Dan Locke interview
with Katrina from Katrina and The Wave.
By Dan Locke
I had the change to
interview someone everyone has heard of.
And everyone remembers her band. She
is Katrina Leskanich from Katrina and
The Wave. You remember the song Walking
in Sunshine. You should it was a big hit
in 1983. And every summer since it still gets a lot of airplay.
Also they were Grammy
award nomination for "Best New Artist" And their song reach No. 9 in
the US and No. 9 in the UK. The sold millions.
Katrina has just
started a tour which heads to Chicago next week. And I had the chance to ask her a series of
questions this week (March 15) by email.
DAN- How is the
tour going?
Katrina - We have
had two rehearsals and have been doing a bunch of press. Tonight is the
first show and I’m really looking forward to it because I have a cracking band
of New Yorkers who have played with everybody from Joan Jett to John Cale. They
rock! It will be a great tour. It's wonderful and a blast to be
back in my home country making music. I didn't have a tour history
profile in America for 20 years and the last year I was asked to join the Retro
Futura Tour with Thompson Twins, Howard Jones and Midge Ure and things took off
again for me so I'm lucky to be back for this club tour.
Dan- Katrina, you
were born in Kansas and grew up on the West Coast. What cities did you live in?
Katrina- My
Father was in the Air Force so we moved a lot. Ready? Kansas, New
Mexico, California, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Germany,
Holland, England.
Dan- What type of
bands were you listening to during that time?
Katrina- My parents had some great records so
I started off with their records, Crosby Stills and Nash, Neil Young, Carol
King, Elvis, Mama Cass Eliot. There were six of us kids so we were always
fighting over each others records. Many fights were fought over a new
Partridge Family album to the extent once my big sister has listened to the
album she scratched it so the rest of us couldn't listen to it! Ha ha ha!
Dan- By the time
you were a teenager you have moved to Europe.
What was the different from living in the US vs. Europe?
Katrina- When you
grow up on military bases overseas you feel like you are in a mini America
because we went to American schools and on the base we had pizza parlors and
bowling alleys and we used US dollars. If you stayed on the base you
could think you were still in America. The first band I was in was called
Mamas Cookin and we were all High School friends. We played around all
the US bases and performed American music like Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top
etc... It wasn't until I met up with the two English guys in Katrina and
the Waves that my cultural horizons expanded.
Dan- How did your
music taste change?
Katrina- When
I met up with Alex and Kim (the two English guys) I had been listening to women
singers mainly. I loved Linda Ronstadt, Dusty Springfield, Karla Bonoff,
Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Deborah Harry, Chrissy Hynde, Patti Smith and the
girl groups like
Dan- What were
some of the bands you were in before Katrina and The Wave?
Katrina- Before Katrina and the Waves I was
in Mamas Cookin. See above.
Dan- Why didn't
the band Hepburn work out? I think it
was the band after The Wave?
Katrina- I sang
some back up harmonies on the Hepburn album but I was never in this band.
I also sang back up in the song Torn by Natalie Inbruglia. I sang
back up on A Hanoi Rocks song and I was a featured vocalist on Rick Wakeman's
Journey to the Center of the Earth. I sang a duet with Eric Burdon for
China Beach, We Gotta Get Out of This Place.
Dan- What is your
instrument of choice? Playing on stage and writing?
Katrina- I play
guitar and have been known to play a very mean lead guitar. Mean as in
demented!
Dan- Do you have
a favorite instrument (make/brand/ year) you like to write with? And same question for performing instrument?
Katrina- Guitar
all the way
Dan- How does an
American musician from Kansas become lead singer in an English pop rock band
and have it name after her?
Katrina- There
weren't many "girl" singers around when I started so we thought it a
good idea to stick my name on the front of The Waves as we were called
originally. We thought it might attract more people to our shows.
Dan- Your first
break was a song cover by The Bangles "Going Down to Liverpool” Which put
you in the same par as Prince. Which is not bad at all. How did they find your music and what license
agreements were set up for them to use your song?
Katrina- They
heard our song from one of our early albums pre Capitol. We were
delighted they covered the song as it garnered interest in Katrina and the
Waves from Capitol.
Dan- At what
point did you met them? And what did you
think about how they covered your song?
Katrina- We have
met many times. We used to hang out in our hotel in LA. They played
their wonderful new album with Going Down to Liverpool on it and we were blown
away and very happy for them.
Dan- What other
songs did you write, are cover by other artists, which were hits?
Katrina- Not yet.
Dan- What are some of the artists you have opened up for?
Katrina- Don Henley, The Beach Boys, Wham,
Chaka Kahn, The Pointer Sisters, The Kinks, The Troggs, Fleetwood Mac, Status
Quo.
Dan- What has
been the biggest WOW moment in your performing life? Who came up on stage to play with you?
Katrina- Singing
with Carl Wilson every night on the Beach Boys tour was cool. Ellie
Greenwich joining me onstage to sing Da Do Ron Ron was the highlight! She
wrote Be My Baby, Baby I Love You, Chapel of Love, River Deep Mountain High etc
etc etc .......
Dan- How did the
song "Walking on Sunshine" developed from start to the finish
produce?
Katrina- Kim
wrote the song in the early 80s. We recorded it many times until the
definitive Capitol version where the drums were re recorded at the Powerstation
Studio NYC.
Dan- Are you
still in touch with the band members of the Wave?
Katrina- Birthday
and Christmas cards.
Dan- What do you
think will be your next step in the life of Katrina Leskanich?
Katrina- My
return to touring in the USA again and the release of my new album Blisland.
Dan- Now who
would you like to open up for?
Katrina-
Fleetwood Mac again.
Dan- Who would
you like to open up for you?
Katrina- Pussy
Riot
Dan- Final
question.... Who is on your phone/MP3 player/IPod now?
Katrina- Anton
Karas
Dan- Thank you
Katrina and have a great tour.
Katrina- You're
welcome.
Katrina tour dates
March 17 in Glen Cove, N.Y., at Page One
March 18 in Somerville, Mass., at Johnny D’s
March 20 in New York City at Iridium
March 21 in Londonderry, N.H., at Tupelo Music Hall
March 23 in Lancaster, Pa., at Tellus 360
March 25 in Stanhope, N.J., at Salt Gastro Pub
March 26 in Rochester, N.Y., at The Lovin’ Cup
March 27 in Buffalo, N.Y., at The Forum
March 28 in Hamilton, Ont., at This Ain’t Hollywood
March 29 in Toronto, Ont., at Hugh’s Room
April 2 in Chicago, Ill., at Reggie’s Rock Club
April 3 in Milwaukee, Wis., at Shank Hall
April 4 in St. Paul, Minn., at Amsterdam Bar + Hall
The singer is also performing overseas starting in May for
several shows. Stops include cities throughout the UK, as well as in
Sweden, Slovenia and Norway,http://www.katrinasweb.com/
https://twitter.com/katrinasweb
https://www.facebook.com/katrinasweb
https://www.youtube.com/user/fabbyboy
https://www.youtube.com/user/fabbyboy
https://instagram.com/katrina_leskanich/
http://www.reverbnation.com/katrinaexkatrinathewaves
https://myspace.com/katrinasweb/music/songs
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/KatrinaLeskanich
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