Former Cat-A-Tac co-leader Jim McTurnan returns to the Monolith Festival with his new outfit, The Kids That Killed the Man. The Denver singer-songwriter's melodic songs crackle with power pop hooks and a melodic sensibility only hinted at in his previous group.

McTurnan talked to MadeLoud about spreading his creative wings.

On your MySpace page, you refer to your time with Cat-A-Tac as ancient history. Would you delve into the past a little to talk about that band and your role in it?

Jim McTurnan: Cat-A-Tac was a bunch of my best friends from college. We all lived in a house together and owned instruments, so it seemed like a good idea at the time to start a band. We all liked the same music and went to the same shows, so it came together pretty easily. I wrote and sang roughly half of the songs and Andy [Abelow] wrote and sang the other half. It started sort of on a whim, but we ended up doing far better than I think any of us would have initially imagined.

Why did Cat-A-Tac break up? Were you tired of being part of a palindrome?

JM: The novelty had disappeared after a few years, and the band became more work than fun. I think the decision to put the band to rest was a bit of a relief to all of us.

How soon after that did you form your current backing band, The Kids That Killed the Man? And what are you hoping to do with your music that you weren't able to in Cat-A-Tac?

JM: I started assembling the new band right away [in late 2008]. I wanted to keep making music, and I don't really enjoy playing live by myself. The new band gives me the chance to write 100% of the music, and play with some new people. My hope is to explore some new territory with my songwriting, and always try to surround myself with a group of enthusiastic and creative musicians.

How did you meet the other guys you're playing with now? What are their musical backgrounds?

JM: I've played shows with all of my bandmates' other bands. I assembled the band by inviting Denver musicians whose playing I really admired to join me. Luckily, I managed to assemble a super talented gang, who are also some of the nicest people you could possibly hope to meet.

Since your bandmates are all involved in other music projects, do you have a hard time scheduling rehearsals and gigs? Are there also upsides to them being in other bands?

JM: Scheduling is a little tough, and it has forced us to keep the lineup slightly fluid. Joseph Pope will be off on tour with The Wheel during September, so we've got Mike Marchant to fill his boots in the meantime. While it's a bit of a challenge to adapt, it's also rewarding because it keeps things fresh for the band and for people who come to see us. Having everybody in other bands is also nice because it's hard to be creative within the confines of a single "sound." Everyone gets to explore a side of themselves in this band that they might not get to in their other projects. Josh [Wambeke], for instance, is playing bass live for the first time. He's played bass on the Fell records, but live, he's always playing guitar and singing in that band. So, with me, he gets to play a totally different role.

In what ways have you been able to channel the career momentum you'd built up with Cat-A-Tac into the new band, and in what ways have you had to start from scratch?

JM: Well, at a local level, the press, venues, local radio, and local music fans largely know us already. So we get a bit of a head start. I'm hoping we might get some similar leverage at a national level with radio and press, but I guess we won't know until we release a record. What we have to develop from scratch is really just the fun stuff: a sound, a personality, and a history.

Your current sound has more of a power-pop feel to it. Are there certain artists from that genre that you hold as influences? Who else inspires your music?

JM: Yeah, that's true. I tend to be drawn to power-pop. I'm always a little reluctant to name influences because my favorites are constantly changing, and I usually forget to name the best stuff anyway. But, one of my biggest influences lately has been the oldies channel on my cable TV. I really love Motown, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and a lot of the other stuff from the late 50s and early 60s. I've been trying to buy a lot of that really old stuff on vinyl lately, too.

You've had some success getting your songs on radio and in ads. Are these placements something you actively pursue? What's that process?

JM: Yeah, there are so many bands and so many new records every year now that you have to work pretty hard to make things happen. The process is pretty straightforward, though. You have to do as much work on your own as you can, but you also have to know when to bring in someone else to help. Radio is one arena where having a quality promotion team is key.

How does it feel to be playing Red Rocks again?

JM: It's a thrill! I'm so excited that we've been invited this year, particularly being such a new band. But, we're ready for it and it's gonna be a great time.

Which other artists do you hope to see at Monolith this year?

JM: So many great bands this year! I'm looking forward to Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Twilight Sad, Passion Pit, Of Montreal, Edward Sharpe, Monotonix, Health, and pretty much the rest of the lineup.