{"id":29891,"date":"2016-06-13T07:00:50","date_gmt":"2016-06-12T21:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=29891"},"modified":"2016-05-26T18:14:33","modified_gmt":"2016-05-26T08:14:33","slug":"katrina-leskanich-katrina-waves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2016\/06\/katrina-leskanich-katrina-waves\/","title":{"rendered":"Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and The Waves"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Katrina<\/a>
\n\u201c\u2026we used to tour with Lemmy and Motorhead\u00a0 in Scandinavia and Lemmy said we were the loudest fucking band he\u2019d ever heard, so I think that apart from \u2018Walking on Sunshine\u2019 we could rock with the best of them, and a lot of Katrina and The Waves was very much a rock aspect\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

From Release: KATRINA (UK) ex KATRINA & THE WAVES<\/strong>\u00a0had one of the biggest 80s hits with their power pop classic Walking on Sunshine<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0reaching #4 here, it\u2019s second highest chart position in the world only behind Canada. KATRINA\u00a0<\/strong>was last here in 1987 and then as part of the Countdown Spectacular in 2007.<\/p>\n

We gave Katrina a call to talk about the upcoming Totally 80\u2019s tour of Australia, the 80\u2019s resurgence, her memories of Australia, Walking on Sunshine, and more\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a long time since you\u2019ve been in Australia, but thankfully heading to see us in July,\u00a0what can we expect to hear on this run of shows?<\/strong>
\nWell this is another one of those god knows why people want to come out and hear all of us, the 80\u2019s is an incredible genre, the only genre in music when you\u2019re talking about genres, and people just can\u2019t seem to get enough. When we were in the 80\u2019s and looking at the fashions and making music we were laughing at a lot of it because we couldn\u2019t believe it was going to endure but it has, and it\u2019s incredible, the songs are eclectic, they\u2019re memorable and seem to hold really fond memories for people, so that\u2019s really good for all of us that are going to be taking part in the Totally 80\u2019s because that\u2019s exactly what we want, people who want to hear the music and they come with an attitude and wanting to party and have a good time because that\u2019s exactly the way that we feel about it, it\u2019s a party for us and it\u2019s great to still be able to make the music and perform to enthusiastic audiences and whom better than the Australians? So we\u2019re coming back with Berlin and Limahl, and Martika, and Men Without Hats and for a lot of people it\u2019s just a really fun night out, I do a few of these shows where it\u2019s an ensemble of 80\u2019s artists, and it\u2019s incredible the amount of different generations you get coming out, I mean there are families, there are people as old as me, then their grandkids, their kids and their grandkids and it\u2019s just like everyone\u2019s having a good time and\u00a0 smile on their face and it\u2019s not to be taken too seriously obviously, and for a show like this if you don\u2019t like an artist or you\u2019re not that interested in them you don\u2019t have that long to wait before they\u2019re off stage and another one comes on and that\u2019s kind of the fun of it, it\u2019s a really good way to do a show. It would be hard to do it with any other genre because quite frankly there aren\u2019t that many from the 70\u2019s there aren\u2019t many that are young enough or vibrant enough to keep doing it. So I think my message would be to come out and see all of us 80\u2019s artists while you can. *laughs* We\u2019re not getting any younger and we\u2019re not all Tina Turner, you know what I\u2019m saying\u2026 She went until she was sixty five but we can\u2019t all be Tina.<\/p>\n

The 80’s resurgence has been massive over the last few years, what do you think it is about the music that people have never really let go of \/ gravitated back towards to?<\/strong>
\nThe tunes were so memorable, there were so many songs that you know that song that goes like this\u2026 and then you sing a bit of it and everybody knows the production, it was very simple, very basic and always with a fantastic beat. I think the production at the time was a joy to listen to, it was a very clean sound, and translates to people and I don\u2019t know, it resonates with people. I think also for a lot of people if you were alive in the 80\u2019s and you would know, for a lot of the 80\u2019s it was a very prosperous time, and in fact I remember the 80\u2019s being an enormous Australian influence on Americans and it was all things Australian. Everybody started buying those raincoats, the outback ones and it was a big deal and a lot of people said well it\u2019s Crocodile Dundee, because when that movie hit and it was huge everybody started to take an interest in Australia, especially in America.<\/p>\n

