INTERVIEW: THE GREAT KAT

After last week’s review of The Great Kat’s most recent album, Beethoven Shreds, the grand goddess of Classical/Shred agreed to be the subject of Mister Growl’s very first interview. It contains everything that made her a metal icon: Blood, Beethoven, an army of CAPITAL LETTERS, the absence of humility, and an undying crusade to SHRED. Read on, slaves:
                                                          

Mister Growl: For those ignorant of your Shred/Classical brilliance, how would you describe yourself and your sound?

The Great Kat: The Great Kat, Juilliard grad violin virtuoso, is single-handedly RESURRECTING Classical with Metal by bringing the COMPLEXITY, GENIUS VIRTUOSITY and TECHNICAL BRILLIANCE of BEETHOVEN to the WORLD with SHRED GUITAR, CLASSICAL VIOLIN, Metal Band and Symphonic Orchestra!! ALL Edited, Re-Orchestrated and brilliantly FUSED into one genius CREATION by The Great Kat -- the ONLY DOUBLE VIRTUOSO-Guitar AND Violin- in HISTORY Since Niccolo Paganini!!

Mister Growl: Could you describe your song-writing process?

The Great Kat: I take note-for-note authentic Classical Music scores (from Vivaldi, Beethoven, Bach, Wagner, Liszt, Paganini, Sarasate, Bazzini, Rossini and more) and edit, arrange, and orchestrate the entire scores with Shred Guitar virtuosity and mix it with Speed Metal and Classical orchestra.  The Great Kat’s music is known worldwide for its phenomenal speeds, complicated Classical motives, counterpoint layering, guitar riffs, maniacal screams, heavy rhythms and thrashing sounds.

Mister Growl: Is there one performance that stands out from the rest during your career?

The Great Kat: The Great Kat performed at CARNEGIE RECITAL HALL as a VIOLIN SOLOIST and WINNER of the ARTISTS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION on VIOLIN and THEN SHREDDED GUITAR at the “EXPO OF THE EXTREME” in CHICAGO!!! FROM ONE EXTREME TO THE OTHER -- THAT’S WHY The Great Kat is GOD!!!!!!!!

Mister Growl: What guitar model and equipment do you currently play most often?

The Great Kat: The Great Kat plays NUMEROUS Shred Guitars (Guild Strat body, Burns “Scorpion”, etc.), amps, guitar processors, pedals and more!! Stay tuned for The Great Kat SIGNATURE SHRED GUITAR at http://www.greatkat.com !!!!!!!!!!!

Mister Growl: Did you consider any other monikers before selecting “The Great Kat?”

The Great Kat: I considered the moniker “GOD”!!!!!!!!!! Which do YOU like better????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mister Growl: If you could be buried with only a guitar or a violin which of the two instruments would you choose?

The Great Kat: BOW PEASANT to your IMMORTAL GODDESS OF ALL SHRED GUITAR AND CLASSICAL VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Editor’s note: Never again try to even theoretically separate The Great Kat from one of her instruments. - MG)

Mister Growl: You’re a prolific promoter across all social media platforms. Do you personally update all accounts or have you enslaved a minion to perform those tasks?

The Great Kat: The Great Kat PERSONALLY INTERACTS with ALL KAT-POSSESSED SLAVES on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/greatkatguitarshredder,  Twitter at http://twitter.com/greatkatguitar, AND The Great Kat Web Site http://www.greatkat.com . NOW FOLLOW THE GREAT KAT AND BECOME a CERTIFIED SHRED/CLASSICAL GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO to the KAT STORE and STOCK up on HOT KAT PHOTOS & KOOL KAT MERCH to GENIUSIZE yourselves and your friends http://greatkat.com/store/index.html

Mister Growl: It seems like you’re a proud New Yorker. What are your favorite elements of the city?

The Great Kat: WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEW YORK CITY IS THE HYPERSPEED CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!! SPEED, BRILLIANCE, POWER, ENERGY, AGGRESSION and COMPETITIVENESS!!!! THE GREAT KAT IS GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mister Growl: What are some of your pet-peeves?

The Great Kat: IDIOTS, LETHARGIC, SLOW-MINDED, INFERIORS and LOW I.Q. LOSERS who DO NOT UNDERSTAND That THE GREAT KAT is SINGLE-HANDEDLY UPDATING CLASSICAL MUSIC for the MORONIC MASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW GET OUT OF MY WAY, PEONS, and let me TAKE 500 YEARS of CLASSICAL MUSIC and GENIUSIZE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mister Growl: You use plenty of horror imagery on your albums and press material. Are there certain horror films or novels that made a strong impression on you?

