Interview with Katona Katrina and Sekzbasstian Moikano of Voodoo Zombie
September 13, 2014
It’s well known that music, in all cultures, brings people together. It bonds us locally and globally; bridging differences in ways that no language barrier can withstand. Music can attract likeminded people from around the globe and bring about an appreciation for people and customs that we may not normally be exposed to.
Hailing from Santiago de Chile with a flair for the macabre, Voodoo Zombie brought proper psychobilly (with a slight touch of metal) to South America and has been raising an army of undead followers from all over the globe. I asked Voodoo Zombie’s Katona Katrina and Sekzbasstian Moikano to let us in on a bit of the history of how their pandemia got started.
Hailing from Santiago de Chile with a flair for the macabre, Voodoo Zombie brought proper psychobilly (with a slight touch of metal) to South America and has been raising an army of undead followers from all over the globe. I asked Voodoo Zombie’s Katona Katrina and Sekzbasstian Moikano to let us in on a bit of the history of how their pandemia got started.
Tell us a little about your band.
Sekzbasstian Moikano ~ Well, Voodoo Zombie is a Rock band from the deepest human wishes, Voodoo Zombie was born of the youth idea of to do music and B-horror.
What was the inspiration behind the band's name?
Sekzbasstian Moikano ~ The name was conceived, in the first hit, by our love of zombie movies. This funny blooding terror of old art work. One word play.
Katona Katrina ~ We wanted a universal name to identify our taste for horror movies and rock.
Voodoo Zombie was really on the forefront of the birth of psychobilly in Chile. What kind of reception did you get from the audience in the early days?
SM ~ Well, Voodoo Zombie was an unknown musical genre in this place. A little of people knew this music style. The Voodoo Zombie approach was seeded in the brains and soul of the new people, younger and bringing the security to use psychobilly image style.
KK ~ At first no one understood what we were doing, but there were other bands and similar features in the scene, not Psychobilly particularly. Voodoo Zombie came with a new idea that people liked.
I imagine that the psychobilly scene in Chile has really taken off since your band became so successful. Are there a lot of other bands from there following in your footsteps?
SM ~ Before Voodoo Zombie there were some bands that played pseudo psychobilly music, but nobody living the Psychobilly. After Voodoo Zombie flowered a lot of psychobilly bands playing doublebass and feeling into the psychobilly family around the world.
KK ~ The scene that defines itself as Psychobilly is very small, Voodoo Zombie plays for all kinds of audiences.
Sekzbasstian Moikano ~ Well, Voodoo Zombie is a Rock band from the deepest human wishes, Voodoo Zombie was born of the youth idea of to do music and B-horror.
What was the inspiration behind the band's name?
Sekzbasstian Moikano ~ The name was conceived, in the first hit, by our love of zombie movies. This funny blooding terror of old art work. One word play.
Katona Katrina ~ We wanted a universal name to identify our taste for horror movies and rock.
Voodoo Zombie was really on the forefront of the birth of psychobilly in Chile. What kind of reception did you get from the audience in the early days?
SM ~ Well, Voodoo Zombie was an unknown musical genre in this place. A little of people knew this music style. The Voodoo Zombie approach was seeded in the brains and soul of the new people, younger and bringing the security to use psychobilly image style.
KK ~ At first no one understood what we were doing, but there were other bands and similar features in the scene, not Psychobilly particularly. Voodoo Zombie came with a new idea that people liked.
I imagine that the psychobilly scene in Chile has really taken off since your band became so successful. Are there a lot of other bands from there following in your footsteps?
SM ~ Before Voodoo Zombie there were some bands that played pseudo psychobilly music, but nobody living the Psychobilly. After Voodoo Zombie flowered a lot of psychobilly bands playing doublebass and feeling into the psychobilly family around the world.
KK ~ The scene that defines itself as Psychobilly is very small, Voodoo Zombie plays for all kinds of audiences.
Sexbasstian, you and Lucifer Rocker created the group in 2006, was it originally in your plans to have a woman singing the lead vocals?
SM ~ No, before Katona entered to the band, never I had imagined it. But when I saw in the first time to Katona, she put a spell on me, her lips, her legs, her eyes. She is our queen, our zombie queen.
Katona, with only a few other female-led groups, did you find it difficult to front a psychobilly group, as a woman, in a genre that is typically male dominated?
KK ~ As Katona Katrina I have a very strong stage presence, for us that's no problem. Besides vocalist for Voodoo Zombie I'm a world champion in Sanshou, power management of the public is something that we experience.
Your music plays on themes known well to fans of horror films. What are some of your other inspirations?
SM ~ Life and death. My stronger inspirations are sex, vicious and Rock’n’Roll. More deepest, it’s the passion, lust, the happiness.
KK ~ Classic horror films from Universal and Hammer, plus all the Rock School and Grindhouse.
SM ~ No, before Katona entered to the band, never I had imagined it. But when I saw in the first time to Katona, she put a spell on me, her lips, her legs, her eyes. She is our queen, our zombie queen.
