One of the hippest of Manhattan hipsters, Kate started playing drums at the age of 14 when a family friend asked to store her drums at Kate's house. The only way Kate's mom would agree was if Kate was allowed to play them. One of Kate's previous jobs was as a researcher in a photo archive. In the 80's, Kate created a 'zine in high school, called "Cheap Garbage for Snotty Kids".

Schellenbach was the product of an upperclass New York Jewish home, and she gained her cred early, combing clubs like CBGB in the early eighties along with friends like Michael Diamond, with whom she co-founded the Beasties. Then it was off to NYU, where the connection with the Beasties, whose career path had become sexist and homophobic, was severed.

Kate, the original Beastie Boys lesbian drummer, has been responsible for the solid groove behind Luscious Jackson since 1992. Natural Ingredients, released in 1994, was the band's first full-length CD but immediately won them praise for its blend of hip-hop, funk, jazz, and an intangible overlay of New York street culture.

Meanwhile, Kate's Ladies Who Lunch side project with Josephine Wiggs of the Breeders is out. Although Luscious Jackson broke up in '00 after three well-selling LPs, Shellenbach's career star is still rising. The vegetarian, basketball-loving drummer lives in her Manhattan apartment/studio.