Kittie

Canes

I'd originally heard of Kittie in Newsweek of all places ... some small little article talking about their success with the Ozzfest. Downloaded some of their music and liked it, then saw they were coming to town. Bought a couple of tickets, got stood up, still made the drive to San Diego and had one hell of a time. Fallon had already bailed the band at this point, and they had a guy filling in for her. I believe he is/used to be their guitar tech. I swear to god that man has the best job in the world ... playing guitar on stage in a halfway successful band and playing with girls who like metal. If only it was me. Anyway, this show kicked ass. The kids in San Diego have been some of the wildest I've seen anywhere. The place just went off. Kittie sounded great, looked great, and played for a decent amount of time. Couldn't really say too many bad things about them. You could tell they're still kind of raw, but with time and more gigs they'll get it down pat. If you like their music, or just like girls with guitars, Kittie's definitely worth the price of admission.

House of Blues, Anaheim

So this is the second time I've seen Kittie. Sadly, Talena had just departed. The new bass player, Jennifer, is a definite change. Talena just played and looked good, slightly gothic, kind of right up my alley, and she didn't do a whole lot of jumping around, etc., etc. Jennifer on the other hand is tattooed god knows where, pierced everywhere and just looks, how shall I put this .... nasty ... but in a good way. The guy who played at the Canes show a while back is still filling in for/replacing Fallon. But enough of that. The house was full, and god damn were they loud. For some reason, whoever was running the soundboard that night must have been asleep when they started. It had to be just about the worst I've ever experienced at the HOB. I know it wasn't the band, they sounded great in San Diego. They did, however, kind of get it worked out after a few numbers. With all the waiting they make you do outside, you'd think they would have had it nailed. Once again, they played a good, loud, hard driving set, and with Jennifer whipping up the crowd, the kiddies certainly got into it. Not like they did at Canes, mind you, but they were definitely tearing it up. The band was also a lot more polished than they were at Canes. Time has helped. They seem to have a lot more confidence and have their routine down pretty good. I don't know how much of their appeal is based on novelty (I for one like the music more than I like that fact that girls play it), but if they can keep it going, they just might end up being a force to contend with. A must-see for metalheads.

Saw 'em a second time here as well. Their fan base seems to have dwindled a bit. There was way to much room on the floor and nobody was really mixing it up. Lots of girls and a few angry boys. The show was pretty much the same as the first one, but with a lot better sound quality. They still kick ass by the way!

Whisky A Go Go

Well, well, well. Kittie on Valentine's Day at the Whisky. Totally cool. The band had the same lineup as the HOB show in Anaheim. Pretty much the same kind of show, loud and hard. The band has become even more polished and plays to the crowd a lot more now. The fact that the Whisky is a lot smaller, helped as well I'm sure. Can't really say too much new about them, other than they still give kick ass performances. The L.A. crowd was a lot more tame and subdued than I would have thought. Not venturing up there that often, I'd imagined they'd be a lot more interesting, perverse, and wild than their O.C. counterparts. I guess not. Maybe when bands say that O.C. rocks better than L.A. they're not just blowing smoke. All in all a great night and well worth the drive and the money. For what it's worth, Morgan is looking a lot hotter these days ... she's gonna make a great front-person.

You can find Kittie's homepage here.