Katie Hate

The three guys in Katie Hate are young — all under 21. But it's not a young band, per se. Drummer Jake Saltzman and bassist Bobby Fello touched base with Max Theofilis and started making music together in middle school, after all.

The Penn Hills grads have gotten serious lately, and spent much of 2014 working — a little bit at a time — on the band's debut album. And while it's taken some time to perfect (and guitarist, singer and songwriter Theofilis insists the final product still won't be perfect), the first record is the least of the punk-flavored rock band's plans.

"We have albums planned ahead," Theofilis says. "At least five, with songs we're familiar with already. As soon as this album is finished, we'll have something to move on to."

Even as they break out of their teens, the three have designs on concept albums and big-idea stuff. Even if they're a little cagey about it at times. "There's a master plan to Katie Hate," Theofilis notes. "There's a theme that we want people to catch onto eventually. I like to write conceptually — not necessarily storylines, but just themes."

While the band has the bulk of the first record complete, it's gotten this far without a single recording; aside from live YouTube videos, there's been no way to hear Katie Hate without going to see Katie Hate live. Despite that, the band has established itself in the ranks of a young crop of bands around the area. A Lovely Crisis hosted the first real show Katie Hate played, and Katie Hate returns the favor by having that band on its Punk the Halls show at Mr. Small's this Saturday, a sort of holiday-after-the-holiday event.

It's no small feat for a band so young — especially one still pushing for an early-2015 first release — to headline a sizable venue, but that's no doubt due in part to Katie Hate's commitment.

"We practice, for the most part, five days a week," explains Fello.

"At least 300 days a year," Saltzman adds with a laugh. "I'm not even kidding." - Andy Mulkerin

This week’s track comes (a little later than usual) from pop-punk band Katie Hate, who will release its new record, Let’s Pretend Again, at Mr. Small’s Theatre on Oct. 30. Stream or download the anthemic “Independence” below.

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05_Indepdendence_mp3.mp3 - Margaret Welsh

When Penn Hills band Katie Hate played a late-August show at the Rosedale Beach Club, it was billed as the final show for the original lineup. Drummer Jake Saltzman was graduating and headed off to join the Marine Corps.
But about a month into his training at Parris Island, S.C., a back injury Saltzman had originally suffered in 10th grade recurred, and he was discharged in the fall. He came home to Penn Hills to let his back heal, but it wasn't long before the itch to play was back.
“Instantly,” said Saltzman, 18, said. “I wrote (bassist Bobby Fello and guitarist Max Theofilis) when I found out I was coming back and told them to be ready because I'm coming home — now we're more serious than ever.”
Theofilis and Fello were looking for a new drummer when they heard from Saltzman.
“We figured that meant the band was always destined to be,” said Theofilis. “We came back with a much more inspired attitude than before. So we were eager to get back into the basement as a group again.”
Fello, 19, said he is excited to have the group back together.
“We were more determined than anything,” he said. “Being in a band is fun, but if you want to make it in music, there is a lot of hard work that needs to be put in. We practice five or six days a week, sometimes for two hours at a time. We plan on investing a lot of our hours into the band, but in the end, it'll all be worth it because we are all passionate about music and we get to share the same experience together.”
Saltzman said he has just as much passion for the band as he did for his prospective Marine Corps career.
“I think the one thing I regret the most is basically turning my back on the band more and more as time went on,” Saltzman said. “I joined the Marines because I didn't want to be like an everyday average kid; I wanted something different. But now I realize that I got sent home for a reason and this band is where I'm supposed to be.
“All the dedication and hard work that went into getting ready for the Marines has doubled my devotion to drumming and the band.”
Theofilis, 19, who writes the band's songs, kept himself busy during their hiatus, and when Saltzman returned home, rehearsals included a set of all-new tunes. The band will be taking those songs into Treelady Studios in Turtle Creek to record their first album this winter.
“We'll have 13 songs to record when we hit the studio,” Saltzman said.
On top of that, Katie Hate will play its first show since summer at a Jan. 10 showcase at Mr. Small's Theatre in Millvale. The band will close the evening joined by acts including Cynimatics, Fiveunder, My Thoughts in Color, Pressin On and Exempt. Doors open at 6 p.m., and tickets are $8.
Theofilis could not be more excited for the show.
“I'm looking forward to what this show will mean to us once it's finished,” he said. “We are all ready for what might be ahead of us. I hope somehow that we start to make money doing this, because I want to get out of college.”
Saltzman said he hopes to play to the band's biggest crowd yet, adding that his back injury hasn't slowed him down at all.
“Surprisingly, it never (affects my playing). I can go as crazy as I want and my back never tells me to stop or slow down,” he said.
Fello said the band will debut at least five brand-new tunes at the Mr. Small's show.
“I just love playing shows; we all do,” he said.


Read more: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourpennhills/yourpennhillsmore/5305882-74/band-saltzman-theofilis#ixzz3ruJrHVmT
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook - Patrick Varine

Katie Hate Pittsburgh’s #1 Punk Alternative Band performs live on stage at The Oaks theater as part of their Let’s Pretend Again 2015 Summer Tour.

Special Guests Panama and Lemon Pledge

Doors and Bar open at 6:30pm Show starts at 7:30pm

This show is General Admission. Ticket guarantees entrance only, not a specific seat.

