Acoustic Grateful Dead tribute Cats on the Bandstand perform at the Cinema Bar this week, and the News looked into what they have in store for Culver City…
When did you start playing and performing? When did the band form?
Both Gregg (Miller) and Doug (Gchman) have been playing guitar since childhood. Gregg moved to L.A. from New York, and from 1992 to 1996 was an original, founding member of the band Dog Star with Keanu Reeves. Doug has played in various bands, and as a solo act both in New York and L.A. We met in the summer of 2022 via the encouragement of a mutual friend who suggested, as both of us are fans of the Grateful Dead, that we might find some common ground music-wise. Our first gig as Cats on the Bandstand was at The Bourbon Room in Hollywood, in April 2023.
Describe your sound/style?
Well, we are an acoustic duo that performs Grateful Dead songs. We try to stay as authentic as possible to the original material, both vocally and music-wise. There’s a treasure trove of material from the 30 year history of the Dead, and we do our best to honor the songs as best we can.
What have you been doing over the past year?
Well, first off, we’ve built up our monthly residency at Cinema Bar over this past year. Like many venues in town having a Grateful Dead Night, this one at the Cinema Bar has been attracting more and more Dead Heads each month. We’ve also been including special guests and sit-ins from other local SoCal Dead-related bands, so it’s been a different experience each show.
What recorded music is available — particularly the most recent?
We haven’t been recording in a studio, although we have been working on expanding our repertoire of Dead and Dead-related songs to keep things fresh for us and our audience.
What do you remember about your last Cinema Bar show?
Our last show at Cinema Bar was on St Patrick’s Day, March 17. We celebrated by not only enjoying a Guinness or two, but also by adding a fantastic rhythm section: Matt Bunsen on bass guitar and George Bernardo on drums. It was festive.
What can we expect from the set this time?
We are excited for this next show at Cinema Bar on Tuesday April 21, as it marks the three-year anniversary of Cats on the Bandstand’s first gig – held at The Bourbon Room in Hollywood on April 21, 2023. Hard to believe it’s been 3 years. We will also welcome a terrific singer, Teresa Yates, who is no stranger to Grateful Dead material. She will be singing some back up vocals and will also take on the lead vocal of a couple of songs.
What else do you have coming up?
We will continue our monthly Grateful Dead Night residency at the Cinema Bar – generally the third Tuesday of each month, with some wiggle room here and there. For example, our May 2026 show at Cinema Bar will be held on Cinco de Mayo, Tuesday May 5. We’ll also be Truckin’ down to the South Bay on the afternoon of May 9 to perform at Project Barley in Redondo Beach. Folks can always keep up with our schedule via Instagram: @cats_on_the_bandstand_la/ or on our website: https://catsonthebandstand.com.
Cats on the Bandstand performs at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21 at the Cinema Bar. Go to thecinemabar.com for more information about the venue.
Elsewhere this week
The Culver Hotel will be hosting the likes of Sylvia & the Rhythm Boys and and Scotty Bramer. Go to culverhotel.com for more info.
The next concert at Boulevard Music is on April 18, with Tracy Newlan, Kevin Kelso and Kathleen Kelso. Go to boulevardmusic.com for more info.