| Kittie Page | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Refreshing facts about Kittie: None of them were Mousketeers, they don't dance down the halls of their high school half-naked, and they're not about to buy into the American dream of record sales through plastic surgery. "I'm not up there singing, 'Hit me baby, one more time!' We're a lot more mature than that," states frontwoman Morgan. Instead, the Canadian teen quartet presents its music with the same brutal truth that clouds their reality. Sonically, it's harsh. But so is the world they live in, and Kittie don't see a need for sugarcoating. "If people are expecting The Spice Girls, they're not going to get it...People need to get used to everyday occurrence, that way they don't go and kill themselves-or other people-over things like losing a boyfriend or girlfriend," adds drummer Mercedes, Morgan's sister, and half of the band's bludgeoning bottom end with bassist Talena. Accompanying Morgan on guitar is Fallon, and though the four girls are still toiling through high school, they have a better grasp on their environment than most adults. "Being the way people are, they'll look at songs like 'Spit,' 'Suck,' and 'Choke' and perceive them to be about promiscuity and guys, but you have to dig deeper than that and actually look into the lyrics to see where we're coming from," details Morgan. "Like the song 'Do You Think I'm a Whore?'-That's about the way that I perceive myself and the way other people tend to perceive me. There are times that I really don't think that people get what we're doing and understand where we're coming from. We're girls, playing in a guys business..." "We're intense, and a lot of people just don't expect it," continues Mercedes. "That's why 'Spit' is my favorite song in the world-People expect us to suck, then we get on stage and blow them away. One minute they're just standing there, then their mouths drop open and their dicks feel small." "All those people who judge us without hearing us? That's enough to make me spit," says Morgan of the song's title, pleased that Kittie have the chance to prove cynics wrong. "A lot of guys don't want a bunch of little girls to get in the way of their music," laughs Fallon, who penned "Choke" as an emotional response to betrayal. "That song's about someone telling you that they love you so much, and they put you up on a pedestal and make you feel great, then they turn around and say 'screw you.'" Musically, "Choke" constricts as tightly as its subject matter, pounding from death metal brutality into a down tuned stomp that bites of sarcasm and smacks with scorn. "Brackish" opts for a more frantic pace, a techno backbeat and riveting guitars playing backdrop to a spoken word delivery that unravels into passionate vocal blasts. It's that passion that sets Kittie apart from their more seasoned peers. Combining insights that are untempered by conventional political correctness, a blunt delivery, and lyrics that delve deeper than their titles might suggest, Kittie transcend the commercial ease of disposable teen angst and easily-packageable pop melodies. Take "Paperdoll"-One of the album's least suggestive titles, the track offers one of the band's most palatable messages. Says Morgan, "We want to destroy the idea that a lot of men see women as blowup dolls. We want to break that, because we're better than that." Not bad for a band that was conceived when Mercedes and Fallon met in a gymnastics class and began playing Nirvana and Silverchair covers with Morgan. Since then, Mercedes says she's grown "about seven inches," Fallon no longer aspires to be the next Mariah Carey-"I found cool music," she says-and they've graduated from the youthful mentality of, "Wow, let's play together!" to refining an image of their own and turning heads with a look inspired by equal parts glam, goth and metal. "We just got sick of looking like everybody else-We didn't want to look grubby, and we didn't want to conform. We wanted to do something special," says Fallon. The results, according to Morgan, fall somewhere within the realm of "glam-goth, metal-glitter. We strive to do our own thing and be the pavers of new roads. It's all just completely natural, we don't really try to sound like anything, it just happens... This is just what's normal for us." And for that, we have to be thankful. Imagine a world where Britney Spears was the norm? "Hey, we didn't say anything bad about her!" clarifies Mercedes-"We didn't slag her, and we respect her... We just don't want to be her!" Morgan agrees: "Comparing us to her is