I Hate Kate

There are some bands that make you think, their lyrics prompting further exploration. There are some bands that register on an emotional level, creating catharsis. And there are some bands that just make you want to dance your heart out. Now, blend all of these elements together and you can approximate the I Hate Kate experience. Hailing from Huntington Beach, CA, the quartet of Justin Mauriello (lead singer), Scott Hayden (bass), Jeremy Berghorst (guitar) and Mike Lund (drums) have been bringing their brand of compelling and fun music to national and international audiences.

Rifle through frontman Justin’s inventory of musical influences and you’ll find a long list of everyone from The Beatles to Metallica to Depeche Mode to The Cure to Fugazi, all of whom have helped shape the sound of I Hate Kate. In effect, I Hate Kate’s music skirts a specific definition by weaving together strands of dance, pop, new wave and rock, creating an infectious blend. With Justin’s magnetic stage presence and songwriting chops; Scott’s background in classical guitar, adding texture to his bass-playing skills; Jeremy’s passion and solid guitar rhythm; and Mike’s powerhouse drumbeats, their live shows reel in guys and girls of all ages, who cut up the floor and leave exhilarated.

Managed by Justin Maximov, a veteran promoter who runs JMAX Productions, the band has seen a steady rise in success with some notable landmarks along the way. Over the course of the past few years, I Hate Kate played a wave of shows with the likes of Social Distortion, Hot Hot Heat, The Bravery, The Living End, Unwritten Law, and Shiny Toy Guns, to name a few. Their tours have taken them to different parts of the U.S. to Canada and most recently to Japan.

A deal to record an EP with the Japanese label, IN-n-OUT Records, presented itself and Embrace The Curse was produced by Linus of Hollywood at Linus’ home on a budget. It was so low-cost in fact that they had to create a make-shift booth for Justin by cobbling together mic stands and throwing a comforter over his body to block out sound. The result was a CD that proved to be so dynamic and fun that it caught the attention of Nerf, the programming director at Denver’s KTCL. From January of 2007 until the present time, the single “Always Something” went all the way from the buzz bin to the power rotation, posting about 700 spins to date and charting in the Top 5 most requested songs for May and June. As Nerf says “the song instantly appealed to my gut and then immediately reacted with our audience. The song is an obvious hit—catchy and upbeat—but their live shows hit home the point.”

The KTCL airplay reaction in Denver led to a few fortuitous events. The first was that I Hate Kate booked the Bluebird in Denver in June and the show sold out 550+ tickets. The second was that Daniel Glass, CEO of Glassnote Records, flew over to catch the show and walked out of there convinced that they were ready to breakout. Shortly thereafter, I Hate Kate was signed to Glassnote.

Currently, the band is in the studio recording new songs for their upcoming debut album, Embrace The Curse, and remixing old ones with acclaimed producer Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eats World, Blink-182, Sugarcult). They are also poised to play back-to-back Channel 93.3 shows in Denver, one of which is at Coors Amphitheater with Social Distortion, Blue October, Jack’s Mannequin, Motion City Soundtrack and Plain White T’s. With all the momentum the band is building they want to assure a particular subset of their fans about one thing: to all the Kate’s out there—don’t worry— I Hate Kate only hates one Kate, they love you.