The Great Kat: Horror - “The Shining.” Brutal - “Clockwork Orange.”

(Editor’s note: Wearing a “The Shining” shirt while working on the interview = immediate Great Kat cred points/hopefully makes up for earlier burial question. - MG)

Mister Growl: If you had a pet zombie what would you name him/her?

The Great Kat: “SLAVE ZOMBIE”!!!

Mister Growl: Are you considering any upcoming live performances?

The Great Kat: YOU need to WITNESS THE GREAT KAT GUITAR GODDESS SHRED the Guitar AND Violin to FULLY UNDERSTAND the UNBELIEVABLE brilliant SPEED and TECHNICALITY of YOUR MISTRESS OF SPEED!! The Great Kat MAY BLESS you INFERIORS with my SHRED GUITAR AND VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY LIVE—stay tuned to The Great Kat Web Site http://www.greatkat.com. In the meantime, go to YOUTUBE and WATCH the SHRED INSANITY at http://www.youtube.com/user/KthomasPR -- with OVER 1 MILLION YOUTUBE VIEWS!

(Editor's Note: I briefly pause the interview here to offer my thanks to The Great Kat for giving me absolutely every promotional link and piece of information necessary for fans to track down her work. It made my job way easier and introduced me to a few new pieces. Below is a list of videos and music so you too can “geniusize” yourself. There’s also a list of achievements and awards to close out the post so you can measure your own sad accomplishments against them. I had a third-place finish in my fourth grade spelling bee, that’s kinda cool, right? - MG)

Mister Growl: What projects are you currently working on, and do you have release dates selected?

The Great Kat:

1-UPCOMING NEW Great Kat INSANE SHRED DVD is COMING!! Stay tuned to The Great Kat Web Site for details! http://www.greatkat.com

2-ITUNES is NOW Premiering THE GREAT KAT’S NEW VIVALDI'S "THE FOUR SEASONS" MUSIC VIDEO!  Starring Antonio Vivaldi ("The Red Priest") and The Great Kat’s Guitar Shredding & Violin Virtuosity! Preview & Download at https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/vivaldis-the-four-seasons/id573040803
VIVALDI'S "THE FOUR SEASONS" is ALSO On YOUTUBE at  http://youtu.be/R_hn7HKHbDs

3-The NEW Music Video for The Great Kat’s ROSSINI’S “WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE” is COMING SOON (better known as “The Lone Ranger” theme music) !!!! Stay tuned!!!

4- The Great Kat’s new “BEETHOVEN SHREDS” CD is out now with The Great Kat shredding Beethoven, Bach, Paganini, Rimsky-Korsakov and revolutionizing BOTH Classical and Metal on this multi-layered, contrapuntal Shred/Classical groundbreaking CD.  Check out music clips from “BEETHOVEN SHREDS” at http://www.greatkat.com/beethovenshreds/beethovenshreds.html
“Beethoven Shreds” CD Features:
·        “The Flight of The Bumble-Bee” (Great Kat’s Mind-Blowing Guitar/Violin Shredding at 300 BPM!) http://www.greatkat.com/bumblebee1NEW.mp3
·         Beethoven’s “5th Symphony” for Symphony Orchestra & Band http://www.greatkat.com/beethovens5thsymphony.mp3
·         Paganini’s “Caprice #24” (virtuoso showpiece features Great Kat’s technical guitar/violin mastery) http://www.greatkat.com/paganinicaprice24NEW.mp3
·         Bach's “Brandenburg Concerto #3” (Great Kat Shreds on 6 Guitars and 3 Violins!) http://www.greatkat.com/bachsbrandenburgconcerto3.mp3
·         Much More Shred Guitar Virtuosity!

