This is an installment of Artgus Artist Spotlight, an ongoing series presented by the Arts & Culture Section, intended to highlight the artistic talents of the wider Wesleyan community. To nominate a student artist or group, email argus@wesleyan.edu.
In this installment, The Argus spoke with the student band Catfish Malaysia, a first-year force known for their original reggae-based sound and electrifying live shows. Featuring the talents of Isaiah Longstreth ’28 (Guitar), Jack Pagano ’28 (Trombone), Henry Kathawala ’28 (Guitar), Caroline Caiati ’28 (Bass), Alec Pedersen ’28 (Drums), Eleanor Brown ’28 (Keys), and Felix Kane ’28 (Vocals), the band discussed their founding, bringing the catfish vibe to their music, and their unique culture.
Those lucky enough to attend a Catfish Malaysia concert are blown away by their chemistry and command of the crowd. Their covers of songs like “No Woman No Cry,” “Gimme Shelter,” and “Moonage Daydream” bring the house down. Catfish Malaysia doesn’t just play, they transform the space.
The Argus: Let’s start at the beginning. How did Catfish Malaysia first come together?
Isaiah Longstreth: There was just this force—I remember feeling it during [the] first semester. There were so many freshman musicians figuring things out. It was hard to tell who was serious, who could actually play together, and who shared the kind of values I wanted in a band. I remember jamming with a bunch of different people early on. We were just playing the blues for a while. It was a really fun room, and we tapped into something. There was an energy in that space that really stuck with me.
Jack Pagano: I remember we made a group chat—me, Henry, Felix, Isaiah—and it really felt like something clicked. We were like, “Alright, we’re gonna get a band together.” There was this sense that we were ready. We were more serious about it.
IL: I also got the sense that we all really wanted to play reggae.
Henry Kathawala: We were outside of Usdan at the food truck when our friend Katherine Risden [’28] played this mystical reggae song on her speaker, “Attention Span” by Rebelution.
JP: A certified banger.
HK: Isaiah and I looked at each other and said, “This is what we’re gonna do for the rest of our lives.”
Caroline Caiati: Maybe made out a little bit? I wasn’t there.
JP: The legend says…the legend says.
A: So, how did you guys come up with the name Catfish Malaysia?
Felix Kane: I was talking with a friend of mine outside the [Center for the Arts] practice rooms about what it means to name a band. [It was] my friend Steffi—he doesn’t go here, but he’s like an older brother to the band, super philosophical dude. We knew we had something special, something we wanted to share with the world, but we just had no clue what to call it. And then it just kind of poured out of him, man. He’s one of those people who just knows how to say a sentence, you know? Like an oracle or something. And the first words out of his mouth when we went back to the practice room were: Catfish Malaysia.
JP: The moment we knew we were gonna be Catfish Malaysia was when Felix went, “Straight from Malaysia!” on one of our tracks.
CC: It was cosmic or something. The stars lined up, everything just clicked. The water flowed down the rocks perfectly, you know?
A: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your music before?
HK: Ethereal.
Eleanor Brown: Orgasmic.
JP: It’s kinda like a soapy bath. You just sink into the hot tub, turn on the jets, and it’s like, whoa, all that sensation. Maybe you toss a bath bomb in there too, yeah? Candles lit, whole vibe going, literally, it’s perfect.
A: I really enjoyed your set at the concert at WestCo Cafe, especially how you added your own flair to songs like “Long Train Runnin’,” “Waiting in Vain,” and “You Really Got Me.” What’s your process for creating such unique arrangements of well-known songs?
JP: When we’re arranging or reproducing a song, we’re like, “Okay, how do we fuck this up in the best way?” We’ll mess with the structure, flip the lyrics, [and] make it our own. [We are] just trying to pull the crowd in. That’s the whole point for us. We arrange everything with the live show in mind. You can record a Catfish Malaysia rehearsal, sure, but if you really want to get it, you have to see us live. That’s where it hits. That’s what we care about, elevating the live experience.
CC: Yeah, totally. We bring the Catfish vibe to any song, whether it’s one we wrote or a cover. That’s always the test: Does it feel Catfish? We literally say that all the time. Like, “Nah, this one’s not Catfish,” or “This one totally is.” It’s about taking whatever we play and making it ours.
A: A Catfishication.
CC: Exactly.
A: Do you have any pre-show rituals or post-show traditions as a band?
IL: Before every show, we usually all get ready together, putting on our costumes, which are always pretty intricate. And every time Felix changes, he pulls off his pants, and the rest of us tug at the hair on his legs. It started as a joke, but after that first time, we were like, “Wait, this is kind of fun.” Now it’s become a weird little ritual.
JP: We want to show up looking sharp—dressed to the nines—so it turns into this big group effort. We’ll pull up to Henry’s place or mine, dump out a pile of outfits, and start handing stuff around: “Yo, who wants to wear this?” “Try this hat with that jacket,” and just mix and match everything.
HK: We’ll [also] each do a layer of wax, sometimes on the leg, sometimes the thigh, or even right over the belly button. Honestly, it gets your adrenaline going. You’re more nervous about the wax than the show.
JP: But by the time we’re done, the pain’s already hit, the hard part’s over. Now it’s time to perform.
IL: I’ll be honest, I don’t really put as much emphasis on the pre- or post-show rituals. For me, the show itself is the ritual.
JP: Totally. The “Zonker [Harris Day]” gig was special. Playing “Evil Woman” on [a] cowbell outside with that crowd, I felt something almost spiritual. When I jumped into the crowd, it wasn’t planned; it felt like they pulled me in, like a sacred exchange.
A: Favorite place on campus to perform?
JP: WestCo Cafe is definitely our favorite place to play on campus. When there’s a full crowd, the energy is insane. You’re right there with the crowd. You feel them, and they feel you. At the [WesACLU (Wesleyan American Civil Liberties Union)] show, all I could see was a sea of faces, just pure connection. It was really powerful.
BK: Where do you see Catfish Malaysia heading in the next year or two? Any big goals or dreams?
JP: What I’m really hoping to do next year is [to] get our music out there and start building a real following. I’d love for us to play shows at other colleges, maybe hit Middlebury, somewhere in New York, even a gig in Boston. Just start spreading the Catfish vibe beyond Wesleyan.
IL: I just have so much fun in this group. There’s a real shared energy I feel here. We’ve had a lot of different performers throughout the year, and I want to keep that tradition going. This feels more like a community, a group of people who genuinely enjoy the process and respect each other. I think if we keep putting that value first—enjoying the act of making music—rather than aiming for a specific genre or end goal, then we can keep growing and move in any direction.
CC: We’re very process-oriented, not product-oriented.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Brendan Kelso can be reached at bkelso@wesleyan.edu
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