did a horror-punk album “Furrocious Flicks” with each song based off an old horror movie that was featured on my horror host show “Castle Cat.”
The band had another line-up shift as we now brought Bubbles the Clown in on keys in Jan 2023, Nick Davison on drums, and started the rest of the Cosmic Cats album. Then our bassist thankfully departed and Nick as well. Our previous drummer returned to re-record the original album, and we had my friend Mike Nobody in the band for awhile for those recordings. Mike was replaced by Space Bass Ace Jason and we brought Brady Cooper in on accordion and are using backing drums until we can find a reliable drummer.
ROCK IN DETROIT: What a story! Where do things stand with Cosmic Cats?
TOM: We are releasing what is my favorite album to date “,Cosmic Cats,” May 4th at Space Dive in Detroit!
ROCK IN DETROIT: DEATH Cat strikes me as sort of a “concept” band. What is the DEATH CAT concept?
TOM: Each album is it’s own concept. This seems cool, but is pain in the ass to execute. We have three versions summed up: (1) DEATH CAT Earth/suburban street/real life; (2) Horror–Count Cat fronting with monsters from the CATpathian Mountains in the 13th demented dimension; and (3) Cosmic Cats–outer space travelers.
ROCK IN DETROIT: How would you describe DEATH CAT’s sound? Could you provide us with a link to one of you personally favorite Death Cat tracks?
TOM: We’ve been called thrash punk, experimental, screamo, fast blues, noise punk, jazz punk, art punk, horror punk, space punk, loud, music for crazy people. It’s eclectic, so art-punk is a good go to. This track is a current favorite:
https://deathcat.bandcamp.com/track/cosmic-conscious-cats-2
ROCK IN DETROIT: You have a unique stage show/look/performance persona. Can you describe it for readers?
TOM: No.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Tell us more about DEATH CAT’s touring? What was that like?
TOM: Basically:
2015: Death Cat vs. the West Coast–fun, thrilling, to mostly empty venues, saw flying saucers.
2016: Death Cat vs the Mole-People Tour–three weeks, very fun except getting sick and dealing with a methhead. We saw many friends and met new ones. Lots of DIY & big stages.
2017: Death Cat & Fannyland Do America Tour–Was fun and nuts. Skinwalker tales in SLC & the Choc Poop debate.
2019: Horrible Halloween Noizes East Coast/ Midwest Tour–more tame besides those coke wanting Russian strippers and my mission to seek out Chucky dolls that resulted in a rental car accident and a few parking tickets and Montreal sucking. Oh and that scary Nazi town in Ohio.
Cat damn, I miss touring.
ROCK IN DETROIT: I know you are involved in other media than music. Is your film work, for example, related to or distinct from DEATH CAT?
TOM: The film stuff all connects to DEATH CAT. Sometimes alternate dimensions. Horror DEATH CAT ties into Castle Cat. The band is usually featured in each film. Some films revolve around the band.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Do you have any collaborators?
TOM: Barry White’s ghost hid my car keys during a recording session. We feature violinist Pierce Horvath on our new album. Best violinist I’ve known. Petra Haden was on an album. Jermemiah Benjamin on sax for a few songs and shows. Don Bolles of the Germs and 45 Grave in our X-Mas movie. I used to love recording with Paul Roessler of 45 Grave and The Screamers.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Last question. How many cats do you own?
TOM: Zippy & outdoor Buster Keaton Lugosi.
Recent Comments