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It would be hard to invent better names for a teen metal outfit: There's Morgan, the sweetly sinister vocalist who was named for a dark priestess of Arthurian legend; her sister, drummer Mercedes, whose moniker was derived from a river in Germany; the gap-toothed guitarist Fallon, whose parents were inspired by the Eighties TV series Dynasty; and their sturdy bass player, Talena, who says she was named for a fictional princess whom "my dad read about in one of those warrior-dude books."
That's Kittie, a fierce, mostly underage foursome from London,
Ontario, that has clawed its way into the hearts of
equal-opportunity headbangers everywhere and secured a coveted spot
on this summer's Ozzfest. Kittie's acidic single, "Brackish," from
their debut, Spit, is the kind of balls-out metal rant
that makes the kids sit up and take notice -- or run for cover.
"Madison, Wisconsin, was the rowdiest show we ever played," says
Morgan, whose spiky new cut makes her look like a sexy Eddie
Munster. "It was really, really violent. The lighting rig was
coming down, and there were no barricades. People were rolling onto
the stage and jumping back into the crowd. It was 100 percent
chaos. It was excellent."
The Kittie story is pure high school headbanging: Fallon Bowman and
Mercedes Lander discovered a shared affinity for grunge in
gymnastics class and gathered at the Lander residence to put their
instruments through the paces. Big sister Morgan came downstairs
and grabbed the mike, and Kittie were born. The first get-togethers
featured Silverchair covers and an attempt at Nirvana, but before
long the girls found their own diabolical sound and started playing
local battles-of-the-bands. They cut a demo and caught a break.
"The guy who owned the recording studio went to sound-engineering
school with [producer of Rage Against the Machine's first album]
GGGarth, like, twenty years ago," Morgan says. "He decided to pass
the demo on and see if he'd do a favor for an old friend."
For such youngsters -- Morgan, at eighteen, is Kittie's elder
spokeswoman -- they've already passed many rock-star milestones.
There are the overenthusiastic fans ("We wear all the bracelets
that they throw onstage," Morgan says as her band mates show off an
impressive collection). And, of course, there are the tantrums: At
present, Fallon is belching ("My burps smell like peanuts," she
announces), Mercedes is threatening to "pee all over the floor" and
Talena is staring off into space. All this while Morgan is
defending her right to rock: "One guy asked me if I thought it was
a trend to be a girl in music. I said, 'I don't think my vagina is
a trend. There's been females all through history, and without them
there would be no human race, so see ya later, buddy.'"
Even if her feminist politics are a little, well, underdeveloped,
Morgan and the rest of Kittie are not ones to tangle with. Their
aggressive metal surges, blunt song titles -- "Suck," "Spit," "Do
You Think I'm a Whore" -- and Morgan's guttural growl make them
every bit as potent as the bands they've opened for. And that
includes Biohazard, System of a Down and Slipknot. Just don't ask
them why they're so angry. "Of course we have a lot of aggression,"
Morgan says defensively. "It's an aggressive style of music, and
it's an easier way to get your point across." Sister Mercedes is
more direct: "What do you want us to be doing? Playing, like, death
metal but singing about flowers or something?"
MARK HEALY
(May 13, 2000)