THE GREAT KAT INTERVIEW in METAL KAOZ!
http://www.metalkaoz.com/interviews/19128-the-great-kat.html

 

Written by Dimitris Kontogeorgakos Wednesday, 22 February 2017 13:56
 

If you are a guitar aficionado, you can definitely handle some finger-melting guitar shredding, but can you handle the fastest, meanest and most provocative guitarist in the entire Metal scene? Hell yeah, The Great Kat has been exactly that, and has tormenting guitars and violins which can hardly keep up with her face-melting shreds. METAL KAOZ got the chance to submit a set of question to The Great Kat and got the following responses; do you think you are strong enough to read on? Well, there is only one way to find out...

My salutes to The Great Kat! Thank you for taking the time to answer to METAL KAOZ’s questions. So, let’s start right away. You have the Thrashdisciple List where you invite people to join; so, how does this list work?
First of all, The Great Kat is the musical revolutionary, sent here to wake you up into the future with hyperspeed and Beethoven - unrepressed, uninhibited, unconventional, unstoppable power! The Great Kat is the world’s fastest guitar / violin shredder, reincarnation of Beethoven, only guitar / violin double virtuoso since Paganini, Juilliard grad violin virtuoso, guitar and violin icon, “Top 10 fastest shredders of all time” and a Metal legend! Now, you can sign up for The Great Kat Thrashdisciple List HERE and become an official Thrashdisciple, getting The Great Kat News, Articles, Interviews, Kat Store specials and become an official Kat-Possessed genius!

Are there any thoughts of putting together a band and doing some live shows?
Possibly, but The Great Kat is not on tour, because I get too many threats! Get me a bullet proof stage and I’ll bring my incredible shredding stage show on stage and show everyone how real guitar / violin shredding is done!

What are your favorite Classical music composers and what do you consider special on them?
Beethoven! Power, energy, technique, brilliance, and unrepressed, unstoppable genius!

Let’s go back a bit; you started as a violin student, so when did the electric guitar virus get you?
Let’s talk about The Great Kat’s impeccable Classical pedigree first: After listening to Beethoven since birth, The Great Kat realized that her mission was to become a composer and musical revolutionary. I began Classical piano studies at 7. At the age of 9, I began Classical violin studies in New York. At the age of 15, The Great Kat won a full Scholarship to attend the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City as a violin student. The Great Kat became the Concertmaster of the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra and won the “Robert Hufstader Scholarship” in Theory at Juilliard. The Great Kat graduated with Honors from The Juilliard School and began performing, first as a Classical violin soloist at Carnegie Recital Hall as winner of the exclusive “Artists International Competition” and then soloing extensively in Mexico, the US and Europe.

After touring the world, I realized that Classical music was dead. I discovered Heavy Metal by accident watching TV and seeing a JUDAS PRIEST music video! “Wow”, I thought! I immediately picked up the electric guitar and began updating Classical Music with Speed Metal and transcribing my intricate violin solos to the guitar. I developed a new genre of music; “Shred / Classical” Music - violin and guitar shred virtuosity, mixed with symphony orchestra and band!

Based on the videos, you are still playing the violin; so, from your point of view, what are the differences between the violin and the electric guitar performing-wise, and also from the tonalities you can deliver?
First of all, The Great Kat is not the “typical” Guitar virtuoso; I am a violin virtuoso placing my violin techniques I mastered at Juilliard onto the guitar. The violin is the most difficult instrument – and I take my insanely difficult violin bowings, ricochets, legatos, rubatos, spiccatos, son file and more and transfer them directly to the guitar. The Great Kat uses what I call the “Paganini technique” (a special left-hand violin technique I learned at Juilliard) that allows me to fly at insane speeds on both guitar and violin. The Great Kat is the only guitar / violin double virtuoso since Niccolo Paganini!

You have announced that you will adapt and record Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy”, so first, what is your process on adapting/transforming these Classical music pieces into guitar shredding madness tracks?
The Great Kat’s Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy” is recorded and available on “Bloody Vivaldi” CD (find it at the Kat Store). The process of adapting this score was I edited the entire original score to make more this piece more exciting and added insane shredding on both guitar and violin with the fastest version of “Carmen Fantasy” in the world! I recorded the authentic violin part on both guitar and violin, with several layers of lead guitars, rhythm guitars, bass and drums.

Have you ever considered of performing or record with a Classical music orchestra?
The Great Kat uses a MIDI Classical Symphony Orchestra on The Great Kat Recordings. The Great Kat is the only Metal virtuoso who is actually trained in authentic classical orchestration, conducting, violin and symphonic performance who is able to tackle symphonies and bring them to vicious Metal!

