I Hate Kate Interview

Emilee interviewed Justin and Scott of I Hate Kate before their show with Hot Hot Heat in San Luis Obispo at the Downtown Brew on July 25th, 2007.

BD - Bandictionary
JM - Justin Mauriello
SH - Scott Hayden

BD: What's the story behind the name?
JM: Well, there was a friend of mine who had a girlfriend named Kate. She represented all of the soulless, evil people in the world. She was the Devil wrapped in women's clothing. When she was here, they had to get somebody in Hell to take over. And I told my friend one day, I was like, "Hey, I hate Kate." And then I was like, "Hey, that's kind of a catchy name! I think I'm gonna name our band that." Then he goes, "No way!" and he bet me five bucks. So I took the bet, named the band I Hate Kate, and made five big ones.

BD: Is the song "I'm In Love With A Sociopath" based on a true story?
JM: The song isn't about one specific incident. That song is pretty much about any person that we've dated that is crazy. And I've noticed that people who are a little bit wacko in the head are always a little bit more open to crazy sexual activity. So I wrote a song about dating a crazy person just for the benefits of the sexual kind and how people do that. There are several people that influenced that song, but not one in particular.

BD: Describe your album, "Embrace the Curse," in one word.
JM: Wow, that's tough! Hip. Or mashed potatoes and gravy, but that's not really one word.

BD: If you could go back and change anything about the record, would you?
JM: As a matter of fact, we are. We just signed to Glassnote records and they're going to release it in October themselves, but before they release it, they wanted to add "Sociopath" on the record and they wanted to make a couple little changes to a few songs. But there's nothing major. We did this on a really limited budget and we did this up at a friend's house. Instead of having a vocal booth, we made a booth with a mic and we put over the guy's bed sheets over the top to enclose the sound a little. So we made do, and it was really cool how we made the record. But now they're giving us a little bit to go back and fix a few things. There's nothing major that we're really upset about, but now that we can spend a few more bucks fixing up a few things that we didn't have time for before, we're ready to do it now.

BD: What is your favorite song to play live?
JM: Take it away, Scott!
SH: I really like to play "Inside, Inside."
JM: Yahtzee! I'll double that.

BD: What goes through your mind when you're onstage?
JM: It depends on the night. Usually, at the beginning of the tour, it's "Fuckin' a! This is so exciting!" Then, halfway through the tour, it's like "How many more songs are left? I want to go drink!" And then at the end of the tour, you kind of get in the groove again and you're like, "Fuckin' a."
SH: I kind of get in the zone. I just do my thing, even if it's a bad night. If it's a bad or good show, I just try to zone out and concentrate on what I'm doing and have a good time doing it.

BD: Do you ever get sick of touring?
JM: No! If you ever get sick of touring, the best thing to do is to put it into perspective and get a day job. Then, you'll realize that touring is the best thing you can ever do in your life. It really is! How can you get sick of playing music and seeing the world? There are times when you miss being at home, but then you come home for a break and you realize that you miss it so much and you want to go back out.

BD: Is there anything you want the audience to take away from seeing you live?
JM: Yeah, I want them to walk away thinking that they saw an absolutely amazing show and that they love that band and they want to go get their CD and see them again. That's the biggest thing. We want to make sure that people leave with a good taste in their mouth afterwards.

BD: I saw your band for the first time last year when you were on tour with The Living End. What was it like to tour with them?
JM: The Living End is a large influence on me. I've been a fan of theirs for years. To watch them every night is something else because all three of them are so talented and it's unreal. Chris is the best guitar player I've seen in ages. It's amazing. Scott is just amazing on bass, and even their drummer is fucking amazing. It was one of those tours where every night, I would watch them play and not leave. Sometimes when you see the same band play thirty nights in a row, you take a few nights off and leave when you're done and come back when the night's over, but I would watch them every night because I never got bored of watching them.

BD: What's your favorite city to play shows in?
JM: I would say Tokyo. Or even better, I like playing in Osaka. Osaka, Japan has the most amazing energy I've ever seen. Even more energy than Tokyo. Tokyo's got more people, but Osaka's got some energy. It's unbelievable. They put out as much energy, if not more, than we do. It's just insane.
SH: For me, I'd say it's probably Denver. We have a lot of die-hard fans out there and we appreciate that a lot, so when we go out there and play a show, we have a really good time.
JM: And you can't forget San Luis Obispo!

BD: Did your family support your decision to become a musician?
JM: My family is Jehovah's Witnesses and was very disappointed that I chose music over serving and praising in the religion, so absolutely not. In fact, my mom bought me my first guitar when I was eleven and told me later on that she regretted buying me the guitar because I chose not to serve God and instead play rock and roll. But I am obviously a very spiritual man.

BD: How important has the Internet been for your band?
JM: Integral. It's not even the same as it was a few years ago, because now, it's like, if you don't have it, you can't reach the same amount of people as you could five years ago with other avenues. You have to do it.

BD: If your house was on fire, what is one thing you would save?
JM: My Playboy collection or my wife. One of the two.
BD: Tough choice.
SH: I'd probably save my animals and my girlfriend.
JM: I think the only real answer for that is pictures. Of course, the Playboy collection is pictures. So I'd just get some pictures of my wife and my Playboy collection and there you go. ★

To learn more about I Hate Kate, go to myspace.com/ihatekate.

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