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MetalGod:
Why is the CD titled "Validating John"?
Melissa "Cat" Mentus: "Validating John" is a dedication
of sorts to John Murphy, the man who engineered, mixed,
and mastered the album, as well as playing all of the
drums on it! Ellen and I were very heavily into "validating"
all of the folks who took part in this project, and we
felt the final kudos should go to John for all to see!
MG: How did Cats Like Angels
get together? Tell me the story.
Cat: Ellen and I were in a play together during
our sophomore year at Keene State College. It was called
"Tales of the Lost Formicans." I played Ellen's mother!!
The boy who played her son (my grandson) was a mutual
friend Of ours. He asked us both to come to his dorm room
to sing some songs he Had written. At that time I was
just learning the guitar and writing my First songs. He
left to go to class and we stayed in his room, ate all
the chocolate cake in his room, talked about everything
involving love, life, and music, and sang together. Later
that night I called her and told her that I wanted to
start a band, and after long consideration (a couple of
hours) I thought that she should be my partner in crime.
Ellen, never aware of what she was getting herself into,
said, and I think this is a direct quote: "Um...Okay!"
MG:
How did you guys come up with the name Cats Like Angels?
Cat: We didn't know each other for that long, or
that well, when we had to pick a band name. So we brainstormed
by looking at newspaper headlines, magazines, and books.
We made a list of the quirky phrases and words that caught
our attention and asked our friends to pick the ones they
liked the best. "Cats Like Angels" is the title of a poem
by Marge Piercy, one of my favorite poets. It made the
list, and made the cut with a few others. I think the
runners-up were "Neurotic in July" and "Location Location."
I won't even tell you about the ones that didn't make
it!
MG: How much of the CD was
recorded "live" in the studio versus layering tracks?
Cat: What a great question!! The full band tracks
(just about all of them on the album) went something like
this: We recorded the drums and bass together while El
and/or I sang a reference vocal and played guitar. Later,
the actual guitar parts were recorded, and then the vocals
went on when the instrumentation was complete. Ellen and
I did a lot of vocal layering, sometimes singing together
and other times singing separately. Most of the tracks,
however, were unrehearsed, particularly Ellen's harmonies.
She has this great energy when she just goes for it! "Red
Shirt" is the best example of that. She was a little under
the weather that day, and had kind of a "here goes nothing!"
attitude. She did her entire harmony track in one take,
and at the end there was silence. Then all of us in the
booth jumped up and yelled "YES!! That was F'IN BRILLIANT!!!"
Of course, she couldn't hear or see us, so she was in
her box thinking "Oh great. They think it sucked. I kind
of liked that one!!"
MG: Besides you 2 (Ellen and
Melissa), who else contributed to the CD?
Cat: The list goes on and on. We L-O-V-E to collaborate
with our friends!! The most signifigant contributions
were made by John Murphy (drums) Mike Perez(bass) and
Bill Blue (all sorts of guitar and even some keyboards).
They comprised the studio band from start to finish. We
came to them with all acoustic songs that had never been
mixed with other instruments. So These guys basically
wrote the parts for our songs that made them what we always
heard them to be in our heads. In particular, Bill Blue
really blew us away with the lead guitar parts, melodic
riffs, and chord progessions that he added to our songs.
We also had an old college friend, Joel Richard, come
visit us from Boston to sing lead vocals on "This Heart
Of Mine" and to be the rude fan in "Red Shirt." Other
guest appearances include Randy Anagnostis from Amazing
CDs(keyboard) and Russ Gordon, my uncle, guitarist from
Blues Alley.
MG: What is your favorite
song on the CD?
Cat: At this point, it's hard not to hate them
all! Ha HA! Maybe you shouldn't print that!!! Really,
it changes daily. I love some songs because of the mix,
some for the instrumentation, some for the singing. I've
been listening to it endlessly for some time, so it's
impossible to be objective, obviously. I think "Set Free,"
which is an Ellen song, will always have a strong emotional
effect on me. So that's probably the one I feel closest
to today, as I answer your question.
MG: Funny you should say that,
"Set Free" is probably my favorite as well, it's very
heartfelt. A Great, Great song. What about you, Ellen,
what is your favorite song on the CD?
Ellen "Gato" Lalicata: That's a tough one, because
each song has something about it that makes it a favorite
of mine. But, if you're going to force an answer out of
me, I guess it would be a toss between "Red Shirt" because
of it's 'live' sound and the story behind it, and "I Was
The Well" for all the harmony layers put to the rhythm
of a simple drum beat, giving it a real beatnik-feel.
MG: Yeah, I thought that was
pretty cool, very creative. Now, what's the story behind
"Red Shirt"?
