Born in British Columbia, Canada, Garrett Kato relocated to Byron Bay when he was 23.
Last year he recorded his new album, 'That Low And Lonesome Sound', in his own, home studio. “The recording process became an obsession, with tireless nights demoing and experimenting with both hard and ethereal sounds. This new record marks a turning point for myself both as a singer-songwriter and a producer and a new father [also why it took so fucking long].
“The first single 'UFOS' is a far cry from my pervious folk-country releases. Pulsating guitars and keys open the song with a haunting cascade of reverberant vocals echoing throughout the mix.”
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision... My mum named the group about 28 years ago when I was born in Canada. It sounds more like two, last names rather than a first and last so I guess you will need to ask her about it.
In the studio I usually... Stay up till unruly hours of the night and work until I feel I’m listening to mush. Come morning, I will wake to either a pleasant surprise of awesome work or complete disappointment from last night’s efforts.
If I could tour with anyone... Bruce Springsteen. I’d tour with that guy even if he was my dad… One can dream.
Social media is... facebook.com/garrettkatomusic or instagram.com/garrettkato
My favourite app at the moment is (why?)... If I had to choose it would be Guitar Tool Kit. I learned how to play banjo on that puppy. Oh how the times have changed.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time... A long time ago I had a burning desire to become a Taikwondo master. But after pissing my pants in a class I had to effectively retire from the sport due to Korean kids calling me pissy pants in their native tongue.
Life on the road can be... Poor, unpredictable and awesome.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that our rider contains... Cat-food sushi.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... Probably this Canadian tour I did two years ago. We travelled to Golden (a mountain town outside of the Rockies) to meet an awesome band Will Horse alongside singer-songwriter Vince Vaccaro. Upon arrival I realised we were driving a 1970 half-broken tour bus through the Rockies, with the drummer of the band Will Horse who had basically no driving experience with a massive bus and proceeded to drive anyways. So needless to say I felt death gripping my balls, but maybe I was just being silly.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Well to be honest probably Justin Bieber, he’s got a lot of reach on his social media and he’s really great at one-word tweets.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party… Bill Murray, because he’s Bill Murray. Ryan Adams because he likes Bill Murray. and Jay Z because he’s got lots of money.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Easy, cat-food sushi.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Airplanes.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... On TV. 'The Total Gym'.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Re-organising the fridge, because you have a time limit and if you exceed that limit you loose the valuable food.
Do you have any phobias... please explain? Serial killers… For some strange reason they scare the living daylights out of me.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? If so, what type? I’d go on some singing show, then wait until it’s the live TV rounds… only to quit the show and tell the 1.2 million viewers that this is exploiting people like a Chinese sweatshop for ratings.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? I’d visit my drummer Ben in Hawaii and pull his pants down in front of his new girlfriend's parents.
Garrett Kato will be performing as part of The City Sounds at Milano Café, Queen Street Mall, on Saturday 11 April, 11.30pm-2pm.
Garrett Kato Tour Dates
Fri 10 Apr - Walrus Social House (Gold Coast)Sat 11 Apr - Solbar (Sunshine Coast)
Thu 16 Apr - The Milk Factory (Brisbane)
