What is a Dobrocat?

The word dobro in Slavic languages is the root of many words that are tied to goodness, kindness and other nice concepts. A dobro is also the common name of a resophonic guitar, a brand name. The dobro is a portmanteau of Dopyera Brothers, and it was John Dopyera who invented the instrument.

A cat is a common term for animals in the family Felidae. It is used for the smallest house kitty to the largest lion. A cat is also a word used, starting in the Jazz Age, to mean a person, chap, fella, guy, etc.

My father got the urge to learn the dobro back in the mid 1950s watching his uncle play one while jamming with his father. He eventually acquired one (more on this later) in 1962 and played until he left this plane. I was always mystified at the complex sounds that came from something that seemed to be so simply played.

After watching my father play for so many years, I more or less figured out how it worked by tuning an old acoustic like a dobro, taking a piece of pipe in my left hand, and working out a couple of simple tunes. I showed my father what I was up to, and in short order he bought me a dobro and handed me a spare steel and some spare fingerpicks. We spent many pleasant days (usually Sunday afternoons) sitting face to face, jamming on dual dobros.

I got the urge to take my new skills to the public. I found a local open mic, and had a notion that I might stand out from the crowd of “singer/guitar players” by wielding my dobro. I was right. I pleased the audience, and returned for many of the weekly open mic gatherings. It became commonplace for other performers to ask if I would sit in with them and lend them some of my slidey доброта. On one of those evenings I heard someone in the crowd say “hey, there’s that dobro cat.”

…I acquired the domain name not long after that.

Dobrocat…a fella who plays the dobro. Also, a good person.
Haxxor…1337 for a hacker.
Dobrohaxxor…it’s implied that this person is an ethical hacker…or on his way to that goal.