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Kittie is (from left): singer/guitarist Morgan Lander, bassist Ivy Vujic, guitarist Tara McLeod and drummer Mercedes Lander. COURTESY PHOTO: BILL MEIS/e1entertainment
The number of all-female heavy metal bands known nationally can basically be counted on one hand. Narrow that to one other aspect — all-female bands who have been around for a decade — and you’re left with one finger still powerful enough to rock with a defiance as hard as that band itself.
Kittie — co-founder/singer/guitarist Morgan Lander, her sister, drummer and co-founder Mercedes Lander, guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivy Vujic — can produce records and a live show that would put many all-male metal acts to shame. Judge for yourself when they headline Scout Bar on Wednesday, Oct. 7, with Soil, Arkea and Straight Line Stitch.
Morgan Lander, 27, was looking forward to returning to San Antonio when she spoke with me recently from her home in London, Ontario.
A: In The Black stands apart from them, really. It also has some of those things from other albums, I guess. It definitely has the production style of (2002’s) Oracle, a lot of the aggression of Spit and Oracle, but at the same time the same melodies of (2004’s) Until the End and (2007’s) Funeral for Yesterday. But to be honest, it’s capturing the emotion and aggression of the first two albums. For us, it’s a nod to the past and getting back to the basics of what we do best.
A: Oh, wow. Well, obviously, they all do. I write the songs, and everything I write down has some sort of significance to my life. Songs like “Sorrow I know” have more meaning now than when they were formulated. A lot of these songs were formulated since before my dad (and former band manager David Lander) passed away (Aug. 2008 of a heart attack).
A: Oh, it’s not. Not at all. It’s something I’ve been doing for years and years. There wasn’t a lot of singing per se on the first album because I didn’t know how to sing that well back then. We’ve become a better band and toured more, and it’s become easier. Doing both helps me express the different landscapes of the song, and it evokes a different emotion.
Q: How was the name Kittie chosen?
A: (Chuckles) Honestly, when we were 12, 13, 14, which was really a long time ago, we wanted something that would be completely contradictory to the style of music we were playing. We wanted to go with the worst and (laughs) non-threatening name we could come up with. If I could go back, I might change it, but it’s stuck all these years. It doesn’t necessarily represent who we are now, but it’s an indication of how long the band has been around.
A: No, definitely not. We were like 16 years old. We had no idea what the hell that was all about. Women have taken a backseat, but when we formed this band, it wasn’t like, ‘Let’s start this band, and maybe people will pay attention to us.’ It was more like, ‘Hey, you’re my friend and play guitar. Hey, you’re my sister and play drums. Let’s form a band.’ It’s never been a driving force. I guess for reputation sake as an all-female band . . . we’ve lost members in the band and tried to replace them. We’ve tried to replace them with all girls and even had a guy in the band.
Q: What’s the metal scene like in Canada compared to the U.S.?
A: We tour way more in the U.S. I don’t think we’ve done a full Canadian tour since 2000. In my area, it’s definitely driving. There’s a lot of decent local bands. And in Toronto as well, which is well over an hour and a half away.
A: I think they’re great. A band is a band. If they’re good, they’re good. I don’t base my opinion on whether a woman is in the band. Good music is good music. I think the only band I have on my iPod fronted by a female is Arch Enemy. I listen to Metallica, Testament, Carcass and a bunch of lighter stuff.
A: (Laughs) We had no idea until someone posted it on our message board. But no, it was something the label was working on. It’s nice to have a label working for us. It’s been a long time coming. I don’t think we’ve been included in an actual soundtrack before, even though we’ve had a couple songs in movies. I haven’t seen Saw V, IV or III, but I think I saw the first two. I’ll have to check out Saw VI now.
A: It was purely enjoyable. He managed the band from the beginning. My dad did everything out of love. He never took a salary, ever. He did those things because he wanted to see us succeed. He didn’t take a cent. He was dedicated and so proud of us for doing what we’ve done. He would always remind us, ‘You guys are special. There’s no one out there like you.’
Q: What’s available at your Poisoned Black clothing line, and how did it get started?
A: I believe we started it between Until the End and Funeral For Yesterday. We had parted ways with our label and our guitar player and bass player, and we weren’t sure what direction we were headed in. We wanted to pour our heart and energy into something fun. It’s not even that big, quite honestly, but all our perspective differs because since we’re women, we know what women like to wear. We get a little more out of the box with tank tops and stuff like that. Unfortunately, it’s been a little neglected with In The Black and getting ready for the tour.
Q: Any special memories from playing in San Antonio before?
A: San Antonio is one of the best places to play in America, and that is the truth. We have played San Antonio at least once on every tour, from Sunset Station to the White Rabbit, and we’re playing a new place this time. Every time, the show is full of energy. You guys represent whenever Kittie’s in town.
Show info: Doors open at 7 p.m.. Scout Bar is located at 19314 U.S. 281 N. Suite 110 and Redland. Tickets for the all ages show are $17.50 at www.frontgatetickets.com; $22 at the door.
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