exclusive! ksm q&a

The band stopped by to talk about touring, playing, cupcakes, and other fun.

You've heard KSM on "10 Things I Hate About You ." We like their hot cover of "I Want You to Want Me," and we're also way into the new tune "Permission to Party." The band stopped by the ABC Family offices recently to say hey and play a few songs. We talked to all of them: Katie Cecil (vocals/rhythm guitar), Shelby Cobra (vocals/keyboards), Sophia Melon (vocals/bass), Kate Cabebe (drums), and Shae Padilla (lead guitar).

abcfamily.com: What makes you gel so well together?

Sophia: I think because we're all so different, we really can learn from each other. We all challenge each other in ways that help us grow musically, and it's exciting to be around people who are challenging you all the time.

Katie: Yeah, we're all so different, so there are five different layers to KSM, and without one, it wouldn't work as well as it does all together.

Shelby: And we all have a common goal in mind.

Kate: Like we're pushing each other to raise the bar for all of us.

abcfamily.com: You recently went on tour with Demi Lovato, and now you're on tour with Mitchel Musso. Any experiences that you can share with us?

Shelby: We're also on tour with David Archuleta. It was really fun. They were really awesome, and there were a lot of moments that stuck out. Like one time we were in New York City and we had to wake up at like three o'clock in the morning, and we were only running on a couple hours of sleep, but it was so much fun! And we had to do interview after interview, and then we had to perform that night, and we were all delirious and slap-happy ... it was sooo fun though.

Kate: We would do meet 'n' greets after every show, and we had like a red carpet and a backdrop to make an "experience," and those were ridiculous. It was really cool. We had a big turnout. We give cupcakes to people who make signs for us.

Katie: It was cool to see how many people were there for KSM. It was neat. Seeing people sing your words ... it's cool.

Shae: The fans were awesome and so supportive. Every night, we would meet like 200 to 500 people. Just shaking their hands and seeing little kids coming up to you and saying, "You're my inspiration. Now I want to start playing guitar or drums or bass or start singing." That was the coolest part.

abcfamily.com: Shelby, you talked about your "common goal." What is that?

Shelby: To just be as successful as we can and just improve musically. Every day we grow closer, and the bond becomes stronger, and we hope to just stay together for a long time and make music for a long time.

abcfamily.com: You were mentored by the legendary all-girl pop-punk group the Go-Go's. What was that like?

Katie: Working with the Go-Go's was amazing. They're such an inspiration, and we've always looked up to them, so that was incredible, and to actually work one-on-one with them was amazing.

Sophia: I think they also face the same challenges that we do as an all-girl band. There are biases out there, that girls can't really play as well as the boys do, so to be mentored by a group that's faced the same challenges really helped us. And gave us a lot of hope.

abcfamily.com: What about that stereotype, that girls can't play? Have you had moments where you had to put up so they would shut up?

(All five band members laugh and agree.)

Katie: Every time we go anywhere, we're faced with that challenge and it's ... somewhat frustrating. (laughs)

Shelby: After we do a show, once in a while someone comes up to us and says, "I didn't expect you guys to be as good as you were." And we'll say, "Oh, thank you!" And they'll be like, "Yeah, 'cause you're girls!" (laughter)

Kate: Ouch!

Katie: Not only girls, but we're also really young, and that's not out there very much. Playing our own instruments and singing live and doing all that stuff is not something people expect. So we always face that stereotype of being not real.

Shae: I go into the Guitar Center, and the guy's like, "Want me to tune your guitar for you?" And I say, "That's OK." (laughter)

Kate: Something that inspires us every show: Go out there and teach the haters a lesson.

Awesome Q&A! Thanks, KSM.

Hey, KSM's new album comes out September 22, and we'll have their new video right here next week. So stay tuned!

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