April 2, 2014

At the Bar with Trish Doan


Trish Doan was the bassist for Kittie, a band I adored as a teenager.  It was an immeasurable honor and privilege to complete this interview with her on April 1st, 2014, before her death on February 13, 2017.

So, Trish…HUGE honor having you at my bar!!! What are you sippin’ on?

I'm honoured to be here! Well, it's currently a Wednesday afternoon, so I could go for a drink! I'll take a vodka/orange juice please.

A long time ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kittie alumna Fallon Bowman (twice, in fact).  Now, for those who are unfamiliar, what can you tell them about Kittie?

Well! Kittie is a four-woman metal band hailing from London, Ontario. We've put out six great records and done many tours around the world. Kittie consists of sisters Morgan and Mercedes Lander (singer-guitarist and drummer), Tara McLeod (lead guitarist) and myself (the bassist). Not only are we bandmates but also really great friends. I joined the band in 2005, departed in late 2007 but then rejoined in 2012.

Aside for bass and guitar, what other instruments do you play? Do you sing at all?

Do I sing, well that depends! Do I sing while I'm driving by myself and sometimes in the shower? I sure do... but in front of people, definitely not! I wouldn't dare put anyone through that kind of torture :P I have been dabbling around with electronic music creation and I have a couple synths and a drum machine. I guess those count as instruments!



Electronic music, huh? Ever think of doing a solo project? Whom do you listen to in that genre?

I figured people would be surprised to hear it! :) Last year I picked up a drum machine (Native Instruments Maschine) and a really, really sweet analog synthesizer (Dave Smith Prophet '08). I've been messing around with beats and stuff but haven't gotten anything solid enough to share... yet! But one day I will. My best friend and I have been on-and-off jamming for a couple years but we live in different cities so it's difficult. I like a lot of Australian bands in that genre. I discovered them while I lived there a couple years back. To name a few: Cut Copy, Bag Raiders, Miami Horror, Midnight Juggernauts... poppy, dancy, dreamy!

Now, where the guitars are concerned, are you self-taught or have you ever taken lessons?

I actually started off playing guitar first when I was in grade 7 (about 11-12 years old). I begged my mom and dad for a guitar and then they bought me my first electric for my birthday! You should have seen the smile on my face! I took lessons for a couple years to get the basic theory down but all I wanted to do was rock out so I went to the internet to teach me the rest.

Who influences you as a musician? How would you describe your style?

Hmm, well, I've had a lot of influences over the course of my music career. When I was younger and used to play guitar and write songs I would have to say my main influence was Silverchair... remember them? When I first picked up a guitar, one of the first songs I learned was "Tomorrow" and then I went to learn all their songs and that's pretty much how I learned how to play! Funny enough, when I first met Morgan and Mercedes about a decade ago (wow, time flies) we bonded over the fact that we were all obsessed with Silverchair when we were younger. These days I listen to a lot of random stuff, mostly electronic music and when I jam out and record stuff it comes out like that.



O…M…G. I think every grunge/metal fan went through a Silverchair obsession. ‘Til today on YouTube I read people wondering how a trio of 15-year-olds dropped one of the best rock albums of the 1990s. Who was your favorite member?

Hahaha!! It's so true... They were the beginning for me for sure! And of course Daniel Johns was my favourite haha! Like every other teenaged girl, I had the hugest rockstar crush on him! I actually ran into him once on the street in Toronto. He walked by me and I looked at him... but I was thinking... "What would Daniel Johns be doing in the middle of the night in Toronto on a Tuesday?". Of course I just kinda looked at him, he looked at me (probably because I was staring at him trying to figure out if it was really him). I didn't say anything and he was walking away with his crew or bodyguards... I figured it was just a couple dudes. So I go home and go to their website, and of course it states that Daniel Johns is in Toronto doing stuff... I missed my moment to actually meet him but it was close enough!

Daniel was my favorite too!!! I remember how I thought he was soooo hot. You yourself are looking pretty great, by the way! What’s your secret?

Why thank you! Oh, balance is key! Staying fit, eating healthy (most of the time ;) ) and getting enough sleep! Anyone who knows me, knows I love (and need) my sleep. I'm actually pretty sure Mercedes has a series of photos of me sleeping... and not really in a creepy way, it's just that I fall asleep every time I'm a passenger in a vehicle. I actually am a fitness instructor as well, for fun. It's a good way to unwind after work!

So what’s with the big Kittie Reunion photo that drew squeals across Facebook? I was literally transported back to high school when I saw and started squealing at my computer screen. What are you ladies up to?

Well! I guess you've been caught up now, right? I'm so glad you were excited! We've launched an indiegogo crowd-funding campaign (igg.me/at/kittie) to raise money to produce a biography and a DVD to go along with it. The site has all the details but the long and short of it is that our goal is $20,000 and we hit it in an astonishing 8 hours! Our fans are amazing! We're up to about $32,000 now which floors me. Paying the author and DVD producer are the two main large costs we needed to fulfill. The rest of the money is to pay for the production of all the perks. We've stocked up on old t-shirts, posters (old and new) stickers, guitar picks, all sorts of awesome stuff. We even sold a bass autographed by all the members (former too) and one of Morgan's custom ESP guitars. I actually put together the video and graphics for the campaign so I've been heavily involved in this part of it. From here on out though it will be the author of the book and producer of the film :) We're really excited and so thankful for the support we've had. The day we all got together to shoot the video and promo photos was quite amazing actually. I set up all my gear with Morgan and Mercedes and then the girls started rolling in. We had almost everyone there, it was really a great time. Jennifer Arroyo lives in New York so she was able to send us her parts to edit in, but gathered that day here in London (Ontario) we had Morgan, Mercedes, Tara, myself, Ivy, Fallon, Talena and Tanya... it was a moment in Kittie history for sure and it honestly just felt like a bunch of old friends hanging out. We're stoked to be able to give fans something now that we think they would love.



And what other projects are you working on these days?

Well, nothing too big for me aside from this Kittie campaign launch we just finished. That was fun though! Otherwise, I am a regular Joe working Monday to Friday! I dabble with music and photography on the side, when I get something good I will let you know!

Last but not least, what’s in store for the awesomeness that is Trish Doan?

Oh! So hard to tell, the future could bring anything! Right now I'm just looking forward to springtime (the snow has not yet melted here) and will be doing some traveling this summer. Right now I just enjoy a chill life here, great friends, music and my family!

Trish, thank you so much for stopping by the Bar.

And thank YOU! I'm honoured to do this :) I think you and your blog are wonderful. Thank you for having me be a part of it.

2 comments:

  1. Awesome stuff glad I found this been a fan since day one. :) <3

    ReplyDelete

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