My friend Trish is excited that I\u2019m talking to you and has asked if there\u2019s a chance you\u2019ll play \u2018Do You Want Crying\u2019?<\/strong>
\nWell you know what, there\u2019s every chance I\u2019ll play \u2018Do You Want Crying?\u2019 because they said \u2018ok we might want you to do a couple of other songs, what\u2019s it gonna be?\u2019 and I said \u2018I think it should be \u2018Do You Want Crying?\u2019 but I\u2019m not sure if that was much of a hit in Australia\u2019 it kind of did well in other territories but I\u2019m not sure about Australia, but that would be my first choice, if I could do it it would be obvious to do that one, so tell your friend I\u2019m trying my best.<\/p>\n

It’s also been almost thirty years since your first visit to Australia back in 1987, what are you hoping to get up to down here other than touring?<\/strong>
\nWell now actually I was there in 2007 and it was a Countdown tour with Molly Meldrum, so I have had a chance to be back there a little bit since then, but of course I was terribly excited to sign the contract for this tour. It\u2019s in July and it\u2019s going to be a little bit of a different experience because I always usually come in your summer months, but it\u2019s epic, it\u2019s an epic place and it\u2019s very exciting to get off the beaten tracks and try and find things to do. So excursions will be planned, we\u2019re gonna have a blast, we\u2019re really looking forward to it, we\u2019ll do everything you\u2019ve got to offer, culturally or in any other way.<\/p>\n

\u2018Walking On Sunshine\u2019 is still one of the best power pop songs of the 80’s, a song that’s stood the test of time, what do you think it is about that song specifically that made it through the era to still be known today?<\/strong>
\nI think it just has the feel good factor, if there\u2019s something to celebrate out comes \u2018Walking on Sunshine\u2019, if there\u2019s something to feel good about, out comes \u2018Walking on Sunshine\u2019, if there\u2019s a turning point in a movie, in a plot out comes the song, it\u2019s a great lift, it just gets you up there, the sun comes out and life is good and you feel good and it\u2019s just a combination of a good beat, an exuberant beat and a happy message which is irresistible especially in this day and age.<\/p>\n

At its peak it was right in the midst of the hair metal era, what was it like co-existing with these big rock bands at the time?<\/strong>
\nWell we used to tour with Lemmy and Motorhead\u00a0 in Scandinavia and Lemmy said we were the loudest fucking band he\u2019d ever heard, so I think that apart from \u2018Walking on Sunshine\u2019 we could rock with the best of them, and a lot of Katrina and The Waves was very much a rock aspect, you mentioned \u2018Do You Want Crying?\u2019, really \u2018Walking on Sunshine\u2019 was our poppiest song and the rest of it was a little bit more hard core,\u00a0 which I think maybe even May The Rock Be With You would approve of.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve been releasing solo albums for quite some time now, your newest \u2018Blisland\u2019 last year, how for you if in any way does the creative process differ now compared to the 80\u2019s?<\/strong>
\nThere\u2019s no difference, you decide to do something, you decide to create, you decide to write, you sit down, pad and paper and pencil, guitar, write. It\u2019s the same process, go into the studio, record it. I mean for me it\u2019s the same process, it\u2019s kind of a no brainer really, you just have to sit down and decide to do it and then decide if it\u2019s any good or not.<\/p>\n

I do have to say that I really loved the song \u2018Definition\u2019 with a guitar solo better than anything out there at the moment, is there a story behind how this one was put together?<\/strong>
\nWell I love working with Darren Loveday who is a fantastic left handed guitar player, he plays all of the guitar on \u2018Blisland\u2019 and he\u2019s absolutely amazing, he\u2019s the guitarist they use in the studio to produce, to write, to tour with I\u2019m going to Scandinavia with him and we\u2019re doing three shows together and yeah he is pretty amazing. I think all the guitar work on \u2018Blisland\u2019 any of your listeners would be happy with and approve of shall we say.<\/p>\n

