It all began with Virgin Records! Kate's first music job, which was also her very first job, was with Associated Virgin Labels in England. The fact that she had no experience in music, no previous related jobs and her knowledge of the working environment was virtually non-existent did not seem to deter Virgin, who offered her a position as liaison between accounting and promotions, artist management, video and marketing. The first day was a nightmare, aggravated by the fact that Kate had failed Grade 12 math and barely bothered with computer studies (which she had explained in the interview). But the atmosphere was friendly and extremely casual, so it didn't take long for Virgin and Kate to adapt to one another. Over the next two years Kate learned all aspects of running a major label as under the leadership of Richard Branson employees were encouraged to attend shows, work long hours and associate with the artists they were promoting. With EMI's purchase of Virgin, Kate, along with the majority of staff, moved onto other jobs and careers. It continued with: Not Just Another Music Shop On Kate's return to Vancouver, she retained her interest in music and secured a job as business manager of the vintage guitar store, Not Just Another Music Shop. This was a further experience of jumping impetuously into the deep end for Kate had little guitar knowledge and was technically deficient. The job and Kate learned from each other however, and in 1997 she became overall manager and greatly expanded the business. Five years have passed since then and Kate is still enjoying the work, while managing to maintain her other interests at the same time. One other interest is: Tonic Records Back in Vancouver Kate not only started working at Not Just Another Music Shop but also hooked up with friends Sex With Nixon. Like many such ventures, it began with a desire to help out and developed into something much more. Sex With Nixon needed organisational help and Kate, thinking it could not be that difficult, stepped in. She enjoyed the experience, even thought it good fun, and decided to start her own small independent record company. In June of 1995 Tonic Records was born. The first record to be released on Tonic Records' label was Sex with Nixon's self-titled album, distributed by Page Publications in Canada. This was followed by a joint project with Wrong Records - Ford Pier's album Meconium. About the same time Psychomania approached Kate about the release of their debut album. What eventually transpired with Psychomania was a joint management and label deal, though in reality it was a joint venture where both parties pitched in to keep things flowing. What Kate did discover, however, was that running a small label without the clout and money of a major was a totally different thing from life at Virgin, and it required a completely new outlook. While it can be fun running your own show, the price can also be high. As the years have passed she has learnt to distinguish the essential from the peripheral, and appreciate that while creative input is a necessary part of running a small business, it is equally necessary to be able to move smoothly from one pressure to the next. Tonic Records Today: Presently Tonic Records is working on Brundlefly's year-old release "By the Way" and Bocephus King's new album "All Children Believe In Heaven", which is set to be released this summer. Tonic Records is also busy planning the release of Brundlefly's second single, "Move On", to radio and MuchMusic. Brundlefly have just returned from a successful showcase at CMW, with a spot on Mike Bullard and are presently using the momentum to take them through a tour of Western Canada, followed by a more extensive tour of the Western United States and Australia. Bocephus King's album "All Children Believe in Heaven" has just been released in Holland through Sonic Rendezvous and in Italy through IRD. This done, Tonic is busy setting up marketing, promo, tours, and web support for these releases. The Future: For the remainder of 2003 Tonic Records will focus on the release of "All Children Believe In Heaven" in Canada, and plan to expand and scout out new talent to release in 2004.