von ness, catherine v.

[CATHERINE VON NESS!]

catherine victoria von ness ,

[/size]
TWENTY FOUR. CAT. VOCALS AND KEYBOARDS. HETEROSEXUAL. THE PHANTOM AGONY[/font]

independent . vulnerable . soft spoken

turned up, in this old place again,
can't seem, to get away,
take me back to my element,
i'm afraid

[/i]

LIGHTS → HEAVY ROPE

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]
____________________________________

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/size]
____________________________________[/center]

So we are very lucky to be able to sit down with the lovely, the talented Catherine Von Ness of The Phantom Agony! How are you doing today, Catherine?
Great, thanks! I'm happy to be here. Feel free to call me Cat, by the way. Catherine's a bit of a mouthful.

Sure thing, Cat. So The Phantom Agony are on tour yet again! What do you do to prepare for such long stretches on the road?
There's a few things I do. I usually stay with my parents for a few days, just to catch up with them, and so I don't have to try and remember to ring them everyday. Although a lot of the time, I email them, just to let them know what's happening. I tend to eat healthier while preparing for touring, just because eating healthy while you are on the road is a little more difficult. Especially when the guys stash junk food all over the bus. I also try to get more sleep before we leave for tour because exhaustion's no fun at all. Apart from those little things, not a lot, really... [laughs]

So both your older brother and little sister are on the same tour as you at the moment. What's that like?
It's... interesting. [laughs] No, I'm kidding. I love it. We're lucky to be able to do it. We grew up quite close, and now that we are all able to travel together, doing the thing we love so much, it's pretty awesome. Not to mention, it lets me keep an eye on the little one and her boyfriend. [wiggles eyebrows]

Haha, indeed. So, we were talking about this earlier... Exactly how many instruments do you play?
[laughs] Oh, geez. How many don't I play? [is silent for a moment, thinking] Well, there's piano, obviously. I can also play the organ, which I think counts as another instrument? I learned violin when I was younger, but I'm a bit rusty, it's not as easy as it could be if i still practiced. Same with the cello. And I can play guitar. [nods] Does vocals count as an instrument? If so, then that's... [counts on fingers] six. [smiles modestly]

Wow. That's a lot.
No kidding. Aha.
Now, we know you studied classical music at university. What is it that made you want to do so?
To be honest with you, I can't really tell you. I've always loved classical music, even since I was little, so learning and then going on to study it seemed natural. I really enjoyed it, though. The course I did probably wasn't for everyone, even my little sister dropped out, but for me, it was perfect. I adored every minute of it.
And your studies obviously went on to influence The Phantom Agony's sound?
Oh, definitely. After all that studying, it would have been impossible not be influenced by my growing love for classical music. It's really poetic, and I love bringing something similar (because it's not nearly as good as actual classical music) into modern music. I feel like not enough people appreciate it, so I want to open their eyes. Broaden their horizons. [snorts and then laughs] God, I sound like a tool.

Not at all! It's rather lovely. What's your favorite part of being in The Phantom Agony?
Ooh, tricky question... Probably the fans. No, actually, definitely the fans. Being told that I changed somebody's life, no matter how small, that's amazing. I feel so honored that all these people around the world can listen in and be impacted by something I wrote, we wrote I should say, is really touching. Not to mention the hundreds of messages we get from people who say our music's saved them. Of course, I like to think that they were the ones who saved their selves, but the fact that they feel like our music's given them the motivation to do so is incredible. There's no words to describe how it makes us feel. And it makes me want to do more, to write more music, to be more in touch with the fans. So... yeah. What was the question again?

Never mind. You answered perfectly. Now there have been allegations...
Oh? [laughs]
Aha, yes. About you claiming the band is yours, that you do most of the work, etc.
[laughs] Not true. At all. Either my words were taken out of context, or... [thinks for a moment, then shrugs] I don't know. The media seems to have this habit of singling the frontwoman, or man, of a band out, and stating that they are the band. They are the figurehead, the only one that matters. And it's annoying. I'm sure the other guys in the band are just as irritated with the fact I get a lot more press attention than they have combined. I mean, I don't suppose you guys invited them here for an interview, am I right?
I, uh, well... [shifts uncomfortably]
Exactly. So while I may have been the one to recruit all of the guys and convince them years and years and years ago that forming a band was the right way to go, we are very much a band, and are a single unit. I hate it when people pick us a part...

Right. Okay, then. What do you do in your free time?
Hmm... I love movies. Not so much recent ones, but old school ones. The Golden Age of Hollywood ones. Film noir, westerns, musicals... they're all amazing. My favorite movie is Breakfast at Tiffany's, and it's actually part of the reason my nickname's Cat... I'm also a huge Burton fan! But yeah, I watch a lot of movies. It's my dream to compose a soundtrack for one in the future. Don't know if it will ever happen, but it's something to aim for. [laughs]

Oh, I wouldn't count yourself out just yet. Unfortunately, though, that's all the time we have. Be sure to check out The Phantom Agony on the All Out of Hardcore Tour. And thanks for coming in, Cat!
No problems. Thanks for having me! [waves]

[/justify]

____________________________________

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[/size]
____________________________________

MY NAME IS HALO, I AM EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD AND HAVE BEEN ROLE PLAYING FOR EVIF YEARS. I FOUND THIS SITE VIA ALICE THEY'RE AWESOME!

[/font][/justify][/blockquote][/center]