Fan Interview #1: Inside The World Of Katie Katastrophe
By Staff | August 17, 2026
We've interviewed a lot of bands in our history, but never a fan. Why not? Never occurred to us. Great idea though, right?
Katie Wallace is a Cleveland-based punk lifer whose world revolves around the scene — she works at a music venue, DJs locally, and even tied the knot at the Punk Rock Museum with zine-style wedding invites. Her life has always revolved around the true DIY spirit, and the lessons she's learned from years in the scene have allowed her to refuse to compromise on her core ethos. We had a chance to sit down to discuss community, Taco Bell parking lots, and the band that just never did it for her - haters be damned.
Every punk fan has that one band, album or song that pushed them over the edge - what was the one that made you say, "yeah, this is where I belong"?
While Nirvana was my gateway band into punk rock, the band that made me know I was home was Rancid. Just their blend of punk rock and street spoke to me. They talked about their neighborhoods, about their struggles, and about how the music saved them. I really related to that, especially as a kid.
How has your relationship with the music and the scene evolved from when you were a pissed-off kid to where you are now?
I’m still pissed off. I’m just just older and pissed off about less trivial things, lol. But my relationship with the scene has grown with me. While I still find music a safe haven, It’s become an integral part of my life. It’s my actual job, as I work in a box office of a music venue, making music happen for people every day. My wedding invitations were little punk rock fan zines, and my husband and I got married at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas. As for my local scene, I go to as many shows as possible, I DJ around town and share the music I love with anyone who will listen (I'm a former college radio DJ as well), and I’m working on some other projects in the shadows too, haha. I'm still friends with the same punks/bands that I grew up with, so it’s been cool to watch everyone grow up and evolve...but punk rock is just so much more than how I escape; as corny as it sounds, it really is my whole life.
Working at a venue and being in the scene, where are you seeing the most exciting things happening right now?
Hmmm. There’s quite a bit happening around Cleveland: Metal Mondays, Folk Punk Fridays. Lots of dive bar shows. The DIY scene is really doing some cool things, too. There's a few spots around Cleveland like the Zu Bridge, Red Door, The Strip. People doing generator shows and just making music happen anywhere. We had an epic show in a Taco Bell parking lot that was really cool until promoters and corporations tried to get involved and ruined it. The whole point of DIY is doing it yourself. And trying to capitalize on it negates that core idea. But the underground music scene here is very much alive and well. And its cool to see. On the national level, Dead City Punx are doing pop up generator shows at secret locations and I find all of that really exciting.
For you, what's the most important value that punk has given you that you've carried into your adult life?
Punk has taught me to be fearless. To live out loud. To not make myself small for other people. When I face a difficult situation I whisper to myself "be punk rock about it" and that gives me the courage to step up to whatever it is.
Everybody has one of these - what's a completely non-punk band that you absolutely love and will defend to the death?
Ghost. Especially when you didn’t know who any of them were. I just found them really entertaining. Lol. They're fun, quirky, "Scooby Doo metal" that you can dance to. The theatrics. The costumes. Kinda corny, but in the best way. I love that shit.
What's the single craziest or most chaotic thing you've ever seen happen at a show?
Man, it’s hard to pick just one... I’m in my 40’s, so I’ve got like 25 years worth of shows to choose from, but recently someone had a taser in the pit at a show hahaha and he was shocking himself and his buddies as they thrashed around ... that was pretty unhinged lol.
How do you think social media and streaming have changed the way people discover and engage with music, and is it a positive or negative?
I definitely think social media and streaming makes music more accessible for people and there's for sure more documentation of shows online thru Instagram and Facebook and stuff. But I also collect (and believe in creating) physical media. So while I think it’s a positive, I don’t think streaming should replace records and tapes. And I don’t think documenting the show should take away from your experience of being in the moment at the show, either. So like on one hand it is important, but it’s also important to have balance between digital and analog. Also, support the artists by buying physical media and merch, ya dig? Cuz streaming doesnt pay them dick.
Name a universally beloved or revered punk band that you just never really got?
Oof. I’m gonna lose major punk points for this one (I can already hear the haters hahaha), but I don’t give a fuck. Ima say this with my whole chest: DISCHARGE. I'll admit, they have some descent songs, but are they THAT good to base your entire personality around them? (D-beat kids, I’m looking at you). Are they good enough to be the flagship band for an entire sub-genre of music? I'm sorry, but I'm not convinced. 🤷
Looking ahead, what's one thing you hope the punk scene never loses?
It's sense of community. This might sound like some hippie bullshit, but the scene works because of all of us. We show up. We put the work in. We promote our friends shows. We share the tracks. We post the fliers. We work to make our spaces safe, to be inclusive, to out people who are creeps or hateful bigots. We have each others backs, and that sense of community is something that I hope continues to stay strong for generations to come.