Blame the Midwestern work ethic. Mississippi Cactus may be one of the hardest working bands around.
Drummer Mike Kasprzak, who banged on the lids of his mom’s pots and pans with a wooden spoon on the kitchen floor, got his first real drum set when he was three. He met bassist Nate Ohzourk on their first day of high school. It was band class, of course. The two befriended guitarist Mike Friedl when all three showed up at a school dance wearing flannel shirts. It was the early 1990s, after all. Friedl had been “borrowing” his older brother’s electric guitar since he was 12. The Catholic school boys named their first band “St. John’s Severed Head.”
Meantime, Brian Kasprzak was doing his own post-punk, grunge performing and songwriting in “Exit 5,” a band that would fall apart after putting out its first, and only, EP. He returned to his love of blues and decided he “just wanted to play.” So, he joined little brother’s band and Mississippi Cactus was born.
The band’s moniker suits them. It reflects their own brand of blues with a cactus-like sharper; rock ‘n’ roll edge.
Rusted Root drummer Jim Donovan once called Mike Kasprzak one of the finest drummer’s he’s heard. And his brother, Brian, is a thrill to watch on guitar. A work accident left him unable to bend his thumb and a doctor said he’d never play guitar again. While picking is impossible, Brian learned to compensate and created a strumming style all his own.
After a decade of making music together, the Cactus has honed the art of communication without words. They feel and feed off each others’ energy, a skill that only comes through experience. Their live performances are their strength. Whether they’re playing to a few hundred in Milwaukee’s nightclubs or several thousand at Summerfest or Harley-Davidson’s 100th anniversary celebration, their energy is intoxicating. |
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