Kat Gallardo, known as “katgrüvs,” is riding the new wave of modern fingerstyle guitarists. Covering her heroes such as Michael Hedges, Andy McKee, and Preston Reed in high school, she fell in love and was inspired by the polyphonic sound of open-tuned acoustic guitar. A self-taught artist with a solid sense of time and rhythm, she discovers new ways to nurture her passion for percussive fingerstyle guitar arrangement and composition. The name “katgrüvs” captures her innate feel for “grüv” and pocket, a trait steeped in years of playing in jazz, funk, and rock ensembles. A graduate from the University of California, Davis in Mechanical Engineering, she aspires to marry her lifelong passion for music with creative engineering. 

Kat has shared the stage with and opened for internationally-renowned fingerstyle guitarists such as Van Larkins, Adrian Bellue, Nick Johnson, Janet Noguera, Forest Bailey, and more. She recently performed at the House of Blues in Anaheim in January 2020 alongside fingerstyle legends Kaki King, Muriel Anderson, Christie Lenée, and Vicki Genfan, as part of Fretmonkey Records’ Women in Fingerstyle Concert. Kat is proudly endorsed by Furch/Stonebridge Guitars, Elite Acoustics, Music Area Cases and Cling On Tuner and Pickup. 

Kat’s debut EP, “Get Grüvy,” has been mixed and mastered by Alex Anderson of Candyrat Records and Tree of Life Studio, with album artwork and design by Sean De Burca. “Get Grüvy” has been released on all streaming platforms and in physical CD format on June 26, 2020. All proceeds from the sales went towards the UC Davis Medical Center COVID-19 Fund.

Kat on her Journey Instruments OF660W1:

“What I love most about my Journey guitar is its tone, playability, and unique design. It’s truly a world-class performing/touring instrument, not only because of its portability, but its “larger than life” sound when plugged into a PA system.

I’ve had so much fun taking my Journey guitar with me on the road at all my performances and gigs. Not to mention it looks stunning in arctic white! As someone who studied mechanical engineering, I have a deep and profound appreciation for cool designs that bridge the gap between music and engineering.

I have been an avid fan of Journey Instruments since 2016 and it’s an absolute dream come true to finally be a part of the family!“

Learn more about Kat right here!