KA TET
BALLYHAUNIS, COUNTY MAYO
Ka tet are a three piece alternative rock band from Co.Mayo, Ireland. They've been playing together for two years now and since they began touring the country in January 09 have played in a list of venue's all over the country including gigs in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Sligo, Castlebar, Athlone, Tullamore and many more! The three creative minds in the group are -
Ro - Drums and backing vox
Kyle - Bass and backing vox
tommy - Guitar and lead vox
"An Interview with Ka Tet"
By Denis Mannion
Today I am interviewing rock group Ka Tet, an up and coming three piece from the west of Ireland. The Band consisting of frontman Tommy, bassist Kyle and drummer Ronan has been gaining momentum this year with gigs in popular venues such as The Roisin Dubh in Galway, Whelan’s and Eamon Dorans in Dublin, Baker’s Place in Limerick and Cyprus Avenue in Cork. Despite their busy schedule the lads have also managed to find time for those less fortunate in our society, playing at charity concerts in aid of Oxfam Ireland and Galway Hospice.
Ka Tet employs a wide variety of musical styles and subject matter in their songs. From the haunting ballad “Bob’n’Charlie which tells the story of one mans descent into the seductive world of addiction and his subsequent battle for freedom to the quick and heavy “Worlds Edge”. I’m meeting the group in the relaxed and informal atmosphere of their practice room to discuss the bands major influences, their goals for the future and their opinion of the Irish music scene at the moment.
Where does the name Ka-Tet come from?
The name comes from The Dark Tower series by Stephen King which Kyle had been reading shortly after the band formed. At the most basic level the term Ka-Tet means a single entity created from many parts, or a group of people bound by destiny.
What are the bands goals for the near future?
Ronan- To become more widely known and to play at least two to three gigs per week.
Kyle- To move on to larger venues where Ka-Tet will be the headlining act or supporting well established bands.
Tommy- We have been working with a mixing engineer Joe Padfield and we are hoping to release new material at the end of the year.
Has the recession made life more difficult for unsigned bands in your opinion?
Kyle- Well at the moment we are playing a lot of our gigs in supporting roles for publicity and are usually not being paid, so travel expenses are a major issue because currently none of us are employed.
Ronan- There seems to be fewer people going to gigs now because many fans cannot afford to pay the door charges at venues.
Tommy-The record companies seem to be less willing to take on new artists now as well.
Do you think it is more difficult for bands to break through in Ireland compared to the UK where the industry is larger?
Kyle- The Irish scene is definitely more difficult for new bands.
Tommy-We were advised to move to London recently by a guy who knows the industry. Bands there have many more opportunities to be heard by talent scouts and there are many more venues compared to this country.
As the band gains popularity do you intend to continue to devote part of your time to charity concerts?
Kyle- Yes of course it is always good to be able to help others with what you do.
Tommy- What we want to do is establish a relationship with one charity and work solely with that charity, because we believe that it will have the greatest benefit.
How do you create your songs and where does the inspiration come from?
Ronan- From personal experience but also from political views that others can identify with, Tommy writes the lyrics in the band.
Tommy- We usually get together, jam for a while, and then discuss the images and feelings the sound creates in us, the lyrics grow from the sound.
Kyle- When we start to jam we are often in very different moods but by the end of the session we are all at the same place.
Which artists would you state as the bands major influences from a personal perspective and also as a group?
Tommy- For me personally I would say that my major influences are Damien Rice, Tom Waits and Frank Sinatra. As a group I think we all agree on Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Rage Against The Machine for their power and stage presence.
Ronan- I draw influences from a broad range of artists from Buddy Holly to System Of A Down and Daft Punk.
Kyle- For me I have to say John Entwhistle from The Who and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin.
You can follow Ka tet on any of the following sites:
www.myspace.com/katettheband7
www.facebook.com/katettheband
www.bebo.com/katettheband
www.youtube.com/katettheband
www.twitter.com/katettheband
UPCOMING GIGS
| 4 Sep 2010 | 00:00 | Electric Picnic | Laois! |
