Published: November 7, 2009 4:24 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight November 2009 Edition
The Kut
The Kut
The all female Rock/Alternative band The Kut certainly has created a solid sound with their music that really shows GIRL POWER is still very much alive. What make music fans take notice of The Kut's music are the band's crafted lyrics, soulful rock vocal of Maha, electrifying bass of Elvira and rhythmic style of drums by Jade. If you want to be amazed and entertain by some top notch performers, then the gilrs of The Kut will make you fall in love with Indie/Rock music all over again. Check out this recent spotlight with two of the members of the band (Maha and Jade) in this super chic feature. Enjoy!
Band Members:
MAHA [Vocals/Lead Guitar]
ELVIRA [Bass Queen]
JADE [Drums/Samples]
Isaac: What's the name of your band? What's the origin of that name? Have you changed the bands name before?
Maha: The Kut. Many moons ago Elvira and I used to be in a band called Subsister though. Maybe we will call one of our albums that in the future.
Isaac: What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
M: I don't think we sound like our influences, but personally I was really into the Madchester indie scene, so James, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets etc. My guitar idol was John Squires from the Stone Roses, he is an amazing guitarist.
Jade: My idol is Keith Moon, he was an amazing drummer with a massive stage presence and I absolutely love The Who, my Dad got me listening to them from when I was tiny. I have quite an eclectic taste in music ranging The Anti Nowhere League, Dead Kennedys, Johnny Cash, MC5, The Misfits, Petula Clark, The Doors, The Kinks, Operator Please.....the list goes on!
Isaac: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?v
M: Elvira and I met just hanging around New Cross, strangely my dad hypnotized her for one of my Uni projects, but we got closer over time but mainly met at parties. We met Jade a few years later when we had a random jam at my flat in Clapham.
J: Yeah Maha went home one day and I was there with a drum kit in her living room.....
Isaac: When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?
M: We just formed one day quite randomly. We ended up with a gig, equipment and a place to rehearse in the same day. It all came together so quickly it must have been fate looking back. Jade had jammed with us in the past, and we got reunited about a year ago, and we were looking for a drummer. The joys of MySpace!
Isaac: Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organizations?
M: We are on Criminal Records, which is great because we get to keep a lot of the creative control over what we are doing, although they are distributed by a major. I'm a member of PRS but can't figure out the difference between the US ones to join one!
Isaac: What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever's available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?
M: Well ok, now comes out a bit of an obsession of mine, I currently have 4 epiphones (flamekat, paua shell white, glittery pink, and my regular black with dice tone/volume knobs). Other than that I have a gorgeous sunburst Gibson that is really confined to the house, partially because it's really heavy and also cause I worry about it too much. I also have a flying V, and I also collect those really oldskool Rockster guitars with all the paintings on them (Judd Dred, Dungeons & Dragons). I think I'm not going to buy any more guitars, I have 3 acoustics too and a gorgeous tanglewood. I spend every bit of money I have on equipment, although most of them were cheap. I used to work in a guitar shop for 2 years though, so that's probably partially to blame.
J: My Parents bought me a Pearl Export in Mid Night Blue for my first proper kit and I loved it! That was like 9 years ago and I was still using the same second hand kit with all the rusty hardware until just before the tour when I found my new Pearl ELX (in blue sparkle) on EBay and then my Dad drove me to The Famous Drum Store to buy my Gold Glittery Pearl Masters Snare and Pearl 900 Series Harware.....They had the Spirit Of Lilly Kit there we stared at it in awe for like 10 minutes! I use Sabian XS Cymbals as I got bought me them last Christmas.
Isaac: Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
M: We just got back off tour yesterday, so we don't have any big shows lined up just now. Still, some of the favorites on the road were The Fly, London, The Pav Tav, Brighton, The Roadhouse, Manchester and Zanzibar, Liverpool. The tour just got better and better as it went on. I also really enjoyed the Island Bar, Birmingham, West Coast, Blackpool, The Grapes in Sheffield and a show the LP organized for us in Chester at The City Bar.
J: Yeah we played some well good shows and met some awesome bands along the way, my favorite was probably Chester, The free bar tab and the fact The LP played might have swayed that decision!, Chester also have the best Tai Restaurant ever FACT!
Isaac: Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?
M: We try to rotate our set for each set of shows, but on the tour we were playing Bitchin, Makeup (a really new one), Work's Shit, Brother, Doesn't Matter Anyway, Closure, Eye of the Storm, Powder and a new track Marion which we used part of to do some intros. We don't play any covers at the moment though.
Isaac: Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?
M: I am the guilty party.... I am influenced by situations in my life, and there are definitely some distinct changes in how I write, depending on the situation I think. People seem to say our songs sound different from each other, which I think is a good thing, as you don't want to be repetitive. I get bored easily, so the bands I listen to change quickly too.
Isaac: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
M: I'm probably one of those people who get everyone back up - I play a load of instruments and have a clear picture of how I want things to sound from the get-go. Still we do jam stuff through and work out what sounds good.
J: Ha you could use the term 'perfectionist with a touch of OCD thrown in!'.....
Isaac: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
M: We do actually practice every Saturday, but that's partially because we don't live near each other. When I used to live round the corner from Elvira, we'd virtually practice every night!
J: Yeah I travel 2 and a half hours for band practice......dedication innate!
Isaac: How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
M: I guess when we started, we weren't so serious, we've definitely got a lot stronger, and tighter as a band. We've also added in more dance based tracks like Eye of The Storm, and some darker ones like Raise the Dead.
Isaac: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
M: Our recent tour was really tough in terms of travel, and constantly moving. Still, despite living out of a bag and sleeping at different mates houses every night, we still managed to hold it together and have a great time in the end. I guess the only thing that keeps you going is you all know you want the same thing, and also we are very close.
Isaac: What's your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
M: (laughs), yeah why not! I think if you can make a living out of what you want to do, that's a great thing, and definitely we want to get some recognition for what we are doing. It's not the only thing though, if we didn't really love playing I just don't think it would be possible to put in all the hard word. It's quite a tough industry.
J: I can honestly say that I'd be happy earning enough to get by on being in this band, I just want to play the drums, I don't care if for the next ten years I play to crowds of 5 people or 50,000 people, as long as I'm involved in music I'll be happy.
Isaac: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
M: Do it, and do it because you love it. Being in a band is loads of fun, but you have to be able to play well and put on a good show. If you can do that, then the rest will follow if you work hard.
Isaac: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
We have got a vinyl coming out on the 2nd November, so if you like what we are doing, get one and support us!
Isaac: Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
M: My parents have been a huge amount of support in both of those areas, so I'd love them to know how much they have helped. Thanks to them, my friends who put us up and supported us all across the tour, as well as to Criminal and massively to all our supporters - big love!
J: My Parents are the reason I play drums and have always supported me, so much love and thanks to them, also to Kris at SquareHead Studios for the awesome recording, all the people on tour that put us up for nights and sorted us out bar tabs! All my friends and family who come along to gigs and our supporters indeed! Ta muchly!
Isaac: Any last words?
M: Can you believe I slept for 18 hours last night?
