BIOGRAPHY

Kim Kattari earned her Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology and a doctoral certificate in Cultural Studies from The University of Texas at Austin in 2011. She received a Master of Music from UT Austin and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Ethnic Studies from The University of California, Berkeley.

Her primary research interest is subcultural studies. She is interested in how people’s lifestyles and interests (particularly non-normative ones) reflect and affect their personal experiences and identities. Her book, “Psychobilly: Subcultural Survival” (Temple, 2020), explores a musical subculture called psychobilly, which blends aspects of punk and rockabilly with lyrics, themes and symbols derived from horror and 1950s B-movie subjects. The monograph explains why fans identify so strongly with this rebellious subculture, how they enact resistance through their performance of anti-mainstream identities and values, and how their participation in the psychobilly community significantly impacts their lives.

Kattari’s newest research explores the transformative impact of electronic music experiences. She is documenting how electronic music has meaningfully shaped or changed peoples’ perspectives and lifestyle.

She has taught various undergraduate performance history, appreciation and analysis courses, including Evolution of the American Musical; History of Rock; Music and the Human Experience; Music in World Cultures; Music of the Americas; Tonal Harmony; 20th Century Music Theory; Introduction to Performance Studies; and the Performance and Visual Studies senior capstone. She has also taught undergraduate and graduate seminars on Altered States and Performance; Performing Vernacular Culture; Latinx Expressive Culture; Performing the South; and Caribbean Cultural Performance.

Kattari has played piano, keyboards, guitar, steelpan and button accordion. She has performed in conjunto, gamelan, Afro-Pop, Latin American and steelpan ensembles.

She is the faculty advisor and instructor for Maroon Steel (Texas A&M’s steelpan ensemble).