Advance tickets are just $10

Day of Show $12

Ticket Hotline 1.888.718.4253 FREE

- See more at: http://theoakstheater.com/event/katie-hate-with-panama-lemon-pledge/#sthash.UJ1iTfoK.dpuf - The Oaks Theatre

'Relentless, with frenzied guitar and percussion statements, 'Let's Pretend Again' includes moments of pure musical chaos balanced with highly sentimental lyricism, making it a completely unique album well worth the listen.' - Akademia Music Awards

A Penn Hills band will help open a Pittsburgh festival showcasing local talent this weekend this weekend.

KatieHate, a rock band comprised of three Penn Hills High School graduates, will perform at noon Jan. 16 at 26th Street Market and Café, 2549 Penn Ave., as part of the Strip District Music Festival.

The festival will feature more than 100 bands performing at 20 venues throughout the Strip District neighborhood of Pittsburgh. This is the festival's second year.

“We're trying to get into more festivals,” said Bobby Fello, bassist for KatieHate, noting that the band usually plays smaller local venues.

He described his band, which also includes Max Theofilis and Jake Saltzman, and its music as a melting pot of different alternative genres with a 1990s influence.

The band released an album called “Let's Pretend Again” at the end of October. Fello said KatieHate will tour locally and around the East Coast throughout 2016.

Kelsey Shea is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. She can be reached at 412-320-7845 or kshea@tribweb.com.



Read more: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourpennhills/yourpennhillsmore/9749897-74/band-festival-penn#ixzz3xBev6mF6
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook - Kelsey Shea

This past Thanksgiving as I was driving to visit my family for the holiday I decided to make “Let’s Pretend Again”, the first full length album from Katie Hate, my soundtrack. Right out of the gate track 1 got me interested with a gradual, dynamic build showcasing the trio’s strong instrumental playing. The song then exploded into a catchy, yet complex, tune mixed with different feels & energies.
I was familiar with the second track, “Good Enough For You”, from their single release a few months back. This was a great choice for song #2; high energy & grabs your attention..great for driving too! After the next track I immediately thought this collection of songs was going to be an “album”. By definition, album is commonly referred to as “one or more CD’s, cassettes, or long playing records released as a single item”. This is true, but an avid music fan usually describes an album as a collection of songs from a single artist or group that seamlessly blend and compliment each other, capturing an era in time. I definitely feel this is the case for “Let’s Pretend Again”. In my opinion an album, not just a collection of singles, is on the same level as an individual piece of fine art.
As I’ve listened to the album almost daily for weeks it grows on me more & more, and I get inside the vision of what this release for the band is all about. From the deep, lyrical content of Max Theofilis’ mind mixed with his intense guitar playing, to the tasteful, creative, & energetic drum parts from Jake Saltzman, and finally with bassist Bobby Fello; rounding out the low end and picking perfect points where he shines through, the band is tight and their songs are good. Fans of Dookie era post punk to hard rock will definitely appreciate this record, but the band is much more than that. Katie Hate mixes dynamics and elements from various genres to create a very unique blend that would appeal to any open-minded music fan.
Without giving anything more away, check it out for yourself…
://katiehate.bandcamp.com/album/lets-pretend-again:
www.KatieHateBand.com - Chris Belind

Katie Hate - Let's Pretend Again
Rock - Alternative Rock - Grunge
It's a sound I have missed a lot in popular music, and I am over joyed to hear people still making it. The things the talk in the album are highly relatable, funny but impactful.
This album is so really relatable for anyone who is just starting out in music, or anything really. It's ambitious but humble in nature, the situation of being an artist who doesn't want to be famous, they just want to pay their bills is extremely relatable to myself.
As for the sound it's dripping with 90s Alt rock goodness.The only problem I have though, is as good as the singer is on this album, (and they are good) their voice is a little too nasally for me. The rest of the sound is grungy, and full on, tight, well recorded and wide. - Mane Studios

Katie Hate is a three piece "Punkternative" band who plays a lot bigger than their numbers would suggest. Their energy and stage presence are becoming legendary already for such a young band ...

Bandwidth Daily: Katie Hate is on the rise! How did you form as a group? Katie Hate: MAX - Jake and Bobby originally called me to be their singer and guitar player for a battle of the bands during the summer between our sophomore and junior years of high school. When we sounded better than just OK, I became willing to show them my music and turn the effort into a more permanent endeavor. BOBBY - Jake and I played around for a few years, we invited Max over to play one time and we ended up doing a show at Rosedale and it took off from there. JAKE - I started playing drums in 10th grade a little, and Bobby played bass. He and I started just messing around with instruments and then we called Max, who we grew up with playing baseball, and we started playing together.

Bandwidth Daily: The music biz is a rollercoaster, what are some of your proudest moments? Katie Hate: MAX - Probably answering a question about me being a part of the so called "music biz." And successfully recording a full length album. BOBBY - That award we got was pretty cool (Akademia Music Award for best Rock/ Punk Album, December 2015), but just getting our album done was really cool too. JAKE - Proudest moment was hearing the final product of our debut album over the stereo it was so surreal hearing music that we made.

Bandwidth Daily: Building and keeping momentum is key to success, what new music or events are on the way? Katie Hate: MAX - We're opening up for the queers at the end of the month which should be pretty cool and I recently started putting together an EP that I would like to record as soon as possible and I'm finishing the writing of our second album that I've been staring down for over a year now. So there's music to be made if we're smart enough with our money and nobody overdoses and dies:) BOBBY - We have a 4 song ep in the works and we plan on doing a lot of college tours and festivals in the summer. JAKE - We are opening up for one of our early punk influences "The Queers" on February 16th at the Altar Bar in the Strip District, and we couldn't be more excited! www.katiehateband.com - Bandwidth Media Daily