The Great Kat must be worshipped. Media outlets who proclaim The Great Kat to be in the top 50, top 10, top whatever, are wrong. The Great Kat is the best, the fastest, the greatest. She is Beethoven reincarnated. This is not open for debate. You either 'get' what this means, or you do not. "Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason, mastery demands all of a person." -Albert Einstein
Read the follow-up email interview below, after listening to the phone interview (the yellow/green play button is at the bottom). Fellow WSCA DJ Kim joined me in the studio for the interview.
Email/Requests: blacknightmeditations@msn.com
Playlists: http://wsca.radioactivity.fm/show.html?showoid=1242
BLACK NIGHT MEDITATIONS - A heathenish foray along the shining path. Aural ruminations of Black, Death, Speed, Thrash, Doom, Folk, Shred, Power, Prog & Traditional Metal.
Tuesday Nights 10pm-2am e.s.t. - WSCA 106.1 FM - Portsmouth, NH USA - Listen online live @ www.wscafm.org
***The Great Kat email interview - 17 Dec 09***
BNM - There were a few things we did not get to discuss during our phone interview. I'd like you to expand on the evolution of your music. Your first 2 albums, Worship Me Or Die & Beethoven On Speed, featured more of a Thrash influence, notably in the riffs. Since your brand of Shred/Classical hadn't fully developed to what it has been over the last decade, can you explain the influence that Thrash Metal had on your early songwriting? Your Metal influences were more traditional, so how much of an influence on your song-writing did Thrash have? Was it a product of the times? Were you at all involved in the New York Thrash scene of the '80s?
TGK - The Great Kat High Priestess Of Guitar Shred (http://www.greatkat.com ) got into SPEED METAL after graduating from Juilliard. I liked the power and speed of that music. I decided to mix vicious, speed metal guitar riffs with my Classical Motives. The result was the first Great Kat CD “WORSHIP ME OR DIE!” with it’s RAW, VICIOUS SPEED METAL RIFFS AND CLASSICAL GUITAR SOLOS. The Great Kat’s NEXT CD “BEETHOVEN ON SPEED” was a pure mixture of SHREDDING GUITAR VIRTUOSITY with AUTHENTIC Classical Music from Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov, Chopin, Paganini ALL MIXED with POWERFUL METAL SONGS, like “ULTRA-DEAD” and “KAT ABUSE”!
BNM - Much is said about your guitar playing, your violin playing, your image and so on, but I feel your vocals have always been vital to who The Great Kat is. Without those patented Kat shrieks, growls and unique delivery, your music would feel like a symphony without a conductor. My favorite Kat songs tend to be the ones that have the most memorable vocal delivery, especially when you mix the singing and shouting. Would you consider trying new vocal approaches that you have not used in the past? It would be tough to sing over the insanity, but you can easily do it and I want more of those catchy choruses!
TGK - The Great Kat’s BRILLIANT music is a TOTAL MULTIMEDIA COMBINATION of CLASSICAL and METAL Virtuosity with SCREAMS, YELLS, BRUTAL SHOUTING and WILD and OUTRAGEOUS IMAGERY—this is the NEW OPERA of the 21st CENTURY!!!
NOW CHECK OUT THE NEW “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD:
This DVD stars The Great Kat’s Guitar/Violin Virtuosity and finger-blistering guitar shredding of Classical masterpieces and original outrageously theatrical SPEED METAL Wagnerian Mini-Operas.
“Beethoven’s Guitar Shred” DVD Features:
7 Outrageous Shred/Classical Guitar Music Videos, including:
• “The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee” - At the finger-blistering speed of 300 BPM!
• Beethoven’s “5th Symphony” - Metal version of the world’s most famous symphony!
• Paganini’s “Caprice #24” – Kat dazzles on this technical virtuoso showpiece on guitar and violin!
• Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto #3”- The Great Kat shreds on 6 guitars & 3 violins!
• “Torture Techniques” – Watch Kat’s arsenal of Torture devices and abused victims!
• Plus MORE Theatrical Metal Madness!
4 Shred BONUS Features:
• Hot Kat Shred Photos! Shred Geniuses!
Kat Kartoon – A crazy cartoon of The High Priestess of Guitar Shred!
DVD Video Clips: http://www.greatkat.com/dvd/dvd.html
BNM - Do you own the rights to your first 2 albums that were released by Roadracer? Those albums are hard to find, so a reissue would be great for those who have yet to hear your early material. What is the status of the Total Insanity compilation that features over 50 songs from your discography? It is not available on greatkat.com, nor is the Guitar Goddess ep. How can your worshippers get these releases?
TGK - “Total Insanity” is NOT an authorized Great Kat CD and is NOT released by TPR Music.
To purchase The Great Kat’s “Worship Me Or Die!” and “Beethoven On Speed” try Amazon.com. “Guitar Goddess” is on TPR Music, but is currently sold out.
The Great Kat’s NEW “Beethoven’s Guitar Shred” DVD is available through major retailers (Amazon.com, Best Buy, Target, CDUniverse, Barnes And Noble) and through the Kat Store at http://www.greatkat.com/07/index07.html
BNM - Your releases have been issued on vinyl, cassette, cd, and you even released a cd-rom in the mid-90s. Your last 2 releases have been dvds. You seem to want to stay with what is current in promotion, as your online presence has expanded to Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. Will we see any more cd releases, or has the current trend in promotion of music (that sees fewer cd sales) pushed you solely into dvd releases for the forseeable future?
TGK - The Great Kat’s SHRED/CLASSICAL GENIUS MUSIC must be SEEN and well as HEARD—that’s why The Great Kat is concentrating on MUSIC VIDEO DVDS!!! Like Wagner’s Operas, you need to get the ENTIRE GREAT KAT EXPERIENCE to understand the REINCARNATION OF BEETHOVEN FOR YOURSELVES!!!!!!!!!
