Live the Pizza Dream

Photographs and Interview by Rhyan Paul

Los Angeles musician Kate Clover crowd surfed all over Spain during her European tour. While at the Loco Club in Valencia, Kate spoke with Reckless Correspondent Rhyan Paul and talked about how Spain is a rock n’ roll country, eating the pizza you want, and her latest album, “The Apocalypse Dream”.

Valencia, Spain

Kate Clover is one of a special breed of musician, talented, driven, performs incredible live shows and is still humble, friendly and super cool. I caught up with her at Loco Club in Valencia, had a sneak listen to sound check and then had a chat over a couple of cold Spanish cervezas.

Kate, it’s great to finally catch up with you. How is the tour going?

It’s been fun – this is like the second month of touring; it’s been great and we love playing in Spain. I think the whole band would move to Spain if we could because it’s a total rock and roll country. When we play it feels good to be appreciated.

Tonight we are in Valencia and then a long drive tomorrow – we have to wake up at 8am and get straight on the road to Bordeaux. It’s like a 9-hour drive, but that’s rock n roll!

You have a new album out now “The Apocalypse Dream” – tell me about it, the inspiration behind it, and where it all started.

Well, it started during the pandemic when there was nothing else to do except write. So basically, I would wake up every day and go for a long walk, listen to music, and then go home and write. Which now looking back it feels like what an ideal way to spend that time. I feel like I got to get back in my head a little bit – which was good!

I wrote 30 songs, and they got whittled down to 10. Then last year after the European tour, I was back for 2 days and we went straight into the studio with a producer named Jonah Falco (The Drummer from “Fucked Up”) and he has worked with a lot of bands, he is very punk but at the same time he is also very musical. I wanted to work with him because I knew he had a good ear and it was a great experience to work with him.

The album is out now on digital download, but also on pre-order as a vinyl release. Why was it important for you to release on vinyl?

I DJ a lot and if I wasn’t a musician, I am and still would be a big music fan. Because I DJ I think it’s nice to have something tangible and I like the culture of vinyl and I feel it’s a visual representation of an artist’s statement to their music. I feel a visual component is very important to any piece of music. Now with social media everything is digitized, but when you have a physical product, it makes you appreciate the music more, well for me at least!

I snuck into your soundcheck – which was awesome and I am really looking forward to tonight. Have you guys played Valencia before?

We played the outskirts, but I don’t exactly know where. We love Spain! We just lover being here and playing – so I guess tonight is our first gig in downtown Valencia.

(To all the fans out there, we are going to start as petition to get Kate and the band to move to Spain)

Your tour schedule is insane! When you are not touring, writing, recording, performing and generally being a rock star - how do you kick back?

I still very regimented. I like to wake up, have coffee and go for a run. Running is my vice. I get to listen to a lot of music when I run and I guess I’m addicted to the endorphins. That is how I relax. I also record shop a lot. I’m trying to learn to relax!

For new fans out there and people who haven’t discovered you yet – how would you describe your sound?

Punk! Its punk but it touches on a lot of moments in Rock and Roll and I think that’s important to me because from a young age I connect to Rock and Roll, then as I grew up, I found different scenes. The foundations are Rock and Roll, but when you say that to people it turns them off a bit. I don’t want to label it as just punk, but it kind of fetishizes all the fun, artistic scenes of Rock and Rock. It’s not just balls to the wall Punk Rock, its musical and fun.

Who are your biggest influences?

I love “The Pretenders” for sure. Oh and Ray Davies – I’m really inspired by the Kinks song writing, I feel like they couldn’t write a bad song, they are leading the charge right now!

So, what Next?

Well after this tour we go back to the USA and play “Punk Rock Bowling” in May. In fact, I need to announce we have a second European tour in June. We are playing the UK, France, Germany and Italy. Then go back and write in July, playing a festival in Mexico city, and then we have a support tour - which I can’t announce just yet!

Possibly the most important question – Pizza, pineapple, or no pineapple?

Ok! Our tour manager is from Italy and he cannot understand how people put pineapple on Pizza! But you know, I’m going say “Why not!” put it on there! Live your life, eat the pizza that you want! Live the pizza dream!

Do you have a message for all you fans out there – Pineapple pizza lovers and haters.

Come to a show, buy the music, have fun and buy some merchandise. You guys are what keeps musicians going.

And finally….. “Rick Perez” (Founder of this magazine!)

I met Rick because we did the same thing – he came to my residency in Los Angeles, and he came early and we went to go eat dinner together and immediately we just clicked. He is from San Diego; my husband is from San Diego - his energy is contagious and he has become a really close friend. He is so driven and really talented. The older I get I collect people like Rick and he is one of the best. I was on the cover of the first edition of Reckless magazine, because Ricks amazing!