MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The band C.A.R.Ma. Quartet is in Marquette this week recording songs and putting on some shows in the U.P.
One of the members, John Churchville, is a native to Marquette. So is his longtime friend Ryan Staples who owns the studio. Both went to the California Institute of Arts. “Ryan was able to move up to Marquette and open his own studio,” Churchville said. “He has this amazing studio that he built from the ground up. So, this is a dream come true and a full circle moment.”
This particular group of musicians has been playing together for about a decade, but they really started rocking when the pandemic began. “Madcat was the first person to call me and said ‘hey we have to make some music. We have to do something here.’ So we got together, this group of musicians, and we started playing and discovered that it was so easy to play together,” said Churchville. “Within the first time meeting we had 10 or 15 songs we could all play.”
Peter “Madcat” Ruth plays the harmonica and is the lead vocalist. He’s been performing, starting in the Chicago area, since the 1960’s, and he’s grateful to have met his fellow bandmates. “Funk, music, blues, rock and roll, jazz, world music, and playing in odd time signatures,” he said. “We combine it all together, and to find three other musicians like that is a delight for me.”
C.A.R.Ma. Quartet is scheduled to perform at Blackrocks Brewery on Friday and Saturday. Both of those shows begin at 7 p.m.