Gato: The Story behind Red Shirt... Once upon a
time, back when CLA was in it's humble beginnings and
only consisted of me and Melissa, we performed in a bar
for the first time. When we came to our "showstopper"
acapella version of Madonna's "Cherish", we no sooner
began singing when an enormous, completely drunk young
man took that as his cue to come up to us and start offering
his services as a drummer in my microphone while we are
singing! My adamant "no thank you's. We're cool man, it's
all right" didn't seem to please him, and he turned around
with his back to us and preceeded to remain there in all
his hugeness for the rest of our set, swigging his beer
and blocking our view of the audience and their view of
us. All we saw for the rest of our performance was his
big, red shirt! Thus lies the inspiration to our song,
and one of my favorites,"Red Shirt."
MG: Immortalized for posterity,
but for all the wrong reasons, ha, ha, that's great! As
a musician and songwriter, what inspires you?
Gato: Life inspires me. The fine art of living
and experiencing, and feeling the emotions of it all on
the deepest levels, fills me with the desire to write,
sing, and express myself through music. It is an outlet
for my soul.
Cat: Great songwriting inspires me. I have these
moments when I'm listening to some new music and I suddenly
have to turn it off and grab the guitar because I can't
stand it anymore. It's like I'm listening to the manifestation
of being in "the right place" to write, and the song has
taken me there. I love when that happens. From inside,
what inspires me most is the supreme, irrational, emotion.
I'm a very analytical person. When I can't make sense
of how I'm feeling, or reason myself out of feeling bad,
I can write in my journal about it for hours. When it's
all too intense and chaotic inside, a song comes out.
I think a lot of my songs don't make all that much sense
when I read them later on, because I'm expressing internal
conflicts and contradictions.
MG: At what age did you begin
playing guitar and singing? What drove you to it?
Cat: The first songs I ever wrote were when I was
in 2nd or 3rd grade. I think I had made them up in my
head before then, as a game to play. But around the age
of 8 or 9 I began to write them down and sing them into
my little tape recorder. I performed an original song
for my Brownie Troop around that age too. Why they didn't
whisk me off to Star Search, I'll never know!! I began
playing the guitar at age 18. I thought in college I'd
find guitarists who'd want to collaborate with a female
singer/songwriter and I'd be able to be an original musical
artist. I gave up at the end of my first year! Sick of
singing at open mikes a capella, I asked my boyfriend
to teach me, spent the summer learning, and came back
just in time to meet Ellen my Sophomore year. I don't
know what drove me to it. I don't think I was driven anywhere.I
feel like I was born here!
MG: Yeah, I certainly can
relate, I think "us" musicians are a different breed.
We certainly have an alternate perception of things. What
about you, Ellen, at what age did you begin singing? What
drove you to it?
Gato: I'd like to think I came into this world
singing! I know I started at a very young age. My mother
loves to sing, and so I'm certain she was my first real
influence. Singing just made me really happy, and as I
grew, I loved to try and emulate the voices of the radio
stars. And then, of course, came my introduction to Solid
Gold and MTV and the rest is history!
MG: Solid Gold! (Laughs) That
took me back, I remember spending many a Saturday Night
watching Andy Gibb and/or Rick Dees, and the Solid Gold
dancers, of course. But speaking of influences, who are
your main influences?
Gato: My favorite Cat, Melissa Mentus is a big
influence in terms of her writing style and her beautiful
voice. I've always idolized Stevie Nicks for her strong
voice, mystical presence, and poetic songwriting.....she
totally rocks! I've also admired Pat Benatar for the way
she could mix her rockin' edge with her classically trained
voice.
MG: Cat?
Cat: Well, of course Ellen. While we weren't working
together my songwriting suffered because I am just not
as inspired without her. The idea of her adding to my
songs changes the way I write them. We often joke about
the need for us to get out of each other's heads. When
it comes to song writing, though, I find it helpful! Other
influences: Ella Fitzgerald (she is perfect), Til Tuesday,
Crowded House, The Beatles (major songwriting influence),
and The Indigo Girls (I don't love the comparisons, of
course, but I can't deny hearing them for the first time
and knowing I too wanted a singing/guitar oriented/writing
partnership. They are masters of harmony).
MG: What are your hobbies?
What do you like to do with your time off?
Cat: Time off? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.... AAAAAAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
HA HA!!!
MG: (Laughs) All-righty Then.
Ellen, what are your hobbies? What do you like to do with
your time off?
Gato: HA! What time off?!?!? Well, if I'm not playing,
I like to go out and support other local music. I also
like to read, eat, sleep, exercise on occasion, go out
on dates, stay in and stuff myself silly with chocolates
and wine (especially if Cat stuffs her face with me)......
MG: Sorry, she has no time
for that… (Laughs). What do you think of the current U.S.
music scene?
