The members of Bellingham-based five-piece Polecat arrived at their first rehearsal from very different musical backgrounds.

“Some of us shook hands for the first time that day,” says band leader and vocalist Aaron Guest of the initial meeting in early 2010. Incorporating genres including bluegrass, world, country, Celtic, reggae and rock into a cohesive sound might have been impossible if each member of Polecat hadn’t learned the rules before breaking them. The group is well-seasoned, having performed nearly 100 shows a year since its inception, but at that first meeting, Polecat didn’t even have a name.

The following five years saw Polecat release two full-length albums along with steady growth throughout the Northwest as each band member's musical diversity allowed them to chameleon through an incredible variety of gigs and audiences.

Now Polecat will hit the road for two weeks in March as direct support with Yonder Mountain String Band to support the release of a new Polecat album Into The Wind on March 11th. Polecat will then embark on a headlining tour in April.

The first single from Into The Wind is “In The Cold,” a great mix of what Polecat can do, incorporating polyrhythmic grooves, big rock breaks, and guitar lines that range from percussive hi-life feels to soaring rock triplets.

"The lyrics ponder how we have lost sight of what's around us, and nature in general, something far bigger than our own emotions and thoughts," says Guest. Into The Wind by Polecat is scheduled for release on March 11th, 2016.