In the summer of 2020, Aaron Benson (drums, percussion, guitar) and his wife Emily began hosting weekly bonfires at their home. Keyboardist Kim West and her husband Ryan Devlin (bass and guitar) were in regular attendance, along with a handful of neighbors and friends. It was the era of lockdown and social distancing, and the Benson bonfires became a sanctuary of connection. The tradition lasted until autumn’s arrival and the notorious Seattle rain that came with it. With the skies darkening, Aaron asked Kim and Ryan if they’d care to come into his home studio, Mad Val, and hear some of the great drum sounds he was getting. This first spark inspired the three musicians to join forces and jam: Kim on her electric piano and synthesizer, Ryan on bass, and Aaron on kit and running tape op. With no direction other than the joy of making music, they played for hours on end. The compositions came naturally, and with the liberty of no expectations, the trio found themselves combining sounds, genres, and textures in surprising ways. The first session was labeled “KRA 1,” for Kim, Ryan, and Aaron. By the time the group got to “KRA 18” almost two years later, the world was beginning to reemerge. After a horn session with Jason Cressey (trombone), Peter Daniel (sax and flute), and Bill Jones (trumpet), they settled on a name for their genre bending, interstellar instrumental music project: mega cat.
![mega cat - "Slug Shack" [Live from Recreational Psychoacoustics Lab]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PEbwMqydOgY/hqdefault.jpg)
![mega cat - "The Smoke" (The Smile Cover) [Live from Recreational Psychoacoustics Lab]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oNOoczlO_lw/hqdefault.jpg)
![mega cat - "Dawn of Infinity" [Live from Recreational Psychoacoustics Lab]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5fb5rnioxB4/hqdefault.jpg)