Ask Me Anything – with Katey Kamerad

Posted by on May 7th 2020

On Thursday, April 30th, at 8PM, Fun DMC singer, Katey Kamerad, joined the Facebook and Instagram live community for a fun round of Ask Me Anything!    

Below are the questions and answers we explored during that event:

How Long have you been in Fun DMC? 

  • I joined full time in 2016 
  • But started filling in for other Fun DMC members in 2014 

What is your lipstick shade?

What is the biggest show you performed in and what is the best show you’ve done? 

  • The biggest show we’ve done was opening for Bret Michaels at the Decatur Celebration
  • I try to make every show our best show by putting my best into every show we do. 
  • One of my favorite shows though was the Halloween we dressed as 80’s wrestlers because that’s when I found my “attitude”. 

What is the shortest your hair has ever been?

  • I did a big chop, like a bob, before I started college. 
  • I’ve done a few hair donations over the years and look forward to doing many more.

What is the most challenging part of the show for you?

  • It’s making sure that I stay present.  If I stay present in the moment, that’s when I feel my best.  When I start thinking ahead, that’s when I lose lyrics and connection with the audience. 

Have you come up with the names for your chickens yet?

  • No, not yet.  We have a dog named Goose, but we have yet to name the chickens we are adding to our house next week. 

What is your favorite color of notebook?

  • I’m picky about notebooks because I am left handed. Anything that is spiral bound or has rings can be problematic for me.  
  • I really like the colors black and grey though.  🙂 

What is your favorite song perform?

  • This changes on a regular basis because I try to put new meaning behind songs when I perform them. 
  • Right now, I’m really loving singing Lizzo because you see an audience of women light up!
  • My favorite songs we’ve ever performed were when we covered Alanis Morissette. It challenged me to learn a new character and learn harmonic

What singers or bands do you like to listen to?

  • I like to listen to a whole range of things. 
  • The band that hit home with me when I was in high school was a punk rock band called The Bouncing Souls. 
  • I love a lot of 90’s alternative but also oldies and pop. I really like a mix of everything. 
  • I find new things I like to listen to all the time though. 

What you ever thought about not doing “Truth Hurts”?

  • Yes. There comes a point when we have to retire every song.  Even if you love a song, you have to think about what your audience needs. 

Did you ever do a talent show as a kid?  If so, what was your first one?

  • I did my first pageant when I was 4 years old. 
  • My first actual talent show was in 7th grade. I sang “Someone to Watch Over Me” in English and French (I won 😉 ). 
  • I did another talent show in 8th grade and a couple pageants in college as well. 

What is your favorite plant?

  • I am a plant mom to a lot of plants at this point. 
  • My favorite house plant is my fiddle leaf fig. 
  • During the summer, I have a massive vegetable garden.   
  • You can follow my plant and pet mom journey @katey.kamerad on instagram. 

What is your favorite tuning on guitar?

  • Standard tuning is my favorite due to my day job as a music therapist. 

Do you know any Pat Benatar songs?

  • I do know some, but not well enough to perform them live. 

Are there any instruments you never learned to play but wish you had learned?

  • Yes. I love cello and hope to learn someday. 
  • I took voice lessons and learned to play some piano and guitar. 

Did you perform at my uncle’s wedding?

  • Probably! We perform at a lot of weddings! It’s so special to be invited to be a part of someone’s special day and it’s my favorite part of this job. 

How is Goose?

  • Goose is our dog that we found 2.5 months ago.  He was a stray and needed surgery due to entropion.  
  • He is doing so well!!! Thanks to all of the people who supported his gofundme, we were able to get Goose all of the medical attention he needed. 
  • He has recovered well and you can follow more of his journey on instagram @findinggoose.

What song do you connect with the most?

Do you have anything you can’t do as I know you are extremely talented?

  • SPORTS!! I am athletically challenged and have never been good at sports. 
  • I am better with individual, low impact activity like yoga and pilates. 

What is your favorite group costume Fun DMC has done?

  • The 80’s wrestlers. Hands down. My favorite! 
  • I do have an entire closet dedicated to Fun DMC costumes at this point. Because we do so many theme events, Chad and I have acquired a closet full of Fun DMC attire.

Do you play harmonica?

What is your favorite eat out of the pan food. 

  • Pasta! It’s already in a bowl. Why dirty another dish?

What is your favorite bourbon?

  • Weller Reserve or the Weller 12 year are the bourbons we use to celebrate things and toast with in our house. 
  • I personally love the Colonel EH Taylor bourbon.  Chad doesn’t like it as much as I do so I usually have it all to myself. 😉

What is your favorite thing to do to relax?

  • I love to take a hot bath and watch mindless television. I love adding a bath bomb or nice epsom salt. 

What is your favorite guitar chord?

  • The G chord or anything where kids can recklessly strum all six strings and it sounds good. 

What is the first instrument you learned to play?

  • I started learning guitar and piano simultaneously. 
  • My guitar teacher focused only on the treble clef and learning the notes on the staff.  I transferred those skills to learning piano 

Is that gin or water you’re drinking? 

  • Neither. Lol. It’s tequila 
  • But I do have my gallon of water next to me. 

What was the most challenging Fun DMC song to learn?

  • Learning to rap was really hard for me at first because in college my focus was on learning to sing arias and German leider. 

What is your favorite show to binge? 

What is your favorite musical theatre to sing?

  • I break out in song all the time. You just never know what will come out of my mouth. 
  • I did several musicals in high school and continue to love musical theatre!

Does Goose like your singing?

  • Maybe? I think it makes him excited and energized.  He definitely loves walks and food more though!

Can I have your autograph?

What is your favorite band and why is it #Smashtag?

  • Lol.  I love all my guys in Smashtag and cannot wait to give them all big hugs soon!

Will the dentist come back and sing with Fun DMC as a special guest any time soon?

  • Albert has come back to sing a couple songs with us recently. 
  • He was actually supposed to come sing a special song with us at an upcoming wedding. 
  • He also joined us this past year for a few songs at the Illinois State Fair.

Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction?

  • I had my bra come unclasped and had to deal with that for a few very uncomfortable songs. 
  • Aaron split his pants during one of our sets and I stitched them back together between sets. 
  • I almost always carry a sewing kit just for those kinds of emergencies

What’s your favorite gas station snack?

  • I love fresh fruit and cheese sticks. 
  • I am more limited in my options because I have celiac disease and also do not eat refined sugar. 

What movie would you consider to be your all-time favorite?

How many Polaroids do you have in your collections from over the years?

  • I probably have 20 at this point. I try to get at least one with each of my bandmates. 

Have you ever learned a song for Fun DMC that you thought you knew the lyrics to but you had been singing wrong for years?

  • YES!!!! But I’ve also had to change and re-learn some other lyrics in order to make them appropriate for the events we play.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

  • People who chew with their mouth open. Gross.

What’s your favorite G-rated lyrics you’ve made up to replace explicit ones?

  • My favorite lyric substitution from any member of Fun DMC is replacing “Double Ds” with “Snapple Teas”

What feels more like work? Load in or load out?

  • Load out can feel especially long if it’s been a long day or it’s SUPER COLD. 
  • It’s especially rough at large hotels with winding corridors. 

Is there a story about why you & Chad whistle at each other like birds?

  • Chad isn’t great at responding to texts or phone calls so we invented a whistle for when we are in large public spaces or even just on separate floors in our home. 

What is your perfect evening?

  • Anytime I can be on the water with my husband and dog, it is absolutely perfect!! Just having the opportunity to be together is amazing! 

Join us for more Ask Me Anything interviews throughout the month of May!! We’d love to chat with you more and answer all of your questions!