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Combining a number of styles -- from funk to jazz to ska -- Melbourne, Australia's Cat Empire formed in 1999 as a trio. Keyboardist Oliver McGill, double bassist Ryan Monro, and percussionist Felix Riebl were eventually joined by trumpet player Harry James Angus, drummer Will Hull-Brown, and DJ Jamshid Khadiwala. A single and a live EP preceded the band's first album, The Cat Empire, which was released in 2003. At that point, they had already played the Melbourne Festival, the Adelaide Festival of Arts, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and WOMAD. Two Shoes, their second album, was recorded in Havana, Cuba, and released in 2005. Cities followed a year later. Throughout the years, the band's members have been involved in numerous outside recording and performing projects. ~ Andy Kellman