like comparing black to white... We'll just stick to the metal!" -Paul Gargano 10/99 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Dates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Thu 27 Apr Sloss Furnace Birmingham AL Fri 28 Apr Floyd's Music Store Tallahasee FL Sat 29 Apr Livestock Tampa FL Mon 01 May House of Blues New Orleans LA Fri 05 May Desert Sky Pavillion Phoenix AZ Sat 06 May Pima County Fairgrounds Tucson AZ Sun 07 May Denver CO Tue 09 May House of Blues Chicago IL Wed 10 May Harpo's Detroit MI Fri 12 May Hartford CT Sat 13 May Bowery Ballroom New York NY Sun 14 May Birch Hill Old Bridge NJ Tue 16 May Starfish Vancouver BC Wed 17 May Graceland Seattle WA Thu 18 May Roseland Theatre Portland OR Sat 20 May Las Vegas NV Sun 21 May Cane's San Diego CA Tue 23 May Whisky Los Angeles CA Wed 24 May Brick Works Chico CA Thu 25 May Slims San Francisco CA Sat 27 May Boston MA Sun 28 May Washington DC Sun 28 May Minneapolis MN Sat 03 Jun Dynamo Festival Holland Fri 09 Jun Rock im Park Germany Sat 10 Jun Rock am Ring Germany Sun 02 Jul Coral Sky (Mars) West Palm Beach FL Tue 04 Jul Lakewood Amph Atlanta GA Thu 06 Jul ALLTEL Pavillion Raleigh NC Sat 08 Jul Blockbuster Pavillion Charlotte NC Mon 10 Jul Virginia Beach Amph Virginia Beach VA Wed 12 Jul Pine Knob Detroit MI Fri 14 Jul Nissan Washington DC Sun 16 Jul Star Lake Amph Pittsburgh PA Tue 18 Jul Polaris Amph Columbus OH Thu 20 Jul Blossom Center Cleveland OH Sat 22 Jul Entertainment CNT Philadelphia PA Mon 24 Jul PNC Holmdel NJ Wed 26 Jul Saratoga PAC Saratoga Springs NY Sat 29 Jul Tweeter Center Boston MA Sun 30 Jul Tweeter Center Boston MA Fri 04 Aug The World Chicago IL Sun 06 Aug Alpine Valley Milwaukee WI Tue 08 Aug Riverbend Cincinnatti OH Thu 10 Aug Deer Creek Indianapolis IN Sat 12 Aug Float Rite Park Minneapolis MN Mon 14 Aug Riverport St. Louis MO Wed 16 Aug Sandstone Kansas City MO Fri 18 Aug Starplex Dallas TX Sun 20 Aug Houston Raceway Baytown TX Thu 24 Aug The Gorge Seattle WA Sat 26 Aug Shoreline Mountain View CA Mon 28 Aug Sac. Valley Amph Sacramento CA Wed 30 Aug Desert Sky Pavillion Phoenix AZ Sat 02 Sep Blockbuster Pavillion San Bernadino CA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
An interview with Fallon AND Mercedes from the hot new band "Kittie". | Interviewed by: SETAREH ZARGARANI From: HOOKIDUP Are you straightedge? Fallon and Mercedes: No we are not. Do you want to embellish on that at all? Fallon: I guess that's never really been an issue with me. I listen to a lot of straightedge hardcore bands though. We listen all kinda of music pretty much. I don't do drugs I can tell you that. Mercedes: We don't do them, but we're not straightedge. What are your ages and grades? Mercedes: We don't like stressing that. Is there a reason why? Mercedes: Cos look at what happened to Silverchair or other bands that made their ages prominent in their music, and I don't want that to happen to us. They got pigeonholed as a teenage band. What do you think websites like antimtv.com can do for bands like yours? Mercedes: I think that they help bands get exposure. Fallon: Yes, because our entire fanbase, and how people heard of us is all from the internet. And it really does help a lot to have people from all over the world able to see us, by accident or on purpose. Tour plans prior to Ozzfest? Fallon: We are planning on going out with Sevendust for a month. Fallon Is that why you aren't going to Europe? Together: Yeah There are several fans that were upset because you cancelled the European tour - do you have anything to say to them? Together: Sorry!!! We're definitely going to go over there later! How did the lead singer discover that she could scream like that? Mercedes: She just tried. I think that there was a progression, because if you hear our earlier demos it is like totally different. She pretty much trained her voice through trial and error. In the current metal scene, looks typically don't matter so why do you feel the need to look pretty (with makeup skirts etc)? Mercedes Mercedes: Actually you know that is a totally irrelevant question because I think that looks have nothing to do with it. This person has obviously not listened to our music because in our music it states clearly that image is nothing. Fallon: We dress like this all the time, this is who we are. What do you think of the sickness known as slipknot? Mercedes: Aww they are such nice guys. We love them. Fallon: I was so scared (of them) because it was just the whole thing with masks, (they) remind you of monsters. But then when they take it off .they're like