How closely related is Classical music and Heavy Metal music? Everyone is saying that there is a connection but nothing in particular.
The only reason I went to Heavy Metal from Classical is because the similarities of virtuosity and Symphonic power between Metal and Classical. I am able to orchestrate guitars in Metal and showcase the virtuosity, which other forms of popular music does not lend to.

What is your favorite period of Classical music? You seem to prefer the Romantic period, if I am not terribly mistaken.
Beethoven / Romantic!

What is the first thing you remember from you first concert? I am sure it was playing the violin, right?
The first Katherine Thomas Violin Virtuoso Classical performance was very exciting! I performed a Classical Violin Solo Concerto in front of a huge audience and had a massive ovation at the end! Very powerful and addictive! You can hear Katherine Thomas Classical Violin Virtuosity on “Carmen Fantasy” at this location.

I still have the “Beethoven On Speed” vinyl, so do you have other vinyl available? I mean, are there any plans to release something on vinyl?
The Great Kat’s famous vinyl record “Satan Says” is available on the Kat Store and is a collector's item! Get your personalized autographed 3-song EP 12" (limited quantities!) HERE.

You have another DVD coming; what can we expect to see there? Have you set a release date for it?
New Great Kat DVD coming in 2017! Featuring the world’s fastest guitar / violin shredder, The Great Kat’s blistering Shred Classical guitar / violin music videos:
- Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” music video
- Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy” music video
- Bazzini’s "The Round Of The Goblins” music video
- “Terror” music video (which is about 9/11 - the song was written by The Great Kat immediately after 9/11 in New York City. Video filmed in September 2016 to commemorate the 15th anniversary)
- Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” music video
- Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody #2” music video
...and much more! Stay tuned for the release date at this location.

You have posted online some excerpts from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”, so what part of this masterpiece have you adapted on guitar madness?
The Great Kat performs the note-for-note authentic score of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” summer presto – shredding all violin parts, all viola parts, on both guitar and violin and viola, with a chamber orchestra and band! This is the only Vivaldi that combines authentic violins, chamber orchestra with guitars, band at high speed perfection!

Your name has been included into the “10 Fasters Shredders of all Time” and “50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time”; so what would be your list with the best Metal guitarists?
The Great Kat is also:
- "20 Of The Fastest Guitarists In The World Today" - MusicRadar
- "The 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes" - Classic Rock Magazine
- Winner of "Who Plays The Fastest" - Guitar Player Magazine’s Reader Poll
- "8 Iconic Women In Metal" - Stack Magazine
- "Rock On, Queens of Noise: 10 Killer Heavy Metal Frontwomen" - VH1
- "Top Ten Fastest Guitar Shredders" - The Top Tens
- "Shock Treatment: 10 Shock Rock Albums" - Iisalmen Sanomat
- "Hot Women Rock Stars Who Are Actually Guitar Geniuses" - OMG News Today
- "Top 10 Most Famous Women Rockers" - Glitzyworld
- "10 Phenomenal Female Guitarists That Deserve Your Attention" - WhatCulture
- "Top-10 Fastest Guitarists Of All Time" - Guitar World Magazine's Readers' Poll
- "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" - Elle Magazine
- "Fastest Guitarists" - Rocker.sk
- "10 Hottest Super Bowl Photoshoots" - In my Group Celebrity site
- Honored with a Star in the "Guitar Hero Galaxy" - Spin Magazine
- "8 of the World's Fastest Shredders" - Gibson Lifestyle
- "20 Extraordinary Female Guitarists" - Guitar Player Magazine's "Guts & Glitter"
- "The 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes" - Classic Rock Magazine
- "Top 10 Shred Guitar Heroes" - Bopian.com (China)
- "Famous Juilliard School Alumni" - Ranker.com
...and much more! Kat rules! Get it?!

I saw a posting on your Facebook page about Galileo Galilei and how the church has been fighting the early scientist; why do you think the church did that? Out of fear of the unknown or it was just fear for losing followers? Do you think this is still happening nowadays?
People are ignorant! That’s why geniuses like Galileo, Beethoven, Socrates and The Great Kat exist – to wake up the masses and to revolutionize history!

One last question; do you think someone can become a great guitar shredder by practicing until his/her fingers bleed, or also good genes are needed?
To be a really great guitar shredder, you should be a violin virtuoso first – like The Great Kat! If you can master the violin, the guitar is nothing!

Thank you for your time, The Great Kat! Please add anything you’d like to.
Go to the Kat Store and get your hot signed photos, Great Kat CDs, DVDs, t-shirts, posters and more. The Great Kat is GOD! Shred On! Also, you can find The Great Kat on: FaceBook, Twitter and Youtube.