Something Like Sound

Another interview from E-days 2008, this one with up-and-coming California act I Hate Kate. Lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Justin Mauriello sat down with me to talk about everything from the Denver music scene to his biggest inspirations. Enjoy

-Tim

[Oredigger] Do you play for many colleges?

[Mauriello] Yeah, usually it’s this time of year, there’s Greek week and many colleges have festivals. College shows are always really fun to play, it’s kind of a different vibe, it’s more like a big hoopla, a big party. They’re always a lot more fun, and it’s cool because you play with other bands you know, and you see friend’s bands that you haven’t seen in a long time. They’re always fun.

I Hate Kate's Justin Mauriello, Courtesy Andrew Ferguson, www.andrewferguson.net

Who are your major musical influences?

Growing up I had so many different influences. What got me playing guitar was Kirk Hammett from Metallica and Michael J. Fox when he played “Johnny B. Goode” in Back To The Future. I saw him playing that thing and I decided that I needed to start playing guitar so I could learn how to play “Johnny B. Goode” like he did. I also got into a lot of ‘guitar shredders,’ I was huge into Joe Satriani, and I loved that sort of shit. But then I was always auditioning singers, and I could never find a good singer, so I said, “Man, I’m just going to fake it.” I was just kinda faking it then, and I’m faking it now. But as far as singers go, I went through a big punk phase where I really got into Fugazi, the Descendents and I used to really love those sorts of bands, but now I can’t really say there’s one person I aspire to be like, or one main influence. But anything from those old metal guitar players to a lot of those punk bands. I even got into new wave shit when I was in junior high. I loved bands like Depeche Mode and the Cure and I still love them now. So all those bands put together influenced my writing and musical taste.

How do you feel about the current music scene, especially here in Denver? Also, what do you think about the state of the music industry?

Those are two different things. As far as the music industry and the labels, I think it’s just shit. All the major [labels] have become conglomerates and a lot of the good bands and good indie labels are actually starting to get bigger than some of the major [labels]. They’re becoming their own entities. The industry as a whole is at a bad place, but there are still some really strong labels.

As far as where music is at, I think it’s at a cool place right now. You mentioned Denver, here KTCL plays such a good range of music, which you don’t see in every city. They veer off the beaten path and play other bands and have the balls to jump on something before everyone else does, so I have a lot of respect for them for doing that. It’s cool because when you turn on the radio you’ll hear anything from local bands here like Single File, who are a pop-rock band, and the Flobots, who have a totally different style, yet they’re all still being played on the same station. So I think it’s cool, because people are being a lot more open minded than they have been.

What are your passions for writing new material and performance?

My passion in life has always been music. I want to give a different answer, so I’d say music and bowling. Bowling drives me to get out of bed in the morning. As far as getting inspiration for songs, if I see something that just strikes me, or inspires me to write lyrics or music it’s just life experiences. But as far as something that just keeps me going, truthfully the music experience itself is just so fun and rewarding. To take something you’ve created and play it in different parts of the world and have people sing along with you is awesome, it’s an amazing feeling. That truly does get me moving… and steak.

Steak?

I get up in the morning and think of a nice juicy stake. It’s very tangible, because I know within a couple hours I could be indulging in a fine piece of meat. Also, a cup of coffee. You wake up in the morning and say, “What do I want to do?” You’ve got your morning snap session, which is a little alone time with yourself in the morning, and some coffee. You wake up and say, “This is exciting, I am excited to get online and look at internet porn.” Things of that nature really get you moving, but as far as my inspiration goes, I’d definitely say music.

Any plans for releases and/or touring?

Our label, Glassnote Records, has pushed the album until May 27th, and if they don’t push it back again we’ll be out in support of that all summer.

I did some research and found that you used to sing for Zebrahead. How would you say I Hate Kate is different than Zebrahead, and what have been some of the highlights of going out on your own?

It’s very different, musically, and the whole attitude and vibe of the band is different. With this it’s everything I’ve ever wanted to do. I had a great eight, almost nine years, with that band, and it was a great time. I look back on it and there’s a lot of fun things I got to do and a lot of experiences, so I’m grateful that I got to do that. But at the time the change was necessary for the better of myself and the better of them. So it’s been a very positive experience.

What is your favorite song to perform?

It always depends, usually the song they always play on the radio is the most fun to play because everybody knows it and goes nuts for it. But personally I like playing “Inside Inside” a lot. The energy and rhythm of that song just pump up my adrenaline an extra bit. I don’t know what it is about that song, but there’s something about the energy to it that makes it the most fun to play. Sometimes I just like to rock out the ballad. Like last night we played for over an hour in the high altitude here, it was a nice chance to slow down and take a little breather. It’s a wonderful little trick that most people don’t realize, and we get to catch a breath. So last night playing our ballad “It’s You” was heaven sent, but “Inside Inside” is my favorite.

Is there anything else people should know about?

What About Bob is probably the best movie that’s been created and I think that it’s a very underrated movie. Strange Brew as well, it’s an old classic, and it’s one of the most brilliant movies I’ve seen in my life. I also want to thank everybody in Denver, because the fans have just been amazing and very gracious to us for over a year. We’re looking forward to playing here, at this fantastic institution. Also, check out comedian Neil Hamburger on YouTube, he’s the best comedian who’s ever lived on the face of the planet.