PREMIERE: Cataldo Serves Up “Ding Dong Scrambled Eggs”

Go behind the stormy, evocative tune with Eric Anderson.
PREMIERE: Cataldo Serves Up “Ding Dong Scrambled Eggs”

Go behind the stormy, evocative tune with Eric Anderson.

Words: Scott T. Sterling

photo by Kendall Rock 

August 02, 2019

“I started this song as part of a writing exercise—you get a group of songwriters together, write twenty songs in twenty-four hours (each!), and then share them the next day,” Cataldo’s Eric Anderson explains of the complex process that resulted in his new song. “You just let it rip without editing yourself too much (not every song can be genius when you write twenty in a day) in hopes you’ll shake something unexpected loose. That definitely ended up happening.”

The song in question is “Ding Dong Scrambled Eggs,” taken from the Seattle band’s forthcoming Literally Main Street, due for release on September 27.

“I knew this was about someone who felt stuck, but as a character they didn’t have very hard edges,” Anderson continues. “The other songwriters are both brilliant, and kept asking probing questions about this person; I basically wrote the rest of the song to answer those questions. It only explores one night, but the details are so real; it’s easy to imagine exactly who they are outside the borders of this song.”

The resulting track, along with the rest of Literally Main Street, was produced by indie rock stalwart John Vanderslice at Tiny Telephone Studios.

“I love the way Vanderslice produced and mixed this. Bone dry vocal, so the lyrics kinda slap you in the face,” Anderson raves of the collab. “It also includes JV’s sole contribution as a player: one Moog note that burbles out of the first chorus into verse two. So simple, but exactly what was needed.”

Cataldo wanted to do something different for the song’s visual treatment, so they worked with a creative team to come up with the final product.

“For the video, we went round and round with concepts, but because the song is so narrative, we decided that telling the story visually was redundant and gauche,” Anderson details. “I’m so proud of how this turned out. Dan (Fromhart, director) and Terence Ankeny (lighting designer for Pedro the Lion and others) just knocked it out of the park—it’s stormy and evocative, just like the tune.”

Watch the “Ding Dong Scrambled Eggs” video and see tour dates below.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

AUGUST
09 – Olga, WA – Doe Bay Fest 2019

SEPTEMBER
25 – Spokane, WA – The Bartlett
26 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
27 – Ashland, OR – Brickroom Gathering House
28 – Davis, CA – Sophia’s Thai Kitchen
30 – Los Angeles, CA – Moroccan Lounge

OCTOBER
01 – San Francisco, CA – Hotel Utah Saloon
02 – Portland, OR – The Liquor Store
15 – Cambridge, MA – The Middle East (Upstairs)
16 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
17 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd Music House
18 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s