Katona, with only a few other female-led groups, did you find it difficult to front a psychobilly group, as a woman, in a genre that is typically male dominated?
KK ~ As Katona Katrina I have a very strong stage presence, for us that's no problem. Besides vocalist for Voodoo Zombie I'm a world champion in Sanshou, power management of the public is something that we experience.
Your music plays on themes known well to fans of horror films. What are some of your other inspirations?
SM ~ Life and death. My stronger inspirations are sex, vicious and Rock’n’Roll. More deepest, it’s the passion, lust, the happiness.
KK ~ Classic horror films from Universal and Hammer, plus all the Rock School and Grindhouse.
You guys put on quite a show in the video for your song "Pandemia." Do you like scary movies?
KK ~ Obviously.
SM ~ Yes, a lot. I love the scary movies, I always remember sitting or lying side to my mom. She was show me a big universe of this movies label. “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Shinning”, “X-Zone”, “Scream”, “Carrie”, “Friday 13th”, and more. She looking the movies with her hand over her eyes and me laughing jajajajaja!
KK ~ Obviously.
SM ~ Yes, a lot. I love the scary movies, I always remember sitting or lying side to my mom. She was show me a big universe of this movies label. “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Shinning”, “X-Zone”, “Scream”, “Carrie”, “Friday 13th”, and more. She looking the movies with her hand over her eyes and me laughing jajajajaja!
What are some of your favorite horror films?
KK ~ My favorites are comedies with zombies. (Undead, Juan of the Dead, Shawn of the Dead, Cockneys vs Zombies, etc.)
SM ~ “The Profecy”, “It”, “Exorcist”. Those I can remember. I love the scary movies.
What were some of the bands that you listened to when you first found psychobilly?
KK ~ Empress of Fur, was the first band I heard.
SM ~ The first was The Reverend Horton Heat, with their disc “Liquor in the Front” in 1998, so so. Later, thanks to the beautiful girl, I knew a lot psychobilly bands: Gutter Demons, The Koffin Kats, Nekromantix, Tiger Army, Horrorpops, Os Catalépticos, and more.
What was it like to be on stage with an audience of thousands of people in Hollywood?
SM ~ The best part was… the girls, latins, anglo, of all the world togethers in this theater jajajajaja!
NO, really, I was like the kindness of the people, like they sing the Voodoo Zombie songs and to know a lot of musicians and other artists.
KK ~ Okay, cool! Above all that much value your work. And that is appreciated.
KK ~ My favorites are comedies with zombies. (Undead, Juan of the Dead, Shawn of the Dead, Cockneys vs Zombies, etc.)
SM ~ “The Profecy”, “It”, “Exorcist”. Those I can remember. I love the scary movies.
What were some of the bands that you listened to when you first found psychobilly?
KK ~ Empress of Fur, was the first band I heard.
SM ~ The first was The Reverend Horton Heat, with their disc “Liquor in the Front” in 1998, so so. Later, thanks to the beautiful girl, I knew a lot psychobilly bands: Gutter Demons, The Koffin Kats, Nekromantix, Tiger Army, Horrorpops, Os Catalépticos, and more.
What was it like to be on stage with an audience of thousands of people in Hollywood?
SM ~ The best part was… the girls, latins, anglo, of all the world togethers in this theater jajajajaja!
NO, really, I was like the kindness of the people, like they sing the Voodoo Zombie songs and to know a lot of musicians and other artists.
KK ~ Okay, cool! Above all that much value your work. And that is appreciated.
Do you have a favorite venue to play?
SM ~ I have one. Virada Cultural in a Brazilian big park in Sao Paulo.
KK ~ Brazil, USA, our dream is to one day give a tour of Europe and Mexico.
Are there any plans for Voodoo Zombie to return to the recording studio soon?
KK ~ Yes, we have new compositions.
If you could go on an extended tour all over the world with any other music group, who would you choose?
SM ~ In the personal choice, I like play with Motörhead, Gutter Demons, Rancid, Nekromantix, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Tiger Army around the world.
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, and we really look forward to hearing more from Voodoo Zombie!
SM ~ I thank you for this chance and I hope to be soon there, in you land with all the people and zombie family.
KK ~ Thank you for the interview.
SM ~ I have one. Virada Cultural in a Brazilian big park in Sao Paulo.
KK ~ Brazil, USA, our dream is to one day give a tour of Europe and Mexico.
Are there any plans for Voodoo Zombie to return to the recording studio soon?
KK ~ Yes, we have new compositions.
If you could go on an extended tour all over the world with any other music group, who would you choose?
SM ~ In the personal choice, I like play with Motörhead, Gutter Demons, Rancid, Nekromantix, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Tiger Army around the world.
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, and we really look forward to hearing more from Voodoo Zombie!
SM ~ I thank you for this chance and I hope to be soon there, in you land with all the people and zombie family.
KK ~ Thank you for the interview.