5- ITUNES PREMIERES THE GREAT KAT’S "WAR", "ZAPATEADO", "TORTURE CHAMBER", "LIVE IN CHICAGO" & "CASTRATION" MUSIC VIDEOS from "EXTREME GUITAR SHRED" DVD!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/war/id585230085
https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/zapateado/id585630184
https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/torture-chamber/id585229972
https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/live-in-chicago/id585230084
https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/castration/id581329246

THE GREAT KAT IS GOD!!! SHRED ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Great Kat Web Site: http://www.greatkat.com
GREAT KAT SONGS on iTUNES: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/great-kat/id384709526    
GREAT KAT VIDEOS on iTUNES: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-great-kat/id368743108  
GREAT KAT on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/greatkatguitarshredder   
GREAT KAT on TWITTER at http://twitter.com/greatkatguitar    
GREAT KAT on YOUTUBE http://www.youtube.com/user/KthomasPR    
YOUTUBE'S "GREAT KAT" CHANNEL at http://www.youtube.com/channel/HCuJG9jO1nSCE/featured   
Kat Store : http://greatkat.com/store/index.html
And a list of the Great Kat's accomplishments:

-Juilliard Graduate Violin Virtuoso
-Concertmaster of the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra
-Winner of the Artists International Competition on Violin
-Carnegie Recital Hall Debut on Solo Violin
-"Top 10 Fastest Shredders Of All Time" - Guitar One Magazine
-"20 Of The Fastest Guitarists In The World Today" - MusicRadar.com
-"50 Fastest Guitarists Of All Time" - Guitar World Magazine
-"The 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes" - Classic Rock Magazine
-"Top 8 Female Electric Guitarists Of All Time" - NME
-"Top-10 Fastest Guitarists Of All Time" - Guitar World Magazine's Readers' Poll
-"12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" - Elle Magazine
-"8 Of The World's Fastest Shredders" - Gibson Lifestyle
-"20 Extraordinary Female Guitarists" - Guitar Player Magazine's "Guts & Glitter"
-Honored with a STAR in the "Guitar Hero Galaxy" - Spin Magazine:

REVIEW: WHITE WIDOWS - S/T

It’s hard to look at releases from Sacrament Music without thinking first of Saint Vitus, Brooklyn’s own headquarters for heavy music that dethroned Duff’s as the borough’s premier metal bar. The venue’s success is absolutely deserved and a testament to both the dedication of their ownership and staff as well as the passion of heavy music fans. After landing a string of impressive acts such as Eyehategod, Torche, and even their own name-sake, the venue has established itself as an essential East Coast destination for every band with true street cred. If you’re a fan of any sort of rock music you will feel like you’re home as soon as you step foot in Saint Vitus. It’s more welcoming than any establishment with black walls has a right to be.

White Widows’ self-titled debut is the second release from Sacrament Music, Saint Vitus’ own record label, and it’s a tough-as-coffin nails slab of metallic New York hardcore that could bruise you with a stare and obliterate you with a single punch. The six track album is an inventive and relentless attack, daring otherwise stationary crowds to just try and remain still while this shit is being played. With members from great live bands such as Primitive Weapons and Goes Cube, this is music that really should be seen on the stage. The mix is great but you can’t replicate the sweat and sway of a rabid audience, no matter how intense the performances are. Vocalist David Castillo is a truly charismatic frontman, skinning the front row raw with his screams and encouraging the masses to show their ugly side.

While the music is deeply rooted in hardcore this is an album rich with stylistic strokes that defy genre limitations (See: the shredding guitar solos on opener “Ace Rothstien,” guest vocals courtesy of Brendan Garrone from Incendiary on “El Marrano,” and the grimy gutter blues on both “Slow Burn” and “Sin Taxes”). White Widows are not one-dimensional knuckle-scrapers, they have a hundred different weapons at their disposal and they are lethally trained with all of them. They also mix speeds to great effect, triggering riots with thrashing punk riffs before slamming the breaks with sludgy breakdowns. Listening to this, I can picture the circle pits forming, the slam of bodies spreading wall to wall, the music possessing someone and encouraging them to dive from an amp stack into the crowd below. As I said before, you can’t always replicate live energy, but White Widows are willing to maim you trying. This album, if nothing else, is all the inspiration someone should need to see this band in person.

Speaking of, they will be playing in Brooklyn this coming weekend (Saturday, 3/09 at The Acheron in Brooklyn), as well as next month (4/20 at the Knitting Factory w/ Black Breath and Mutilation Rites). If you’re in the NYC area: Whatever plans you have that may interfere with seeing one of these shows, cancel them. if you need an excuse tell them Mister Growl will eat your brain-meat if you miss a chance to support this band, because you’re obviously not properly using that organ if you let these chances go by.


Listen to their album streaming now on Brooklyn Vegan: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2013/03/white_widows_we.html

And follow them over on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/whitewidowsNYC