Appreciating the Legacy of Trish Doan

A few weeks ago, Louder published an article about the ten bands they would like to reunite in 2021, and top of the list was Kittie. Since Trish Doan passed away in 2017, it seems like the band has been unable to move on and make music. Maybe to them, it would be a betrayal to go on stage without their beloved late member, and they prefer appreciating the legacy of Doan by letting the band remain as it was when she died. Whatever the case, it is clear they cherished her. Let’s tell you more about Doan and her contribution to Kittie’s music.

Joining Kittie as a Bassist

According to Psychology Today, Kittie was formed in 1996 by four teenage girls: Tanya Candler, Fallon Bowman, Mercedes Lander, and her sister, Morgan. Heavy metal musicians had inspired the girls to form their own band because they wanted to be like those men they saw on the stage. They became so good that by 2000, they were signed to NG/Artemis and sold “Spit,” their first gold-certified album; for the young girls, the sky was the limit.

Unfortunately, Candler had to leave the band shortly after the release of the album to finish high school. Bowman followed later, leaving because she was unhappy with some of the things happening in the band. As a result, the band was left without a bassist and guitarist. They replaced the two, but there was a constant departure by the new members leaving the founding members Morgan and Mercedes as the only original members. Consequently, by 2005, there was room for a guitarist and bassist. Tara Mcleod joined as a guitarist while Doan became the band’s bassist.

According to Musician Tribute, Doan was born in South Korea, but the family moved to Canada when she was a child. Her love for music began when she was young because, at the age of 13, she could already play bass and guitar. She wanted to pursue a profession in the arts industry thus enrolled in Sheridan College, where she studied Media Arts specializing in film and television production. She graduated in 2006 with her diploma, having joined Kittie in August 2005.

Leaving the Band

The bassist helped Kittie release their digital EP “Never Again” in 2006 and their fourth studio album “Funeral for Yesterday” on February 20, 2007. She announced that she was leaving the band in mid-2007, and Ivy Vujic took up her spot after the band officially announced Doan’s departure. It was disclosed that Doan had battled an eating disorder, Anorexia-athletic-Nervosa, for two years. She had been private about it when she announced her departure, saying she left due to personal reasons.

According to The Headbanging Moose, Doan went back to live with her parents, where she spent some time recovering. Later on, she moved to Toronto and felt ready to go back to work because she sought employment in CTV. She was still not settled in her mind about returning to music because she moved to Australia hoping to try her luck in surfing while pursuing a degree. It appears that her dream of becoming a surfer did not work out, so she returned to Canada and began working for Corus Entertainment.

The last time she was in the studio with Kittie, Doan had used a Tobias Toby Pro 5 to record “Funeral for Yesterday.” She told Music Legends how much she loved the bass guitar’s gritty and dirty sounds. Despite the passion she had for playing musical instruments, she could not bring herself to play bass again after leaving Kittie. For the first two years after quitting the band, she barely touched the guitar and bass as she tried to come to terms with what was happening to her.

Rejoining the Band

Still, she could not give up on music, and when Kittie came calling after Vujic left the band in 2012, Doan was more than glad to jump back into the music scene. According to Metal Insider, Vujic said that after four years of touring and releasing two albums, she had to go on and do other things besides music. On the other hand, Doan could not hide how happy she was to be back with her “sisters,” who she had remained friends with despite quitting the band.

The two albums that Kittie had made in her absence were “I’ve Failed you” and “In the Black.” She was supposed to listen to them and start learning the songs as the band had already planned on touring that spring. When asked what her favorite album of the two was, Doan said that “I’ve Failed You” was the best, maybe because she felt like she had failed the band when they needed her the most. Unfortunately, not even rejoining the band would calm down whatever Doan was battling. She had kept her fans updated about the fight with depression. Also, she always wanted to renew her visa and stay in Australia but faced deportation despite doing everything right. The frustrations and depression must have gotten to her, and on February 11, 2017, she died. The cause of death remained unknown, but most fans speculated suicide.

Kittie Finding It Hard to Cope Without Her

She may be gone, but she will forever remain in the hearts of her friends and family, and most importantly, her former bandmates. According to Ultimate Guitar, Morgan said that they had tried to release another album, but everything had stagnated since Doan died. The founding member said they were working on legacy projects, but she could not make a new album. Morgan said releasing a new album is challenging without the late bassist. Since Doan died, it would be wrong to make an album for the sake of it; she wants to make music with her friends, and one is gone forever. Therefore, Doan’s legacy lives on, not necessarily through music, but in the memory of her friends.

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