Cate Huiras is a Chico local whose roots in Butte County’s music scene go way back to when she was little. She started young and hasn’t looked back since.
Cate’s musical journey began early; at four years old, her parents introduced her to the violin—something that sparked a passion that would only deepen in the years to come.
Trained classically with the violin, she has since expanded her musical skills across various instruments, becoming not only a violinist but also a fiddler, guitarist, bassist, and singer-songwriter.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras
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courtesy of Cate Huiras
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Cate’s musical style has evolved over time, blending influences from hardcore, pop, and art-grunge. As a result, Cate has become a unique character within the local music scene, and her vast knowledge and musical capabilities reflect a strong commitment to pushing boundaries and always seeking growth.
Cate is now part of Exposure Therapy, a hardcore/screamo band formed in high school by her friends Natalie Ivey and Devon Anderson.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras
courtesy of Cate Huiras'
The band, a three-piece project, has a distinct and intense sound they’ve dubbed “scarecore.”
With Natalie on vocals and guitar, Devon on drums, and Cate on bass, the band is carving out their own space in the local music scene.
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Exposure Therapy are regulars at Naked Lounge, where they perform shows to all-ages crowds—something Cate noted as special, given the limited number of all-ages venues in town.
Over time, the band has released a couple of singles and has an album in the works, which is expected to be released in December.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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Picture of Cate Huiras
courtesy of Cate Huiras'
With all this said, it’s clear that for Cate and her bandmates, music goes way beyond just being a pastime—it’s a passion, a space for expression, connection, and the pursuit of something bigger.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras
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courtesy of Cate Huiras
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
To get a deeper understanding of Cate’s experience and insights as a local musician, we dove into what drives her and Exposure Therapy as a band in a Q&A.
From the inspirations that shaped their sound to the challenges of Chico’s music scene, Cate offers great insight into what makes their music resonate and where they hope it can take them.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
Q: Who would you say are the biggest inspirations for the band as a whole? Who do you look up to, and who would you say you sound like?
I would say our biggest inspirations in writing right now are Senza, The Names Of Our Friends, Kiowa, OLTH, and various older screamo/powerviolence bands from the early ‘00s like Seneca, Orchid, Botch, and Harrison Bergeron. Many of the bands we are musically influenced by are also people and friends we look up to. Seeyouspacecowboy is a big inspiration for us, especially Natalie, because Seeyouspacecowboy is a “mainstream” heavy band with a vocalist who is trans.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
Q: In your opinion, what is the band’s best song and why?
I think our best song right now is one called Moth. It’s really pretty and emo and fun to mosh to.
Q: What is your favorite song to perform live and why?
All our songs that we’ve been playing for a while are really fun to play. Especially the ones that are released, because not only do people recognize them, but we know them so well that we can have some fun on stage without worrying about messing up our parts.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
Q: What’s it like being in a band while going to Butte? Does trying to balance school life, work life, and band life get challenging, and if so, why or why not?
As a musician, especially one like myself who plays multiple genres, studies music, teaches music, records commissions for bands, and performs almost weekly, there just is no balance. All I do is music, and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
Q: What’s it like being in a band in Chico? What are the challenges faced and what are the rewards?
A big challenge that has grown increasingly prevalent in the past couple years is oversaturation. When the band started, there were maybe three or four shows a week in Chico, and probably only a couple a month at Naked Lounge. Now, there are shows most nights of the week just at Naked Lounge. This means the crowds that usually come out to shows become a little more picky on which shows they spend their money on, which makes everyone’s crowd smaller. This isn’t all bad, though—I’ve seen probably twenty bands form from high school age kids that come to all-ages Naked Lounge shows. Anything that gets more people playing and making music is a good thing in my eyes.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
Q: Has Butte College played any role in your growth as a musician? Have you learned anything from any music classes? If so, how?
I’ve met so many wonderful musicians at Butte College. Ryan Heimlich and Hesam Abedini are doing wonderful things for our music program.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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Cate Hur
courtesy of Cate Huiras'
Q: What are your aspirations for your music career? Do you see the band just being a local, for-fun thing, or do you have plans to go big one day?
I want to go as far as I can with performance. I love Chico forever, but I want to play on bigger stages so that I can make a living off of my music. As for the band, that’s up to Nat and Devon. I can see us sticking together and getting out of Chico, but who’s to say? That’s for the future.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
Q: If your band had a motto, what would it be?
We scare the hoes.
Q: As a creator, why do you think people should care about your music? What makes it special, unique, or important?
Music is the life around us. Music is water dripping from your bathroom tap and your creaky fan that produces a squeak you just can’t stand. Music is the loud chatter of a crowd in a busy school hallway that can be quickly muted as you shut the bathroom door. Music is just organized noises. It’s combining pitches and rhythms to create melodies that we as individuals find meaning and purpose in. Throughout musical history, musicians have continuously written about nature, religion, and love. Those topics move us in ways that can’t always be put into words or are just better felt. Music has served many purposes in this world, including persuasion, spiritual connection, healing, and just for pure fun, and I think it’s a very cool and versatile language for that reason.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
From these insights, it’s safe to say that Cate Huiras has built her life around music. It’s evident that she’s driven by a deep desire to push boundaries and, with that, has developed the remarkable ability to create something unique.
From Cate’s early days as a classically trained violinist to her role as bassist in Exposure Therapy, she has found her voice within Chico’s evolving music scene.
Through each gig at Naked Lounge and every song crafted with her friends, Cate and Exposure Therapy offer a space for expression and connection that reflects the pulse of the community.
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
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courtesy of Cate Huiras'
For Cate, music goes beyond passion—it’s an essential part of life.
With aspirations of taking her music to larger stages and a commitment to staying true to her art, Cate and Exposure Therapy are setting a path that’s as authentic as it is bold. And as long as there’s room to grow and audiences to reach, it’s safe to say that Cate Huiras won’t be stopping anytime soon.