normal people. They're really nice guys. You guys are going to be on 2nd stage at Ozzfest? Together: Yep. Is the Sevendust tour confirmed? Fallon: Semi.90 percent. Would you guys go on tour with Drain STH and other girl bands? I would like that, but not at the present time, it would be cool though. Would you guys ever date a fan? Together: No. I just I don't know, I just wouldn't do it. Then you'd have to date someone who doesn't know who Kittie is? Fallon: Someone who totally hasn't heard of me, someone who is like a photographer or a painter. Something completely out of the music scene, like a lawyer or something like that. What are your major influences? Mercedes: I think that music is pretty much our influence because we listen to so many different kinds of music. You'd be missing so much if you were to narrow it down to like 3 or 4 bands that are our favorites. I mean like I listen to a broad spectrum of music, like on one hand, I'll listen to Nile, or on the other hand I'll listen to Placebo. Fallon: Yeah, same with me, I'll listen to death metal, like (Today is the Day?), they are like my favorite death metal band. And I'll listen to Placebo or more tacky stuff, like God Lives Under Water and stuff like that. Who would you like to tour with? Fallon: Actually you know what- Ozzfest is like our dream tour. Mercedes: Deftones. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be? Mercedes: I'd like to meet Ozzy Osbourne cos he's such a pioneer in music. He made metal what it is. Can you tell me a little about the lyrics? Mercedes: I think the lyrics range from perception. And we are definitely misunderstood. Fallon: Just because were women. Mercedes: Like I mean I don't see anyone giving Slipknot problems because they wear masks. Fallon: (The lyrics are about,) emotional manipulation, ignorance, humiliation, everyday occurrences. Do you feel like you're doing something special by being this young and being able to play on this level? Or do you feel like another band trying to make it? Mercedes: I think we're just like another band trying to make it. There's nothing different about us. We're just trying to be a band. We're trying to make music and trying to get people to notice us. What bands inspired you? Mercedes: Nirvana inspired me. Fallon: Me too. Do you face a lot of opposition from the industry because you are female? Mercedes: They've treated us like a normal band, for what we are. What albums have you been listening to? Mercedes: I've been listening to Slipknots CD, and Finger Eleven. Fallon: (Temple of the Morning Star?), Hatebreed - Satisfaction is the Death of Desire, Nothingface - Everyday Atrocity. How do you feel about the multiple Britney Spears references in your press bio? Mercedes: Sometimes it kinda bugs me, but just because we have to be compared to like pop icons. How has the tour with Slipknot been? Mercedes: The tour with slipknot has been great. Where can "Sex iz Hell" and the self-titled album be found? Mercedes:They're really really really hard to find. Fallon: There are people who have it. Mercedes: Actually though, I was looking on my laptop a few days ago on this Kittie site, and one of the girls, she had mp3s of our 6 song CD on her site. The site was called My Head is in your Closet. But as for finding those things, I think you'd have to look really hard. There are only 500 copies of each. What do you think of all the comparisons to Courtney Love? Morgan: I listen to Hole, old Hole, but I've never really been influenced by Courtney. I think that her style of singing is like a little more raunchy. And I think of terms of my singing, it's a little more guttural. Like I think that I sound more like a man than she does. But that's just my personal opinion. It's not like I'm trying to sing like a man. In my singing style I'd like to blaze my own trail. I want to have other people comparing them to me. I'm not trying to sound like anybody. I'm trying something different and something new. I can go from singing very nicely to screaming really aggressive and it's strange that people compare me to certain different things. That's ok though, it's flattering. Have there been any strange comparisons? Mercedes: Somebody compared us to Cookie Monster, they said we sounded like Cookie Monster. It was weird, I don't know. Fallon: Somebody said we sounded like a female Coal Chamber but were not even in the same tuning as them. I think the only two bands I know of are Static-x and System of a Down that are in the same tuning as us.
|
Favorite Links
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
