The Bay Area's longest running Grateful Dead tribute band, the China Cats have been performing with the same five bandmembers since 2012. That time together is evident in the band's ability to lock in with each other, and pivot on a dime. They've managed to morph their interpretation of the Dead's music into their own, while maintaining the key instrumental parts.
The China Cats have performed in venues throughout the West including Terrapin Crossroads (Marin), Sweetwater (Mill Valley), the Catalyst (Santa Cruz), the Siren (Morro Bay), Ashkenaz (Berkeley) Westside Theater (Newman), Felton Music Hall (Felton), as well as festivals including Skull & Roses (Ventura), Vintage Days (Fresno), Redwood Mountain Fair (Felton), Black Sheep Family Reunion (Oregon), Hog Farm Celebration (Mendocino) and many others.
The China Cats have been joined on stage by former Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, Jerry Garcia Band organist Melvin Seals, Railroad Earth's Tim Carbone and many other notable musicians.
Matt Hartle - lead guitar and vocals
Scott Cooper - rhythm guitar and vocals
Steve Sofranko - keyboards and vocals
Roger Sideman - bass and vocals
Michael Owens - drums
"The Bay Area's leading Grateful Dead tribute band... Instead of attempting note-for-note re-enactments, the China Cats try to re-create the spirit of the Dead with creative jam sessions. This Bay Area tribute band performs the songs of the Grateful Dead with spirited jams that carry their own genuine personality while paying homage to their musical forefathers."
-- Modesto Bee
"There's about 300 or more very loyal fans at just about every one of their shows, and this is a fairly small community. No other local band draws like they do... A terrific band, way too improvisational to be called a tribute band. They are inspired by the Grateful Dead, but their takes on this vast array of music is uniquely personal. These guys deserve national exposure."
"I want to THANK YOU, for a REALLY GOOD TIME!"
-- Neil Hendricks, 9/6/15
"One of the premier tribute bands in Northern California. The group has spent years infusing the classic sensibilities of the Dead's catalog with their own flair and energy"
-- Good Times, Santa Cruz
"The China Cats aren’t a cover band. They approach the Dead’s work with same kind of reverence and sophistication that the Dead themselves showed in their own forays into American roots music. When you listen the Cats,, old favorites take on new lives, revealing facets that will delight and amaze even jaded listeners. These guys aren’t copycats — their sets demonstrate how the Dead’s music now is a part of the great American songbook, alongside the giants who first inspired the Dead."
-- Nicholas Meriwether, former archivist for the Grateful Dead
"I had a fine time and enjoyed the music very much."
— Rock Scully, former manager, Grateful Dead
"A spot-on, outstanding Grateful Dead tribute band"
— Tom Miller, booking agent, Don Quixote's, Felton, CA
"Loved your rendition of the music of the GD. Keep on keepin'"
— Alan Trist, Grateful Dead's publisher
"While the China Cats are able to accurately recreate the sound and energy of the legendary band, they nonetheless infuse their renditions of classic songs with their own flavor. "
-- Santacruz.com
"Any tribute band can turn out rote performances of the songs of bygone bands, but to truly capture the spirit of another band—that’s a rare talent. Santa Cruz-based China Cats are unabashedly a Grateful Dead tribute band, but instead of attempting to perform note-perfect renditions of the band’s chestnuts, they attempt to capture that most intangible yet compelling aspect of the Dead’s live shows: the endless jam session. This is no small undertaking, but the China Cats pull it off with an impressive command of their instruments and a symbiotic musical interplay that befits the Grateful Dead’s legacy." -- Santa Cruz Weekly
"The China Cats are widely recognized as the top Dead tribute band in the state and for good reason. The band captures the spirit and detailed music of the Dead while adding their own subtle touch. Not just a a great tribute band, but a great band in general."
-- Sacramento 365
"... reviving the spirit of the legendary band than recreating each tune note for note. Using the Dead's catalog as a launching pad, China Cats then heads off into swirling, uncharted longform jams. "
-- Santacruz.com
"There’s nothing like a good Grateful Dead tribute band. The China Cats uphold the roots-based jams that Garcia, Weir, Hart, Lesh, Godchaux and Kreutzmann invented. Covers of timeless tunes like “Eyes of the World,” “Here Comes Sunshine” and “Morning Dew,” keep Jerry’s legend shining as bright as a fire. The Santa Cruz quintet is made up of true Deadheads."
-- Monterey County Weekly
"... Here's a band you need to catch... As the old saying goes, 'There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert' — and members of Santa Cruz-based band The China Cats take that to heart. The group — beautifully captures the improvisational spirit and psychedelic sound of a Grateful Dead concert, drawing from the legendary band's vast repertoire, with faithful interpretations of songs such as 'Truckin',' 'Eyes of the World,' 'Jack Straw,' 'Terrapin Station' and 'Bertha.' Close your eyes and you'll think you're back at the fabled Fillmore West!"
-- Monterey Herald
"A Grateful Dead tribute band comprised of accomplished veterans and young talents too young to have ever seen the Dead without their Deadhead parents."
-- KGO Radio
"I want to thank you for the terrific performance on the Church Street Stage! You were great and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed your performance. It was all we hoped for."
-- Ellen Primick, Cabrillo Music Festival
"One of the Bay's most esteemed Dead cover bands. Their ability to recreate the sounds of the Grateful Dead is uncanny...just wait for the first three notes of Shakedown Street and you'll feel like you're at Winterland in '78."
-- Cafe du Nord
"The authenticity's in the sound for this local band that plays the music of the Grateful Dead. (They) cover songs from across the Dead's spectrum with extended jams and a sense of spontaneity that ensures every show offers something different."-- Santa Cruz Sentinel, Best Bets, 8/29/08
"Grateful Dead tribute bands are a dime a dozen, rarely capturing any of the Dead's actual appeal or virtuosic jamming, but (The China Cats) actually do the legacy proud. What became a one-off tribute last year among self-professed Deadheads has grown into a primary concern, and for good reason: instead of trying to attempt note-for-note re-enactments, (The China Cats) evoke the spirit of the Dead through limber jams potent enough to give even the sober a contact high."
— santacruz.com
"true-to-form"
— Good Times, Santa Cruz
"An excellent Santa Cruz-based Grateful Dead tribute band."
-- Monterey Herald
"One of the Bay Area's best new Grateful Dead cover bands."
-- 7x7.com