Ethereal Metal Webzine

—From our Archives— *Old Interview*

Interviewed by Jessica Clingempeel

When did you start playing the drums and how long did it take you to learn?

I started playing drums in 1996 at the age of 12. At first I could only make noise and I find that drums are one of the very few instruments that take a few weeks to get the hang of.

But as I practiced it became easier and easier for me to learn new things.

Any tips for beginning drummers?

Be persistent and don’t get to frustrated. It takes a lot of work to be able to play well.

Can you play any other instruments?

I can play basic guitar but am much better at bass. I also took 6 years of piano and 2 years of trombone. On top of that I took 2 years of classical vocal training.

Do you like playing along side your sister?

I couldn’t imagine playing with anyone else. We’re best friends.

Do you and your sister have a close relationship?

We’re very close.

How is your relationship with the other members?

Amazing. Tara and Ivy are two of the most fun people to be around. We definitely goof off a lot.

Have you done or plan to do any side projects?

I have a band with some friends from high school called Night of the Demons. We just play local shows and have fun while our other bands have down time.

Do you have a strong connection with any of Kitties’ lyrics?

I wrote quite a few lyrics for Funeral for Yesterday along side Morgan so that album definitely has a strong connection for me.

Have your family and friends supported you and your music?

I have had nothing but support from my family. They are amazing.

What has been the best show of any of your tours and why?

I think our recent trip to South America is very high up there because the crowd response was so crazy but it’s very hard to pick a favorite.

Do you love getting close with the fans?

It’s nice to meet the people who made your dreams come true and give them something back, even if it’s a little bit of your time.

What is your favorite country to visit? Why?

I love Europe as a whole because its so different but I will have to go with Chile because the fans are rabid there.

What is your favorite drink and food?

I’m actually a big fan of water and coffee. I don’t really drink much else. I love sushi so much. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.

If you could play in any one band, who would it be?

Kittie.

Besides Metal, what other music genres are you into?

I actually don’t listen to too much metal anymore except for the classics. I’m into a lot of classic rock and weird indie stuff nowadays.

What would we most likely find you doing when not rocking out?

Playing with my cat or cooking.

~Onto The Questions From Various Fans~

Vinnie: Will you get the band to sort out a Vampire Freaks account? Do you think Morgan gets more publicity than you? If yeah, do you ever get jealous?

We should probably get on our VF account shouldn’t we? Being in a band is about being a team and not who gets more attention. I like where I’m at just fine.

Andres: On Funeral For Yesterday and at the live shows, I noticed you do backing vocals while drumming, when did you start adding your vocals to Kittie’s music? Is Kittie working on a new album?

We really needed some good harmonies for the live show because we were definitely lacking in them before. So I started doing them around 2005. I also did some for the recording of FFY. No plans for a new album yet.

Trav: Who are your influences?

My band.

Brittany: What was the inspiration behind the song titled Pink Lemonade? Who came up with the cover Run Like Hell?

With Pink Lemonade Morgan wanted to kind of show that some things even if they look pretty and inviting sometimes have a darker ugly side to them. With Run Like Hell we were actually supposed to be a part of a Pink Floyd tribute album but, when that fell through we were left with this really different song that we decided to put on Oracle.

Joshua: What is going to happen to the band since Trish isn’t there?

We’re going to rock out harder than ever.

Mark: Is your new album going to be hard rocking, like most of the songs from Spit?

No plans for a new album but I’m guessing that it’s going to be super heavy. Much heavier than Spit.

Caleb: Do you ever get any shit from assholes during a tour?

Nope, people don’t tend to fuck with me for some odd reason.

Alex: If you had the chance to change anything, would you?

Maybe one or two things but probably not. I’m happy with the way things are now.

Alex: Do you still keep in touch with friends you had before becoming famous?

I still have most of my friends from over 10 years ago.

Terry: Does Kittie plan on doing a show in North Dakota or surrounding states anytime soon?

I hope so. We’ve never been there I don’t think.

Jake: What is your favorite band?

At the moment, Van Halen, Lucero, Aereogramme

Alex: How big is your drum set?

I play a 6 piece kit with 8 cymbals

Daisy: What inspired you to become a drummer?

I was honestly just really bored and wanted to take up something new. It obviously worked out okay