I have to ask about Eurovision as Australia is mad for it, I wanted to ask more so about how you guys were picked to represent the UK, how did that come about?<\/strong>
\nWe knew one of the organisers of Eurovision and he just by chance asked us if we had something for Eurovision because we need a really good song, and we happened to have a song called \u2018Love Shine a Light\u2019 in the bottom drawer, we\u2019d never recorded it because we thought it sounded too Eurovisiony\u2026 so hello, we said yeah we\u2019ve got this song called \u2018Love Shine a Light\u2019 and we thought they\u2019d give it to some young seventeen year old blonde singer, and that would be the last of it. Warner records came to us and they said \u2018you guys record it because you\u2019ve got some profile and this could not only win it but it could be a hit for you and it could be a comeback for you.\u2019 Now I\u2019ve never seen Eurovision before but I can tell you I\u2019ve seen a fair bit of it since we won it back in 1997 and it was just the right song at the right time and the fact that we agreed to do it, really the thing about Eurovision is\u00a0 get somebody who\u2019s really, really confident and that\u2019s what people do now and that\u2019s what we had, we had a lot of confidence, it didn\u2019t faze me that much of singing live, I just sang to the room, forgot about the other 60,000,000 people watching at home, but I can tell you it was a very, very exciting thing last year when Australia got involved, wow, everybody was talking about it.<\/p>\n

Lastly, let’s try and see if we can predict the future, so finish this sentence for me, the one thing Katrina wants to do in 2016 is…<\/strong>
\nCome to Australia\u2026<\/p>\n

You\u2019re already doing that *laughs*<\/strong>
\nThat\u2019s my wish\u2026 perform \u2018Walking on Sunshine\u2019 on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge\u2026<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll hold you to that\u2026<\/strong>
\nNo you won\u2019t!! I\u2019ll send Terri from Berlin. *laughs*<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Totally 80\u2019s Australian Tour Dates:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tuesday 12th July –\u00a0BRISBANE<\/strong>\u00a0Eatons Hill<\/p>\n

Thursday 14th July –\u00a0GOLD COAST<\/strong>\u00a0Jupiters<\/p>\n

Friday 15th July –\u00a0MELBOURNE<\/strong>\u00a0Palais Theatre<\/p>\n

Saturday 16th July –\u00a0SYDNEY<\/strong>\u00a0Enmore Theatre<\/p>\n

Wednesday 20th July –\u00a0PERTH<\/strong>\u00a0Astor Theatre<\/p>\n

Thursday 21st July –\u00a0ADELAIDE<\/strong>\u00a0The Gov<\/p>\n

Friday 22nd July –\u00a0HOBART<\/strong>\u00a0Wrest Point<\/p>\n

Saturday 23rd<\/sup>\u00a0July \u2013\u00a0MELBOURNE<\/strong>\u00a0The Palms @ Crown<\/p>\n

Sunday 24th<\/sup>\u00a0July \u2013\u00a0MELBOURNE<\/strong>\u00a0The Palms @ Crown<\/p>\n

Wednesday 27th<\/sup>\u00a0July –\u00a0Revesby Workers<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The Whitlam Theatre<\/p>\n

Thursday 28th<\/sup>\u00a0July \u2013\u00a0Newcastle<\/strong>\u00a0– Civic Theatre<\/p>\n

Friday 29th<\/sup>\u00a0July –\u00a0Penrith Panthers<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 EVAN Theatre<\/p>\n

Saturday 30th<\/sup>\u00a0July \u2013\u00a0Wollongong<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 WIN Entertainment Centre<\/p>\n

Tickets on sale NOW from:\u00a0<\/strong>http:\/\/www.metropolistouring.com\/totally80s<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Presented by Metropolis Touring<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong>\u00a0Topeka, Kansas, USA<\/p>\n

Band Members:<\/strong>\u00a0Katrina Leskanich<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong>\u00a0http:\/\/www.katrinasweb.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Latest Release:<\/strong>\u00a0\u2018Blisland\u2019 (Out Now)<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/a><\/p>\n

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