This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 21, 2011 - Young fans in the digital age are said to have a different appreciation of music than any generation before them. Rather than breaking into embittered camps, they pick and choose favorite individual songs, and mix and match from every style and genre. In any high school cafeteria, you may still find a couple of youngsters in goth or punk clothing, but even they are likely listening to a bit of everything on their iPods.
Andre Cataldo might symbolize this type of blended approach. A senior at Westminster Christian Academy, Cataldo is the sole songwriting member of Dear Genre, a band he's putting together to support his debut disc, the self-funded and -released "You Put the Fear in Atmosphere." Combining Cataldo's words and melodies with the production skills of Ross Christopher, "Atmosphere" is the culmination of nine months of studio work, all meant to bring a certain shine to the upbeat, diverse tunes that Cataldo puts out at a reasonably prolific rate.
Asked to name a few of his influences, he explains that his recent listening choices have been aquatically influenced, citing 40 years of music in saying "the Beach Boys, Waves, Best Coast. Lots of pop, punk and surf. MGMT. Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes and lots of lo-fi stuff." And the Beatles? "Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes. But nobody can force the Beatles on you. I had to grow into that. Two months ago, I went to Vintage Vinyl and got 'Sgt. Pepper's.' Now they're always on my playlists."
Musically, he attacks instrumentation in the same way many of his heroes have done before him, trying to master everything that comes in front of him. On his album, he tackles most, with Christopher adding color where needed. In fact, Christopher has already been using Cataldo as a professional sideman for years.
"I don't know if he was even driving yet," says Christopher. "We actually go to the same church in Chesterfield, and I auditioned him as a drummer. He's been touring with me for the past year and a half, supporting my own solo project. He's just got a knack for rhythm; and he's a great guy, all-around, very mature for his age and with parents who really support him."
Christopher, then, wasn't surprised when Cataldo came to him several months ago "with a handful of songs. I've been producing for 11 years now, with about 24 albums to my credit. We got a schedule going and started to work on it. He basically came to me with these songs that he'd written over a long time and had written on acoustic guitar.
"We did scratch takes and began by breaking the songs down, Christopher said. "We thought out the vocals, the need for certain types of instrumentation, all of that stuff. We ended up with seven songs, after recording twice a week on a pretty regular schedule. That gave time for the songs to develop. He had things that he was hearing, but didn't know how to capture, because he'd never recorded before."
Cataldo admits that his interests stick out a bit at Westminster -- a private, parochial school in Creve Coeur. "There aren't that many people who really dig music," he said. So he's thinking ahead to college. At least, a bit. He says that Full Sail University in Florida is the kind of school that would appeal to him, as he wants to go into as artistically intense an experience he can find, with hands-on experience leavened out by theory.
"Producing, mixing and mastering ... I want to do more of what I'm doing now, but at a much higher caliber," he says. "Hopefully, I can get to a point where I can record and release an album all by myself."
Cataldo: "Hopefully, I can get to a point where I can record and release an album all by myself."
Right now, he leans on his parents for support, and that seems to be a situation without the usual complications that teens and parents run into. His father, Dr. Renato Cataldo, handles his publicity and helped finance the album. He's even helped his son shoot some two-camera videos for YouTube. At an interview at the Loop's bohemian coffeeshop, Meshuggah, Renato Cataldo carefully interjects the occasional comment, complementing his son's opinions, rather than overriding them.
For example, when asked about how often he has to struggle with schoolwork, to allow himself time to write and record, the younger Cataldo smiled and answered before his dad added that "he learned to play music before he learned to read. Learning how to play guitar, he'd play for four or five hours a day. We believe that he should fully develop his passion."
Right now, that means putting together a live group, whether or not it lasts beyond August, when many college freshmen around the world start checking into their dorms.
"I've got a lot of energy," Andre Cataldo says. "But right now I'm not writing as much. I'm trying to put together the band."
All of this isn't surprising to his video teacher at Westminster, Susan Maynor. Cataldo claims her as his "favorite teacher ever," which she appreciates, noting that "he's very passionate about his art. It's in his very fabric. It's something that he loves and he pours his heart into it. He's willing to learn. 'Why don't we try this? Why don't we do it this way?' He's willing to take risks. He works with whatever ingredients he can. I hear all that in his CD."
Maynor hears the same thing that others have caught on the disc: not a specific sound, or patterned set of hooks, but a maturity that shines through. This is music by an 18-year-old working a couple clicks beyond his years.
"My role, if anything, is to be an encourager," she figures. "A facilitator. How can I draw everything from him and make him unique? He understands the sense of that. I appreciate who he is an individual, that may be why. He certainly doesn't follow the norm. This is a Christian school. It's a suburban, private school; and there're certain things that go with that. He's OK being who he is, and his sense from me is that that's OK. My encouragement has always been for him to surround himself with people who'll help guide him. I think he's armed himself for what's in front of him. It's definitely a hardcore industry. But I think he's willing to take on the challenge. I don't think he'll give up with the first punch-down. He has the perseverance to give it a strong shot."
Christopher agrees: "Man, I think with a guy like him, the sky's the limit. He's willing to trying. His personality and character come across in his style of music, whether it's a ethereal rock song, or one of his stripped-down, reggae-friendly pop songs. They're all little pieces of his personality. If he stays true to himself, if he doesn't get pegged into a certain medium or genre, he'll be able to explore a lot of stuff. Singer-songwriter, punk, heavy rock, psychedelic, all of it. His age is a bonus, as he's always been around people who are older.
"Something that he's not done a lot of is be in front of a band," Christopher adds. "He's been on the road and toured and played shows with me, with my band. But I think that's something he'll have to figure out. If he can just concentrate on being himself in front of the microphone, he'll come off as a very likable guy. He's got a certain 'it factor' that people will fall in love with. He just has to get past the performance thing."
Cataldo hopes that the live show will come fully together in March. He has ideas in mind, and they all involve more than just his stage-show. Heck, he's even thinking about lighting.
"I want the live show to be completely different from the album," he says. "I can imagine balloons, colorful projections. Trippy, weird and funny stuff."
In effect, he wants to invite his myriad friends and put on a fantastic party. And who can blame a teenager for that kind of goal?
Thomas Crone is a freelance writer.