Check out The Great Kat on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Great-Kat/296984350242 and TWITTER at http://twitter.com/greatkatguitar and YOUTUBE at http://www.youtube.com/user/KthomasPR and Kat Web Site at http://www.greatkat.com
MUSIC VIDEO CLIPS from “BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD:
-BEETHOVEN’S “5th SYMPHONY” http://www.greatkat.com/beethovens5thsymphonynew.wmv
-“The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee” http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TheFlightOfTheBumbleBeeMusicVideo.wmv
-Paganini’s “Caprice #24” http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/PaganinisCaprice24.wmv
-Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto #3 http://www.greatkat.com/BachsBrandenburgConcerto3.wmv
“Torture Techniques”
http://www.greatkat.com/metalvideos/TortureTechniques.wmv
DVD trailer at: http://www.greatkat.com/BeethovensGuitarShredVideosMenuMED.wmv
More DVD Video Clips: http://www.greatkat.com/dvd/dvd.html
BNM - How do you regard radio? There aren't many stations (terrestrial, satellite, internet) who are willing to support music such as yours. Those that do "feature" your work tend to be quite insulting and demeaning. Has this old-school method of promoting The Great Kat been worth your effort over the years? Is it still now? Basically, is any press good press for The Great Kat?
TGK - RADIO IS OLD!!! The Great Kat needs to be SEEN to FULLY UNDERSTAND SHRED/CLASSICAL!!!! THAT’S THE MAIN REASON The Great Kat is PRODUCING DVDS!!!!!!!!!!!
REVIEWS OF THE GREAT KAT:
-"The Great Kat should be feared because her hyper-blasting, neo-classical, whirlwind guitar playing is so precise and intense. This woman really is a better guitarist than most men ever were. Beethoven’s Guitar Shred DVD is a portable clinic of seemingly inhuman guitar antics. Dominating torture, blood, fire, anti-terrorist sentiments – all wrapped in an oddly tasteful, hyper-classical visual feast." - Mark Morton, Heavy Metal Examiner
-"The Great Kat named one of the fastest guitar players. Probably the fastest female shredder on the face of the earth. 'Flight Of The Bumble-Bee' at 300 Beats Per Minute. It does not get any faster than that. This ('Beethoven's Guitar Shred' DVD) makes a great stocking stuffer." - Michael Butler, MEVIO Music
"The guitarist Katherine Thomas aka The Great Kat is ranked among the fastest metal shredders of all time." - Danny Kringiel, Spiegel Online (Germany)
-"Blending the showmanship of metal with the intensive musical construction of classical, Kat has carved out a name for herself in musical history by shredding some of the greatest musical works of our time." - Carly Milne, AOL's Digital City
BNM - How do you regard the composer Felix Mendelssohn, given that it's possible J.S. Bach's brilliant music may have been lost to the ages had it not been for Mendelssohn bringing back Bach's compositions to the stage?
TGK - Mendelssohn did a great service to society by finding J.S. BACH’S MUSIC and BRINGING it to the masses! THAT’S THE SAME MISSION THE GREAT KAT IS ON—to BRING BEETHOVEN TO THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T EVEN KNOW BEETHOVEN’S GENIUS MUSIC!!!!!!!!
BNM - You have been motivated to perform music composed by those you consider to be "geniuses." But can we expect The Great Kat's musical tribute to non-composer geniuses such as Galileo Galilei or our founding fathers of the U.S.A.? Certainly you can apply your Shred/Classical style of music in honor of these geniuses as well. Instead of wasting any more of your time on terrorist scum, how about expanding upon the Wagner's War theme and further celebrate our history, or composing music based upon our future through the eyes of the past?
TGK - The Great Kat Guitar Shredder’s MISSION is to NOT only UPDATE CLASSICAL MUSIC for the MASSES, but to ALSO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN THIS TERRORIST INFESTED WORLD—like on my songs “ISLAMOFASCISTS” and “TORTURE TECHNIQUES” from “Beethoven’s Guitar Shred” DVD!!!!!!!!!!
BNM - Many of us Kat slaves would like to here much more of your violin playing. Personally, I'd love to hear solo violin pieces. Especially Paganini's Caprice no.1.
TGK - The Great Kat’s VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY is heard on the NEW BEETHOVEN’S GUITAR SHRED” DVD—on “THE FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE-BEE”, PAGANINI’S “CAPRICE #24”, BEETHOVEN’S “5th SYMPHONY” and BACH’S “BRANDENBURG CONCERTO #3”!!!!!
On the NEXT Shred/Classical DVD, The Great Kat will be SHREDDING one of THE MOST TECHNICALLY DIFFICULT AND DEMANDING VIOLIN VIRTUOSO PIECES ever written: NICCOLO PAGANINI’S “MOTO PERPETUO” on the GUITAR and VIOLIN, along with works of BEETHOVEN, MOZART and MORE!!!!!!
BNM - Thanks for your time, Kat. I'd love to delve deeper into your psyche and find out more about you as a person, but I know if I tried you'd just pummel me into submission. Your boots would be cleaner, and I'd still have no answers. Thank you again for sticking to your guns over the years, and continuing on with The Great Kat's Shred/Classical supremacy. You have my support.
TGK - THANKS MARK!!
THE GREAT KAT IS THE METAL MESSIAH/REINCARNATION OF BEETHOVEN!
NOW GO TO THE GREAT KAT WEB SITE at http://www.greatkat.com
KAT on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Great-Kat/296984350242
KAT on TWITTER at http://twitter.com/greatkatguitar
KAT on YOUTUBE at http://www.youtube.com/user/KthomasPR
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