Gato: I think that there are a lot of talented
local, independent musicians out there that are sadly
not getting heard and appreciated as much as they should
because of the huge monopoly the record industry has on
music and radio coupled with the disinterest the public
has in hearing and experiencing 'live' music that they've
never heard on the radio or seen on MTV. I think it's
definately time for a change, and if more organizations
like CONNcept* come about, we can make that dream a reality.
Cat: I love TLC. I love Matchbox 20. I wish there
was a little more pure pop/rock out there like No Doubt
and Matchbox. I like a lot of what's out there now, besides
the stuff that's geared toward the younger listeners (the
boy bands, teens, etc). I am tired of the carbon copies
of whatever is successful. Third Eye Blind has a hit so
a million singles from Third Eye Sound A-likes come out.
Sugar Ray releases the same song with a different name
every 4 months, so does Smashmouth. But I don't think
that's the "current U.S. music scene." That's been the
way "Hit Radio" has worked for a long time. I'm always
listening hard to find what's new and different but still
a naturally good song without contrived melodies and lyrics.
MG: I'll tell you what's new
and different, Cats Like Angels, coming soon to Mainstream
U-S-A!! Who would you like to work with in the future?
Gato: I have no idea. I'm just waiting for our
first CD release before I can think of future projects,
right now!
Cat: Well, Earth Bound New Breed** keeps threatening
to have us sing on their new recording project...
MG: Who?? (Laughs)… Speaking
of "new and different," the EBNB project will be a very
cool thing especially if you guys sing on it. But enough
of that, what lies ahead for Cats Like Angels?
Cat: There are probably a million possibilities,
all of which are very bright in my mind. One thing I am
sure of is that a long-lasting and enduring friendship
lies ahead for me and Ellen, and probably for us with
lots of the other great people we're meeting along the
way. We don't talk about "Getting There" as much anymore,
probably because we are enjoying this journey so much,
every step of the way.
Gato: Fame and fortune (of course, only after the
mandatory years of schlepping and barely scraping by while
determinedly pounding that road toward success)! Oh, and
I hope a really cool VH1 Behind the Music docu-drama!
(Laughs)
MG: Cool, I can be a consultant,
"Yeah, I knew them once, man! I was the 9th LIFE!! Hell,
I WAS THE RED SHIRT!!!"(Laughs) And speaking of CD's,
if we were to look in your CD player right now, what would
we find? What are you listening to these days?
Cat: I'm telling you the truth: Sitting in my 3
disk CD player right now is: The new TLC CD, "Fan Mail"
(Christmas present), Dixie Chicks ("Fly" their latest
one), and Vic Chesnut ("Is The Actor Happy?").
Gato: Today, you'd find a collection of U2's greatest
hits, Harry Connick, Jr., and Enya. Yesterday, you would
have found Tori Amos, and before that: Heart, 'Til Tuesday,
Fleetwood Mac, and Brian Setzer.
MG: Cool. Variety is good.
According to Ellen Lalicata, where do you see Ellen Lalicata
in 10 years?
Gato: God, that's a tough one. If 10 years ago,
anyone had asked me that same question, I would never
have guessed it in a million years! My life changes so
drastically from year to year, I can only wonder what
(or where) this next year will bring me. But, for the
sake of forecasting, I see myself successful in music
and part of an everflowing, high-energy lifestyle full
of excitement and adventure. And I see myself living wherever
that may be.
MG: According to Melissa Mentus,
where do you see Melissa Mentus in 10 years?
Cat: That really depends on a quite a few random
elements, really. I'm so happy with what I'm doing right
now that I'm not trying to build a better life for myself
that I will finally be able to enjoy 10 years from now.
I do see myself with a family, and most likely not performing
in smokey bars across the state all weekend long! I will
always perform and write music. In what capacity, full-time,
part-time, local, national, or international, I haven't
a clue. But I'm comfortable with writing each chapter
as I go. At least I can claim full authorship!
MG: And I really hope it happens
for you guys. And the hardest question, the one that we
ALWAYS ask (resistance is futile). If you were stranded
on a desert Island, and could only have 5 CD's to listen
to for the rest of eternity, what would they be?
Cat:
1. The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper
2. Ella Fitzgerald & Her Orchestra
3. Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits
4. The Very Best of Crowded House
5. Cats Like Angels: Validating John
Gato: Disc 1 & 2 of Fleetwood Mac's Box Set, Brian
Setzer Orchestra's - Dirty Boogie, Melissa Etheridge's
Similar Features, Peter Gabriel's Shaking the
Tree.
The House of Shred would like to
thank Cats Like Angels for their time. God Bless you gals
and See you at the Grammys!
Purchase a copy of Cats Like Angels - Validating John
at www.amazingcds.com
Check out the Official Cats Like Angels Website: www.catslikeangels.com
*Conncept - A Connecticut based
Collective for Independent Music: www.conncept.com
**Earth Bound New Breed - Melodic
Acoustic Rock: www.earthboundnewbreed.com
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