Interview '07 - Morgan Lander - Kittie
06.25.07 - Monday
Kittie, the all-woman metal band from Ontario, Canada recently released their 4th studio album "Funeral For Yesterday." This disc caught us completely by surprise as it contains some amazing lyrics, vocals and in your face guitars. Even though Kittie has seen lineup changes since their incarnation they continue to push forward and can be found touring the States this summer. Recently Kittie's lead singer Morgan Lander took time out to answer questions on touring, the new album and more!
Photos Courtesy Of:
www.myspace.com/officialkittie
Island: The scene, May 2006..
Kittie announced a joint venture to create their own record label, "X Of
Infamy Records" with EMI distribution. On February 20th, the band
released their 4th studio album entitled "Funeral For Yesterday" via
this new label. Was it easier or harder to release an album on basically
your own terms, as a opposed to the past? Any new challenges?
Morgan: We have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so
while starting our own label was a huge risk and undertaking, but we
felt confident that we would be able to pull it off. This venture is
pretty much putting an official title on a scenario that has been part
of our lives for years now, so we fell back into the roll quite easily.
There is a bit higher stress level, but no new territory as far as
challenges!
Island:
Where does the inspiration come from when making new material? Being
that the band seems to take their time when it comes to releasing a new
disc. And how long did the new album take to write/record?
Morgan: Funeral For Yesterday in particular was inspired by
the challenges we faced during the darkest time in the bands career.
Mercedes and I were without a complete line-up and without a label, and
we weren't even sure whether we were going to be able to continue as a
band. The only outlet we had was music, so we continued to write, and
out of the despair came some great music. The album was written over
about a year and a half period of uncertainty, and was recorded over the
summer of 2006 in Red Bank New Jersey.
Island:
The new album features some amazing rock material but What song or songs
on the album became an instant favorite for the band to play in the live
environment?
Morgan: I think the songs we debuted prior to the albums
release went over the best. Songs like "Never Again", "Breathe", "Slow
Motion" and "This Too Shall Pass" were played months in advance of even
the recording, so it allowed for the fans to recognize the songs right
away when the album came out, and it gave us a chance to practice too!
Island:
The meanings behind the music are always something I like to know as do
other fans. I'll toss out some track names and if you could just give a
sentence or two as to the meaning of the tune.
Morgan:
Breathe - This song was actually
written by Mercedes. I thought it was important, as we were both going
through the same scenario, for Mercedes to have a voice. To me this song
is about the death of a relationship and the desire for it to keep
going.
Slow Motion - This song is about seeing
something or someone that you love die slowly, and there is nothing that
can be done.
Never Again - Never Again is about standing up
for what you believe to be right, and denying any bullshit in your life.
It is about taking a stand against being mistreated, abused, walked on
and finding your true inner strength.
Everything That Could Have Been - This song is
about reflection of the past, and wishing to change it solely to see how
differently the outcome would have been.
Around Your Heart - Another song written by
Mercedes! I see it to be about not wanting something beautiful to end.
Island:
Funeral For Yesterday featured a bonus DVD that contained some
interviews, videos and behind the scenes content. This was a great
addition as it gave your fans something a little extra. That had me
wanting to ask, will Kittie ever release a live concert DVD? Also has
any shows over the years been recorded and are just sitting in the
vaults?
Morgan: We have a DVD from 2000 (which isn't very
representative of where we are at now) which features live footage and
behind the scenes footage. We would love to release a new one, and
hopefully we will one day. We do have hours and hours of concert footage
which has been collected over the years, but I don't think it will see
the light of day.
Island: Going over the Kittie history as other fans have done, I noticed that there has been a few lineup changes since the incarnation of the band. In all some 10 musicians have been part of this group and yet you still manage to capture the same sound through it all. That isn't something many bands who go through these changes can say. How did you go about bringing in new members over the years and still continue on as "Kittie?"
Morgan: Mercedes and I have always been the main songwriters in the band, and have been the foundation that Kittie has been built on, so whatever we create will be a part of what is Kittie's ongoing musical evolution.
Island:
The Funeral for Yesterday Tour kicked off this year in February and
recently ended in March. Kittie along with Walls Of Jericho, 36
Crazyfits, Dead To Fall, and In This Moment were all on the bill. How
did this tour come about and how do you think it went? From the fan
comments via message boards across the internet I'd say it was a very
successful one. So much so that I see you (Kittie), Walls Of Jericho and
In This Moment have extended commitments through May.
Morgan: This tour was a wonderful time for all of us. All the
bands got along, and it was a lot of fun! It was definitely a success,
and every band brought something different to the table. We just love to
tour and play and make new friends!
Island:
Once the May dates are completed, what is next for Kittie in 2007?
Touring? Downtime?
Morgan: We have some summer radio shows lined up in July, and
another full length US tour in August/September.
Island:
Another music related project is one that both you and Mercedes are
connected to. A clothing company called "Poisoned Black" based out of
Ontario, Canada which sells merchandise to both men and women who like
rock apparel. The main website hasn't been updated since late 2005 and I
was wondering how that venture is going?
Morgan: PB is going very well. Slowly but surely the word is
getting out there, and everywhere we go on tour, I see fans with PB
merch! Its a wonderful feeling and I'd like to dedicate a bit more time
to that venture soon!
Island:
I've read via your online message board that some fans would like to see
Kittie's previous releases remastered with bonus unreleased material.
Any chance that this could happen in the future? Or maybe a disc filled
with unreleased material, if there is any?
Morgan: We really don't have any unreleased material that we
could put out, and while re-releasing re-recorded or remastered versions
of previous albums sounds like a fun idea, Kittie are always about
moving forward and evolving.
Island:
What is your comfort music? Meaning, when you have some downtime and you
can just relax what do you listen to? And what CD's do you have in your
player right now?
Morgan: We all listen to so many different kinds of music,
its hard to pin point just one kind or genre. I have been listening to a
lot of Metallica lately: Ride The Lightning and ...And Justice For All
are in constant rotation. The new Silverchair CD "Young Modern' is
pretty bad ass too...
Island:
Digital music is on the rise, even more so that it is selling better
then actual CD's. What is your take on the digital side of music, is
this venture a good thing or in the long run with it hurt musicians?
Morgan: Illegal downloads will be the death of the mid-level
artist, but as long as people are legally obtaining music and paying for
it, it shouldn't matter where they are getting it.
Island:
That is going to do it for our questions. Thanks so much for taking time
out to talk with us. We look forward to more Kittie material in the
future. Any final thoughts, words of wisdom or anything you'd like to
mention to our readers, your fans?
Morgan: Thank you for all your support, and we'll see you in
the near future!
For more Kittie music & information, make sure to check out:
www.kittierocks.com / www.myspace.com/officialkittie
Our Mini Review Of "Funeral For Yesterday" Can Be Read By Clicking Here.
* Thanks To Doug Weber @ New Ocean Media