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Cat Hall

Hall: With each co-writer, there is a different chemistry, a different dynamic; it flavors the music, and you can feel the connection between the artists when you listen to the end result. Paul is a blast to work with. I adore him and everything he works on. He's very easy to follow when working with him as a producer.

As Come to Mama is released as a solo effort, how would you say the music is more reflective of you as an artist? In other words, what makes Come to Mama more of a Cat Hall effort than the music you've made in your past bands?

Hall: Come to Mama was released as a solo effort, true. Paul wanted to release it and market it that way originally when it was recorded in 1998; it never saw the light of day until 2007. Paul served as co-writer and producer on the work. It was a completely different direction than Dissonance, and a different sound. I don't regard it as more 'Cat' than Dissonance was or Chlorophyll is. It's perhaps just a different side of 'Cat.'

Dissonance had disbanded after two albums, while Chlorophyll never had the opportunity to record a full CD, releasing only a few songs over the Internet. What happened to Chlorophyll, and will we ever see a release from this project? What is your relationship with Nebulae like now?

Hall: Chlorophyll actually is still working to complete our first album; we just completed another track, 'Lullaby.' This was a tough one, because Neb decided to write the music in 7/4 time. It took me longer than usual to write a melody that would complement the music. Expect to hear more great things from Chlorophyll.

Two of the songs on Come to Mama, 'Bitter' and 'Step Off,' were originally recorded for Chlorophyll, but have now been revised for your solo effort. What was it about these particular songs that you decided to redo them, and would you say their current incarnations are closer to how you originally intended them to sound?

Hall: Actually, Come to Mama came first, several years prior, so these were reworked and recorded with a different slant for Chlorophyll. Again, the flavor of the co-writer chemistry shows through. I played the solo stuff for Neb, and he really liked 'Bitter.' He wanted to put a Chlorophyll spin on it. I always liked 'Step Off,' so we decided to do a version of it as well. Each incarnation stands on its own as a separate recording.

Come to Mama was released on HAKATAK, the same label that released the debut Dissonance CD back in 1997. For a time, it seemed that HAKATAK had been defunct, but now it seems to be quite active again. Can you perhaps shed some light on the label's history, and why you've signed with them again after a decade?

Hall: HAKATAK is Paul's label. As he co-wrote and produced Come to Mama, it seemed very natural for it to be released on HAKATAK. I jumped at the chance to work with Paul again; he's one of the most amazingly creative minds I know, not just with music but with ideas and concepts as well. In my opinion, Paul is a creative genius. I am a huge Paul Robb fan. HAKATAK took a back seat while Paul worked on BSSM. He is a very prolific artist, though, and HAKATAK is the perfect way to release Think Tank and all the other pies Paul is baking.

Tell us about the title Come to Mama, and how it relates to the overall theme of the CD. The cover image is of a dominatrix-like figure seen from behind. How do all of these components come together to form the conceptual whole of the CD?

Hall: The music and message of the album were very aggressive, very controlling. The original cover art that Paul came up with was a close-up of a wasp's head. It was scary and cool and it drew you in. The dominatrix gives the same message, sort of, 'Come here right now and submit, or I will spank the bejesus out of you and you'll beg for more.'

So what do you have planned for the future? Will there be a full-length album following Come to Mama, and will we see you performing any live shows?

Hall: Come to Mama was very much studio work, and it was released several years after its creation. Still, a live show is a possibility. An album is a possibility as well. Recently I've been working on the Chlorophyll album; Neb and I will finish it this spring. Also this month, Kurt and Paul asked me to do guest vocals on a song for Information Society, 'Run Away' from the new release, Synthesizer. That's for when they came to Austin for a show at Elysium. It was a great show. I had a blast being on stage with InSoc's original lineup! I was quite an Information Society groupie back in the day; it's how Paul discovered Dissonance and decided to sign us to HAKATAK.