Women who drum: Mercedes Lander of kittie

[the_future_modernes]

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Kittie is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in London, Ontario in 1996. A quartet of women, the group rose to success in 1999 when the track "Brackish" from their debut album Spit became a hit single. The band has toured with multiple famous acts, including Slipknot during the early 2000s on their UK tour.

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2007–present

* Mercedes Lander – drums, vocals, piano
* Morgan Lander – lead vocals, guitar
* Tara McLeod – guitar
* Ivy Vujic – bass guitar
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Kittie - Brackish

Web Exclusive Interview:Mercedes Lander in Modern Drummer

Fronting the band are the founding Lander sisters - drummer Mercedes and her sister Morgan on lead vocals and guitar. This time around the siblings are joined by bassist Jennifer Arroyo (who came on board in 2002) and the band's newest member, guitarist Lisa Marx.

Six of the tracks from Until The End were written prior to Kittie's US tour last summer, allowing the group to try them out before a live audience. "I've always believed," insists Mercedes, "that if you tour on a song before you record it, it turns out better in the studio."

Lately it seems everyone is pasting together parts in the studio. Of course, the end result is always a "perfect" track. But if you listen closely to the raw, imperfect-but-in-a-good-way tracks on Until The End, you begin to think, maybe this stuff is strictly live.

MD asks Mercedes right up front, so, "Are you playing on the record?"

Mercedes: Of course I am. wouldn't have it any other way, trust me - I'm a jerk when it comes to that stuff. I think I'm good enough. And you know what? I don't play to a click track, and there's no digital editing on this record. Well on song, "Daughters Down," I missed a bell hit on my ride cymbal and hit the felt instead, so we put in another bell hit. But that was the only time. We're not duplicating the choruses or verses or anything like that.

MD: How did you cut the tracks?

Mercedes: I went in and I played them. [laughs]

MD: Good one. Did you cut them live?

Mercedes: Yes. There's Morgan, Jennifer, and me all playing together.

MD: How was the room? Big space, open mic's?

Mercedes: What's weird is that this recording had the fewest mic's I've ever used, but I got the best drum sound I've ever had. I had a couple of overhead mic's and a couple of room mic's. On some tracks, I did have one mic' on every tom and two mic's on my snare. And I did use two mic's on my kick drum, plus the new Yamaha Sub-Kick. MORE.

Kittie-What I Always Wanted

mercedes lander in sick drummer mag

B.M: Did you have formal education on drums?

M.L: Not really. I took lessons when I was 12 for about 6 months. My first drum teacher was great and taught me how to read drum music which helped me out a lot. My second teacher I felt didn’t care too much so I decided to start teaching myself which worked out wonderfully. I felt like that’s what I had to do in order to develop my own style



B.M: What about your personal influences? Which drummers were you listening when you first started playing drums?

M.L: Alex Van Halen was the first drummer that I really noticed when I was very young. Alex and manhole really had a large musical impact on me since I can remember



B.M: Overall, which drummers have you been the most inspired by?MORE

KITTIE Cut Throat (new 2009!) Official Video

KITTIE Interview feat guitarist and vocalist Morgan (mentions of rape etc. portrayed in one of their videos)

Kittie - Paperdoll (Rock/Metal Version)