Dig your claws into the ’80s-style pop of Kitten next week in Santa Barbara

Written on February 19, 2011 – 3:28 pm | by Cameron Hussey

The new cat on the block, clearly not the caterwauling tomcat-with-issues variety, but the fresh-faced feline that is Chloe Chaidez and her band Kitten, will open for Young the Giant during a rare all-ages show at Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara on Thursday night. In cat years, Chaidez is a toothless geezer of 112 asleep in front of the fireplace, but in people reality, she’s a 16-year-old girl who’s been around. And around.

Not a mall mouse Twittering her good years away or even a cool cat sleeping 20 hours a day, Chaidez has been out and about playing for years. Her band got signed to Atlantic and the group is trying to sell a few copies of its debut five-song EP, “Sunday School,” which includes one tune, “Kitten With a Whip,” that’s also the name of a long-ago film on Ann-Margret’s résumé. The band is working on a full-length album.

While too many 16-year-olds are stuck for an answer when you say, “Hello,” Chaidez has done lots of stuff and had stuff to say. Even better than talking about music, she has a great singing voice and seems to be channeling such ’80s bands as Missing Persons and their dynamic front gal, Dale Bozzio. Some people will do anything to avoid the drama that is high school. Meow, man.

How’s the Kitten biz?

It’s all right.

Why Kitten and not Puppy or Pony?

‘Cuz I don’t like dogs, but ironically, I don’t like cats either.

Wow. Wait a minute, so you don’t have a cat?

Well, actually, I do and we just found out that he’s HIV-positive, which is kind of unfortunate, but yeah, I have a cat.

Tell me a cute cat story.

Well, when I’m on the computer, he gets all over the screen and cat-searches funny things on Google.

Cats do seem to have an innate anti-literacy campaign because they try to interrupt anytime you’re reading. I only ask these feline questions because I’m a cat person and there are never enough cats. That’s why I like your band already and also the Stray Cats, Cat Power and As Tall As Lions, but not the Cat Heads. So how long has there been Kitten?

A year and a half.

You’re only 16. How long have you been doing this?

Actually, since I was 10. I had a band

10!? 10!? Jeez — what grade were you in when you were 10?

I think it was fourth grade — we played the school fun fair.

Wow. OK, so you’re still in high school?

Yeah, I’m a sophomore but I’m actually home-schooled due to our touring schedule. It got a little too hectic, so yeah, I have a tutor.

Explain the nightly logistical situation to me: You’re 16 and playing in a bar. How does that work out? You do play in bars, right?

We do play in bars; that comes with the job. Either the club is cool about it or else I have to wait outside before I play and then come in 15 minutes before we play and set up, play, then leave.

Is everyone in the band underage?

Well, actually, no — two of the members are over 21 and two are under.

What’s it like playing for people that are drinking and/or drunk — not like high school, I hope?

(Laughs.) You know, it comes with the job but it’s usually a rock ‘n’ roll concert, you know?

You grew up after MTV quit showing music, so what’s your favorite TV show?

Hmm I really like “Dexter.” The whole band likes “Dexter.” I also really like the show “So You Think You Can Dance,” which is really embarrassing.

So at your age, you’ve never been to a record store and bought an album? You’re in the digital age.

Yeah, everything’s digital, but actually, I live near Amoeba in L.A. so I go there a lot.

Did your drummer Max’s connections help you guys get along in showbiz? His dad, Greg Kuehn, is in TSOL, right?

Actually, they really didn’t. His dad still plays in bands — he’s not really the music connection guy, but mostly just a musician so that didn’t really play into the whole signing.

What was your big break then? How did Kitten get on Atlantic Records?

I used to do an open mike for this guy that owned a wine bar and someone there saw us who knew a bunch of record-company people. One thing led to another and Atlantic ended up flying me to New York.

Was it the band or just you?

At that time, it was just me. I had a band but I was the one meeting with the record companies and later they met with them as well.

Who goes to see Kitten? Are most of your clientele still in high school?

Yeah, there’s teenage girls and lots of surprisingly older people as well. I don’t know how they hear about us, but they do. There’s a pretty huge age difference.

How do teenage girls react to you? I’m thinking they love you

Um, hopefully, yeah. But high-schoolers? I just mostly try to talk to them as friends. We don’t really jump into how it is to play shows in bars; we just talk about music and things like that.

What was your strangest gig?

I actually used to play on the subway a lot with the band underground. I played in San Francisco and I played in Hollywood — those were interesting shows if you call them shows.

Despite your young age, you sound like a hardened rock ‘n’ roll road dog and nothing surprises you anymore.

Yeah, I’ve been doing this for a while, but once I did play this gig at a dive bar in San Francisco for some mentally disabled people, so that was another really strange gig.

Yeah, no doubt. So what does the band sound like?

I’d say post-punky ’80s pop.

Which female singer or singers knock you out? Was there one special one that made you think, “Wow, I wanna do that!”

I really like Sinead O’Connor.

With hair or without?

Without, definitely.

Where did you find that “Kitten and the Whip” song?

1960s Ann-Margaret.

Yeah, it’s a movie.

I’m not sure if anyone catches that — probably again, the older crowd might understand where that came from.

Music For Teenagers