“This is the best Cat Cab show this school year,” Wiebke Herrmann, teaching assistant for German, said. “Compared with German concerts, audiences are interacting more with the band.”

The crowd was dancing to every song.

Freshman Shea Petty was dancing in the front row from the beginning to the end.

“[Cousin Affect] mixes jazz, blues, hip-hop and rap perfectly,” she said.

“Where I Go,” a song Cousin Affect performed during the professional Cat Cab, was awarded the Grand Prize in the Midas/Spin Magazine Rock The Highway Contest.

Manager and band member Mike Woods said, unlike some other songs talking about relationships, “Where I Go” relates to everyone’s life with lyrics that convey the message “find personal freedom no matter where you go and what you do.”

Woods began Cousin Affect in 2003 by himself during his freshman year at college. He said he was too shy to use his own name to perform in front of people. He met Daniel Stanton and other band members after he performed solo as Cousin Affect.

Now Cousin Affect has six members, Scott Cheaney on the guitar, singer Jessica Thomas, Dan King on the saxophone, emcee Daniel Stanton and percussionist by Charles Stachell.

“Each band member has been influenced by different artists and styles so we have such a mix that makes us play the same song differently every time,” Woods said. “You can still find influences of hip hop, R&B, blues and jazz.”

Woods also revealed thought behind the group’s music in relation to audience members.

“We are thinking of how we make a positive impact on the music. Our songs are clean for kids and old people,” he said.

Cousin Affect sends more than positive messages through its songs. Woods said that all band members try to give back by doing community volunteer work in Phoenix.

As a multi-member band, Cousin Affect faces some challenges of managing and handling the balance between being creative and doing business.

Woods said he needs 30 to 40 hours a week for managing the band, as he needs the same amount of time to be creative to write music.

He also said the band has to organize its schedule based on every members’ needs. Singer Jessica Thomas is married and has kids that travel and tour with the band.

Faced with these challenges, Woods said he and his band feel everything is worth it when they are playing in front of an audience, no matter how crowded it is.

Jaffy Xiao/Features editor
Jaffy Xiao can be reached at [email protected].