Travis Van Bumble and Stephanie Ruscito are The House Cats: a husband and wife, guitar and vocals duo, playing straight ahead-jazz, bebop, and swing. Travis and Stephanie grew up near Clearwater, and have been playing music together for over ten years. Travis’ walking baselines and chord melodies give The House Cats a big, swinging sound, but as soon as they play a ballad you’ll feel the mood shift, and see the two’s chemistry shine. The House Cats pull inspiration from many of the greatest names in American jazz including Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery and Sarah Vaughan. Their repertoire consists of timeless tunes from The Great American song book; the pair hopes to breathe new life into these songs with original and inspired arrangements.

Jazz on Arts Axis Florida: How has playing music helped you in life?

Stephanie & Travis: Playing music has helped the two of us through life since we were kids. It can be an escape, a way to express yourself, it teaches you discipline and so many other important things. Music actually brought us together, and then years later we started playing music for a living. It was so hard in the beginning but it’s been so rewarding. Performing for people can be tough but sometimes you’ll get the best reaction and it’s so cool to know you made someone’s day like that.

Who are your musical inspirations?

Stephanie: Of course Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan; the epitome of jazz greats. I also love Kurt Elling. I love different voices for different reasons. Kurt Elling for how perfect he sounds, so much control over every note and inflection. Sometimes on his low notes he actually sounds like a saxophone. But then I love Keely Smith for her tone, her belts and how she slides around.

Travis: Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery and John Pizzarelli. There’s so many jazz guitarists that I love but those are my favorites. Joe pass for that fact that he can just do anything, and I love the energy that John Pizzarelli has in his lines. 

What’s your favorite album or song to listen to?

Stephanie & Travis: Of course we both have so many albums and songs that we love, but as a duo and a couple, we often turn on the Louis Prima and Keely Smith Album “Live from Las Vegas”. The whole band is just goofing off on this album and you can’t help but laugh while you listen. We love Keely Smith and Louis Prima and all their live albums, the energy is just so contagious. 

How do you prepare mentally and physically for a live show?

Travis: I have a routine that I do everyday, whether I’m gigging or not. But on the days that I perform I just try to stay loose and relaxed and know that I’m as good as I am today and that’s good enough. -Travis

Stephanie: We perform often so I don’t get super nervous anymore, but on the days that I am nervous, I try not to think about my performance too much. Honestly performing often at small restaurants and bars is really nice because it’s great performance practice. I always think about the last gig I played, and I did fine then so I’ll do fine at the next one.

How do you overcome the anxiety of a performance?

Stephanie & Travis: I think it’s important to remember that it’s not about you. Every person in the audience, no matter what kind of gig it is, has their own life and problems and they’re really not worried about you like you think they are. If you make their day with your performance, that’s great. And if you mess up, maybe you’ll give them something to talk about. Also, it’s just music! It can be so powerful, but it’s also not that serious. 

What’s your top tip for musicians just starting to perform?

Stephanie & Travis: Get out there and perform. The only way you can get comfortable performing is to do it a hundred times. Fortunately, we put ourselves in a position where we have to get gigs to pay our bills. So we get a lot of opportunities to perform. If we’re being honest, we were a mess for a few years. Always nervous and worried and embarrassed and it’s easy to want to give up when you put yourself out there like that. But you have to do uncomfortable things in order to grow. And the more comfortable you get, the more fun it is!



What have you been listening to lately?

Stephanie & Travis: Immanuel Wilkins, two songs, The Dreamer and Fugitive Ritual. Since we gig together most of the week, and we’re also married, we end up listening to a lot of the same things. These two songs have been on in the background constantly for a few months now in our house and in our car. If you give them a listen you’ll know why. 

Interview edited for length and clarity.