Kicking Howard is Kevin Cate (vox/guitar), Jeff Powers (lead guitar), Andrew Jones (drums/vox), and Nick Williams (bass/vox), from Auburn, Alabama, and last year was a busy one for them.
Kevin answered a few question via e-mail just before Christmas and this is the result.
Since the last interview with virus, in April, 2002, Kicking Howard went on a tour, taking them east, "we actually got to play at CBGBs in NYC which was a huge honor", says Kevin. They managed to sell a bunch of cds to some kids in the mall, and end up broke anyway. The biggest change has been in line up and focus. "We ended some relationships with the band that were holding the goodness of the band back and moved on", he says. "Kicking Howard is myself and three amazing friends, Jeff Powers (only original member left) is still making me less of a pansy on lead guitar, Andrew Jones (since summer) has held the band together when I honestly had a lot of doubts, but his desire to keep this going has been an inspiration (he plays drums and sings), and Nick Williams (newest member) has opened so many opportunities very quickly and also been an inspiration (he plays bass, sings, and records)". This new line up comes after a stressing summer, when the future of Kicking Howard was shaky.
The pervious line up was not working and friendships were lost, "over extremely dumb circumstances - money being the main one and my own convictions to have a certain amount of morality while we are on tour and I was starting to hate music. When it was just Andrew and I after this summer, I was just like... come on, who am I? Why am I doing this...Ii got really negative because I had surrounded myself [with] a few negative people and was loosing the love for hanging out with new people, seeing new towns, and just having fun with music. Andrew however, saw that light that I had turned away from and then Jeff sent an email that he'd like to play with us again, and I immediately sent Nick an email because I had spoken to him before about working with us, and he said defiantly. I am really excited about our future, but as Kicking Howard the band, not as Kevin Cate's backing band."
As for the dynamic of Kicking Howard itself, Kevin says, "I would like people to know, because I know a lot of people think that Kicking Howard is just Kevin Cate and whoever else he can convince to play with him, that it is not like that. Without Andrew, Jeff, and Nick I really don't think Kicking Howard would be a band anymore."
Of the new ep, Kevin says, "I think has the potential to really break us…we are super proud of it and we did it all ourselves which was an opportunity that was
brought to us by our bassist Nick Williams". It seems their fanbase is growing, too, "I get a lot more [instant messages] and emails these days, its really interesting", which, no doubt, will help a lot when the ep comes out.
The previous release, An Honest Mistake, generated a good reaction, "greater than I could expect looking back the way I can now", he says. The album was definitely broken hearted, "pretty much me trying to get over the first girl I ever loved, Marcia. Now that I am completely over it, that cd doesn't seem as important to me anymore. I know it sounds kind of arrogant but its true... it's like looking at a high school year book or something. I was 18, I wanted to make a pop album, I did it and
if people like it that's awesome. Kicking Howard was more of Kevin Cate then
than I think it has ever been, in the creative input sense", he explains.
Between A Honest Mistake and the upcoming ep, Kicking Howard wrote, what I believe to be, the best Christmas song of all time. That's right, of all time. It was born during an evening of recording for the new ep, when Kevin tossed out the idea of doing a Christmas song. Inner Peace Security, a label owned and operated by Nick, put out a Christmas comp last year, so the idea was to make a song for a future comp. "I stole the verses of the song from a jingle I had written for a Gainesville radio station, The Buzz. Then the rest was just an accident I suppose.... if you listen to the song, it totally shouldn't work. It was just Nick and I on the recordings and when I recorded my guitar while he was playing drums I actually screwed up on the last two chords... we tried to cover it up with piano and group vocals... I don't know if it worked or not." [ed note: It did] No word yet on when it'll be out, but for now, you can head over to their site and get it there.
They're planning to keep promo for the upcoming ep manageable, "this may change, but for now I think we are only going to press a few
hundred copies of the ep initially and be weekend warriors. We just got
really poor really quick and we are learning how the business works the more
that we deal with it. I would love a record contract but I can't base what
we are doing currently on that. I recognize that we are all still in college
and will be for the next year without that contract and I am okay with that.
I always have room to grow, and while the timetable winds down for our years
and college I pray that someone somewhere gives us the opportunity to take
this band to the next level. I mean, for an unsigned band... who else is
doing more than we have? I intend to take it further than we have ever been
before, but with a sense of responsibility to my own well being and that of
my bandmates. Making music isn't about who sells more, only recently have I
come to appreciate that like I should."
During their summer tour, Kicking Howard found themselves in Mass., where Kevin met his good friend Shamia (O-Town)'s friend, Jennifer, who "was so hot and so nice and she let us crash at her place and get really really drunk…and she had a
fancy Microsoft job... but now.... she runs
www.purevolume.comand it is really starting to catch on. Its a ton better than mp3.com and there are way cool people running it, I suggest any band reading this to go sign up immediately. Maybe one day you can meet Jennifer! That'd be worth it alone."
At the moment, they're cooking up the finishing touches for the ep, and booking some shows. They signed to a new booking agent, too "so hopefully we can play near anyone who is reading this before too long."
As for promo for the ep, "we will really try to push this
new ep a ton and maybe get some minor label interest in the kh. Also, we
are working on meeting as many new people as we can, which reminds me if
anyone would like to talk, my AIM is KHkevincate and my email is
writeKH@hotmail.com, I totally have the Andrew W.K. attitude about that,
I'll be your friend for sure!"
They'll be doing a mini tour in late January up to dc and back, and then just on weekends. They'd love to tour more, but there are barriers to Kicking Howard touring more often, "what isn't a barrier? fricking college, although I love learning as much as I can. Other barriers, having a real life, not being called Howard by my
brother, money money money (please buy a cd or two), our location here in
Auburn, Alabama, I guess that might be it, I don't know. We are doing the
best we can, the East coast is quite friendly with the kh now, I am trying
to get out to the west coast, we've got lots of kh friends who have been
waiting for over two years for that trip, maybe in July?"
I sincerely hope they manage to get as far as Canada, because I'd love to see them live. Kicking Howard are a dedicated group of guys that have been working hard for years to get where they are, and I'm sure with a little more of the same, everyone will have a kh album in their collection.
How's the world domination plan coming along? (Have any 13 year old girls
fainting as you walk by yet?) ;)
"Believe me, I am doing as much as I can. Once my little sister thinks I am
cool then we will be made. Her boyfriend is a big Kicking Howard fan so it's only a
matter of time. With me Andrew I think we have a shot, we are the pre-madonnas
of the band. Jeff and Nick just kind of let us think we are cool."