Bass
Bassist "Madcat Blue" Marty Puljic has blues that reaches down to his marrow. If you'd look any further you'd probably find a blues chromosome somewhere in there. At a young age he took formal accordion lessons that was indoctrinated upon him by his old world Croatian father. It was at a time in the early 1960's when he was more enamored to the Yardbirds, Rolling Stones, Doo Wop and early R&B than picking up a mother of pearl squeezebox. It really didn't connect to his actual image and dream. There was much resentment. His true desire was the guitar and the piano. But not until one day his uncle took him aside and gave him the reason why he loved the Rolling Stones, R&B and The Yardbirds so much. "It's because you love the blues. You have the soul and natural ear for it", said his uncle, who eventually played the Hammond B3 with George Benson, among many others. It was an epiphany that unlocked Marty's curiosity and deep down blind passion for the blues. Eventually he was self-taught on a Martin twelve-string guitar. He said he simply wanted more than just six strings. So he then set forth and studied the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Johnny Winter, spanning over to CCR, Santana, Ten Years After, Neil Young, CSNY, plus the Eagles and many others. But it was Johnny Winter that did it for him, that ignited his blues soul and set it ablaze.
Eventually he had to sell his guitar to pay for college tuition. Bummer. During the stumbling through his "Dark Ages" era he studied playing his uncle's Hammond B3 with the twin Leslie speakers, and on his grandmother's baby grand piano. "I learned bass from listening to my uncle's foot peddle work and his lightening "Jimmy Smith" left-hand. That is when the accordion lessons had actually finally kicked in". Remarkable. Eventually "Madcat" had finally settled on the bass guitar, because, "I have to play with the deepest part and meaning of my soul". Which, by the way, he prefers four strings only because he likes to work the bass as he says and truly does. He was also self-taught on the bass, but with snippets of some guidance through a few of his peers throughout the years. There are a few in particular, here in Cleveland, that he says that he admires the most and that is Mike Barrick, Doug Johns, Craig Lee, and Billy Mangano. But Marty didn't take the traditional track and approach studying bassists per se. He studied primarily Hammond B3 players such as Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and Jack McDuff. That's why he has that deep and concise, melodic in the pocket feel. But he also insists that he admires Ronnie Lane (Rod Stewart and Faces), Mel Schacher (Grand Funk) and Jack Bruce (Cream) for their distinct and powerful styles. That's who he wants to be when he grows up, or in another lifetime.
"Madcat" Marty has applied all of this, and has been on the stage with several bands such as The Nightwalkers, Dennis Chandler & the Stratophonics, Memory Lane, Tower City Blues Band, Ted Riser, PT & the Blues Cruisers, including his own band called, The Bleeding Heart Blues Band. He has shared the stage and honed his craft alongside of Butch Armstrong, Billy Coakley, Frankie Star, Michael Bay, Crazy Marvin, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Jeff Hurd, Tony LaVerrde, Mike Blazy, A.G. Ross, Denny Veverka, Lonnie Reed, E.T. King, Ms. Butterscotch, Daddy Sweetroll, Mary Bridgette Davies, St. Rick, and many others. He's been on stage also with Bo Didley – but only to video tape him in concert and as well as B.B. King – on stage and his tour bus too. So close but no cigar or lucky break there. Yet there's too many stories to mention with Marty. You will usually see him sit-in at various blues jam sessions throughout the greater Cleveland area. Or, he would just go out to observe, learn, listen and connect. "Madcat" is a social animal, he is so enamored to the blues that he became a founding member, and the current Vice President of the Cleveland Blues Society. It's been a lifetime journey, and a long time coming – and he's still not done paying his dues to play the blues, yet still enjoys every entertaining minute of it. He says the blues makes him come alive, so he can share his feeling and passion and in turn make the audience and his fellow players also come alive. That's what "Madcat" is all about. Never give up or give in. Amen to that.
