Katie Bates on Melbourne's Live Music Grind, Tom Petty, and Blending Country with Grunge

About this episode

Katie Bates discusses her unique blend of country and grunge music, her artistic journey, and the challenges of the modern music industry.

What happens when you mix the traditional storytelling of classic country with the raw, uncompromising distortion of 90s alternative rock? You get the spellbinding sound of Melbourne singer-songwriter Katie Bates. Fresh off the release of her brilliant new single "Tunnel Vision," Katie joins Jamie on the show for an intimate, deep-dive exploration of her musical DNA, the fierce grit of the Australian music scene, and what it truly means to defend your artistic identity in a fast-moving digital age. In this episode, we go far beyond the standard press junket to break down the mechanics of Katie’s unique sonic friction. Raised on a steady diet of family vinyl, Katie opens up about how a childhood obsession with The Wizard of Oz unexpectedly handed her a guitar at just six years old, setting her on a path to cut her teeth in local Melbourne bars and live music clubs long before most kids her age had even finished school. Jamie and Katie dive headfirst into the fascinating philosophy behind her records, discussing why she intentionally pairs clear, soaring country vocals with the snarling, heavy production elements of grunge titans like Nirvana and PJ Harvey. They tackle the…

People in this episode

Host: Jamie A Rodriguez

Guest: Katie Bates

Topics covered

• music
• country
• grunge
• songwriting
• Australian music scene
• artistic identity

Keywords

• Katie Bates
• Melbourne
• country music
• grunge
• songwriting
• Tunnel Vision
• Nirvana
• PJ Harvey

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Tunnel Vision, The Wizard of Oz

Places: Melbourne

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