August 4, 2004

To start things off, you were classically trained at the Julliard School Of Music and I guess the classical shit got a little boring. What inspired you to take classical pieces and make them a little more interesting a la heavy metal wise?

After I graduated from The Julliard School as a violinist, I realized that classical music needed updating and brought to the masses. I searched all types of music and heard metal bands like Judas Priest and Ozzy and various speed metal bands. The power, speed, and energy of speed metal was very exciting and inspired me to pick up the guitar and become a guitar shredder!

Besides classical musicians, what other musical influences do you have?

My only musical influence has been Beethoven, Wagner, Bach, Vivaldi, and the master composers.

Spin Magazine dubbed you the fastest female guitar shredder in the world. I imagine that's a major accomplishment seeing as just about all guitar shredders are male. Do you feel that women are looked down on in the heavy metal world or have to prove themselves more?

Women are treated like crap in the heavy metal world and in every business! Men are petrified of losing their power to a woman, because then women don't need men's little penises anymore! Women have to be more intelligent, more brilliant, and work twice as hard as men to prove they are equal to men!

You are number 10 on the most fastest guitar shredders list. What number do you feel you should have been placed at?

I don't care! The Great Kat can only be compared to the last guitar and violin virtuoso - Niccolo Paganini! Critics who have woken up to the genius of The Great Kat:
The Great Kat Wins Guitar One Magazine’s “Top 10 Fastest Shredders Of All Time” Award - Chris O'Byrne, Guitar One Magazine
Spin Magazine declares The Great Kat "the speediest, scariest female shredder of all time" - Caryn Ganz, Spin Magazine (July 2003)
· “The Great Kat can totally shred. In fact, she's so scary fast on guitar and violin, that once you retrieve your ego from the gutter, you almost have to laugh.” - Michael Molenda, Guitar Player Magazine
· “Inspired by the events of Sept. 11, Kat renders some of music's most famous, aggressive, battle-inspired pieces in shredding-speed metal arrangements that hiss and spit.” - Dan Aquilante, NY POST
· “The wave of the future might well be heavy-metal Beethoven by way of Juilliard.” - John Rockwell, NY Times
"The Great Kat is a Juilliard graduate violin virtuoso who applies those classical disciplines with equal conviction to her outrageous metal guitar style." - Paul Salter, Guitar Buyer Magazine
"Blistering guitar/violins. Merging insanely fast guitar to equally high velocity violin." - Paul Stenning, Powerplay Magazine
"Recently unleashing her latest opus, 'Wagner’s War', she's yet again poised to take over heavy metal as we know it by blending blindingly fast guitar shredding with grindcore and yes, classical music." - Keith Carman, ChartAttack-Chart Magazine
"On the current CD, 'Wagner's War,' by New York's lovable dominatrix The Great Kat, the girl with the brilliant speedchops and the pro wrestling mentality wages war in three acts." - Mike G, Metal Maniacs Magazine

You recently put out a CD called Wagner's War. Can you tell us a bit about that CD and how you basically compose and put together every CD you put out?

On the morning on 9/11, The Great Kat, who lives in New York City and Long Island, NY, was in my recording studio on Long Island, rehearsing music for my new CD. When I saw the images of the World Trade Center attacked and realized it was a terrorist attack, I was furious, outraged, and horrified! My CD immediately became a battle cry to war - “Wagner's War”! Now listen to the Great Kat’s CD: “Wagner's War”! The Great Kat’s “Ride Of The Valkyries” (from Wagner’s Opera Cycle “The Ring” - “Die Walkure”) is the “battle cry” to war! On the Wagner's War CD, the song “War” was written out of severe rage and the song “Terror” was written in horror out of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and my city - New York City! Wagner's War features:
ACT I: WAR
1. Wagner’s "The Ride Of The Valkyries" (from the Opera "Die Walkure"). This music is the definitive "battle cry" to war, featuring opera singers, The Great Kat's symphony orchestra and shred band!
2. “War” – heavy and brutal ode to war!
3. “Terror” – “Terror! Horror! Murder!”
ACT II: REVENGE
4. “Punishment” – Punishment to traitors!
5. “Humiliation” – Humiliation and revenge rips through this guitar shredfest!
ACT III: VICTORY
6. Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody #2” – The symphony orchestra and shred band join together in this insane version of this famous rhapsody!
7. Sarasate’s “Zapateado” – The Great Kat's lightning fast guitar technique and demonic violin virtuosity shine on this incredible virtuosic showstopper!
Download a music sample of “Wagner’s War” CD at The Kat Web Site at www.greatkat.com and download photos from the Wagner’s War CD at www.greatkat.com/02/wagnerphotos.html
The Great Kat’s composing and recording process:
I take entire classical scores –note-for-note music scores of works of Beethoven, Wagner, Bach, Vivaldi, Paganini, etc., and edit, arrange, and reorchestrate it for band and classical instruments.
I record the entire score with MIDI sequenced instruments on Pro-Tools recording software, using more than 100 tracks.
I record live instruments (guitars, violins, vocals) with live musicians (on bass, drums, trumpets, trombones, and other orchestral instruments).
I mix all live and MIDI tracks.

Your lyrics are extremely violent and blood thirsty. Are all your lyrics like that or just this particular CD?

Nearly 3000 people were killed on 9/11. We are in a world threatened by insane terrorists who have hijacked the world with their insane suicidal/homicidal beliefs. They want to stop America from freedom and democracy! The world is now offiically violent and blood thirsty!

You have a new video out called "Zapateado". Can you tell us a bit about that? Do you enjoy making videos and are you the one who decides the story lines?

I enjoy making videos and creating the story lines, producing the music video, with the directors, musicians, sets and design. The Great Kat’s finger blistering, non-stop pyschotic music must have extreme music videos to go with it! “Zapateado” is the world’s first violin and guitar shred/classical music video, which combines The Great Kat’s violin virtuosity, guitar shredding, patriotic glory, historical figures and documents, and the world famous “Uncle Sam” poster. “Zapateado” is a two minute music video filmed in The Great Kat’s signature rapid-fire style, culminating with Kat declaring the U.S. victory in war. “Zapateado” is a shred/classical arrangement by The Great Kat, of the Spanish Composer Pablo de Sarasate’s famous violin work, and is Track 7, “Act III-Victory” of The Great Kat’s revolutionary and critically acclaimed “Wagner’s War” CD.

Are you endorsed by any major guitar company?

Stay tuned to The Great Kat guitar shredder website at http://www.greatkat.com for all news on Kat endorsements, tours, CDs, and more!

When you decided to become a heavy metal classical guitar shredder, why did you decide on the sexual predator dominatrix image?

It may appear that The Great Kat is a “sexual predator,” but The Great Kat is actually using various images: sexy dominatrix, warrior, metal thrasher, and more to enlighten the masses to the genius of shred/classical brilliance!

Are you working on any new material?

The Great Kat is currently finishing the new great Kat DVD, out in September! This new DVD will feature shred music videos, violin virtuosity, guitar genius, and more goodies! Stay tuned to the Kat web site at http://www.greatkat.com for DVD release date!

Any other thoughts or comments?

To all my Kat-possessed "RockNet" slaves: Bow to your metal messiah Kat! Now go to The Great Kat website at www.greatkat.com, The Great Kat at greatkat@greatkat.com, hotline: 1-800-KAT-9199 or 631-549-7575.

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