After an acrimonious split with their previous record label and questions over whether the band would continue, Kittie is back. They have a couple of new band members along with founders Morgan and Mercedes Lander. During the year and half of downtime the Landers started a clothing line called Poisoned Black. They've also released an EP called Never Again, which is available exclusively as a digital download.


I had the pleasure of speaking with vocalist Morgan Lander, who is a very engaging personality, very nice, and a great interview.

Chad Bowar: How has it been getting back on tour again?
Morgan Lander: It's been amazing. People haven't forgotten about us after a year and a half. Because we have been away for so long it picked up the demand and the tour has been great. It feels great to be back on the road.

You have a couple of new band members, bassist Trish Doan and guitarist Tara Macleod. Why did you choose them?
After we got home after the last tour we ended up parting ways with the label and Mercedes and I weren't sure if we were going to continue with Kittie. When we had finally decided that this was what we wanted to do for as long as possible we decided to start a search. This time around we wanted to try to find people that were local. This is the first time we've had a lineup that's all from London, Ontario since the very beginning. It makes things a lot easier. With Tara our management became aware of her.

She got in contact with our management about trying out for another band they manage. They suggested she come try out for Kittie. We didn't try out anyone else. She's an amazing guitar player and fits really well with the band.

With Trish she had called us because she heard from one of her friends that we were having tryouts. After her there were no other tryouts. We really found the people that are team players, that want to work toward the common goal of making this a better band and want to work together. That's something we haven't had for a very long time. Things are working out really well. They are taking to the road and are happy to be out here. And being from London it makes it so much easier to practice. We can jam every day. We're able to get to know them outside a work situation, which in the long run is going to help form stronger bonds as bandmates and friends. I think it's imperative to have a relationship beyond the work relationship, so it doesn't feel like work all the time.

Were they part of the recording process of the EP?
It was Mercedes and I that did all the writing. Things were already recorded, but when we got the girls into the band we had Tara go in and do her leads and solos on a couple of the songs. That's a new aspect of the band that we wanted to get out there and show people she's a really amazing guitar player. Once we get a chance to do the new album it's going to be amazing. Different styles and personalities are going to shine through and we're going to have the ability to prove a lot of people wrong and make this band the best it's ever been.

How has the response been to the new digital EP?
When it first came out it was in the top 20 iTunes downloads, which is pretty amazing. For us it was an interesting way to get the music out there as quickly as possible and to let the fans know we're still out there and still making music. To do it digitally makes it so much easier. You don't have to wait for a 6 month setup time like a regular CD. You just record it and put it online.

Is everything settled with your previous record company?
Yes. It was for me personally an emotional low point in being held back and not being able to do all the things that I think the band deserves, like have tour support and not have to pay for our own tours. It wasn't the right partnership, it wasn't the right relationship with the label. What we're looking toward now is finding somebody that understands and cares about the band and shows initiative.

We're in talks with some people right now, and hopefully soon we'll have some announcements. I think we'll be in the studio within the next few months. Good things are happening.