A Stray Catalyst cheer for Cheerios

Saki, aka A Stray Catalyst, integrates songs with poetry, choreography, videography, and mixed media. The project began in 2019 as a collection of poetry set to music, featuring unusual instrumentation and clever lyrics, though Saki eventually began performing solo. “I really like showing up to open mics with an autoharp or an accordion instead of a guitar, because it exposes people to sounds they may not have considered functional outside of, say, polka music.”

The title single for Solitaire for Two appeared in advance of its October 2020 release, as well as an accompanying video. The album title is taken from the album single of the same name. "This song is about cognitive dissonance, and how that manifests itself in intra-and interpersonal relationships. The rest of the concept album is similarly themed, in that it presents the musings of someone who nonchalantly evaluates age-old psychological and societal conundrums from an all-too-intellectual standpoint, only to find themselves lost in a labyrinth of second-guesses."

A Stray Catalyst recently debuted a cereal-centric video for “I Love My Whole Grain Oats.” According to Saki, “It’s not a paid promotion, I just really like Cheerios. Gotta get that fiber!” The video, shot outdoors at the Tecolote Canyon Trailhead in Clairemont (“You can hike through the entire length of the canyon and end up at USD in Linda Vista”), includes props not normally seen on a hiking trail. “I’ve been planning this music video for over a year, I saved up all of my Cheerios boxes, and scouted out a pristine Craigslist toilet.”

Among the local performers seen in this paean to the internal health benefits of cereal are violinist Jamie Shadowlight, drummer Dylan Marks (Eukaryst, Beekeeper), upright bassist Andre Beller (Old Man Wizard, Kirby’s Dream Band), and punkgrass artist Fast Heart Mart on banjo. Additional cameos can be spotted from local poet Matthew Muñoz, Reckless Brewery founder Dave Hyndman, and Vista opera singer Devon Crowe.

The video includes a scene where Saki is loading up a shopping cart full of toilet tissue. “I actually shot this footage a long time ago, in June of 2019, pre-lockdown. I think the TP shortage of 2020 makes this scene funny on another level. Note: I did not purchase all [the toilet paper]. Had I known the apocalypse was coming, I might’ve.” A Stray Catalyst reportedly plans to release a bluegrass album later this year.