While most students prepared for classes their first week back to school, one group was gearing up to perform its largest show as a band yet.
Porch Kat, a jam band made up of Ball State students, will perform Saturday at Be Here Now along with Saint John & Farmer Jesse before Afroman, whose single was nominated for a Grammy award in 2002.
Afroman, a rapper and singer-songwriter, is is known for his hit single “Because I Got High.” This will be the musician's eighth year performing for the local venue.
Porch Kat was formed in March and the band recently released their first single, "Violet," on SoundCloud.
“It’s crazy to just be able to open for a Grammy nominated artist," said drummer Brandon Gick. "It feels kind of surreal."
Tyler Padgett, one of the band’s guitarists, first heard Afroman was coming to Be Here Now at the beginning of summer and told his bandmate, Gick, they should try to get a spot before him.
The band has played at Be Here Now in the past and Gick knows the owner, so he texted him.
“I was like, 'Hey, you should let us open for Afroman,' and he was like, 'OK,'" Gick said. "Then I kind of s–t my pants a little bit."
“He texted me that it was happening and I kind of s–t my pants too, a little bit,” chuckled Padgett.
The first song Gick ever heard from Afroman was “Because I Got High” when he was in sixth grade.
When his mom asked him to clean his room he told her, “I was going to clean my room, but then I got high,” said the drummer. She wasn’t amused by his response.
“Afroman has not only prodigiously continued to make music over the last 20 years, but also plays guitar and bass on many of his live songs, " Neal Soley said in an email statement from Be Here Now. "We're excited to continue to be able to bring great performers and pertinent cultural experiences to Muncie.”
Porch Kat's performance Saturday will be from 9-10 p.m., followed by Saint John & Farmer Jesse from 10-11 p.m. Afroman will follow at 11 p.m. The cover charge is $10 at the door before 11 p.m. and $20 after that time.
Porch Kat hopes to start playing larger venues and get more recorded material out, Gick said. They have a tour lineup for September that includes shows in Muncie, Lafayette and Kokomo.
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