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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Ghostcat
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 13 August 2009
A performer from an early age, Ghostcat frontlady Ali Cat grew up in Toronto with people who went on to form bands like Crystal Castles and Death From Above 1979. In 2003 she moved to London to work as a model and ended up living with a Kilburn-based “aspiring art collective”, where she met guitarist Dan Gamble and Ghostcat was born. Over time they gained members and drew in influences from bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Kills, the aforementioned Crystal Castles, Late Of The Pier and The Ting Tings to create a big pop sound. Their latest single, ‘This Is A Bust’, was released this week. We caught up with Ali to find out more.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
My mother plonked me down in front of a piano when I was just a toddler. Lessons followed, not just for piano but also violin, guitar and drums…not that I ended up being particularly accomplished at any of them. I could be considered a musical dilettante of sorts! I used to entertain my sister by making up silly little songs when we were very small, and I guess I wrote my first honest to goodness song at 14. I was a rather precocious child. I remember answering ‘musicians wanted’ ads at 13! In retrospect, it must have been pretty strange for any of the people whose ads I replied to; some little 13 year old girl insisting she wanted to be the singer in their band!
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
The whole album’s inspired by my checkered love life. Lyrically, it’s all in there.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
It varies. Things come to me sometimes, little snippets of vocal lines or a drumbeat, which I then convey to Dan and we proceed to flesh them out. Or he comes to me with a great riff. The best things assemble themselves in my head while I’m drifting off to sleep at night. Then it’s just a question of being diligent enough to sing them into the voice recorder function of my phone before I fall asleep and forget them entirely.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Within the band there are wildly differing musical tastes, so I can’t speak for anyone else. But I grew up worshipping at the altar of Madonna, definitely. And any other fiercely strong woman with a voice.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Q6 What are your ambitions for your album, and for the future?
Solid gold toilets, sleeping on a pile of money, groupies lined up round the block, all of the cliches, please! No, I just want to release the record, tour, repeat. That’s my idea of bliss. I suppose in some respects I am easily satisfied!
MORE>> www.myspace.com/ghostcatmusic
