Boa Madrugada, GbD!

It’s time for yet another Mursday.

This time I am going to be talking about the super talented Valiant Vixens (that be their facebook page yo, be sure to become a fan!). I found them long before they became vixens. To be quite honest I am beginning to think I imagined all of this – because I swear I found them by looking up Take Me or Leave Me on youtube, and found a video of Ms. Mishi Alexandra (whom I swear is an Amber Tamblyn look alike.. it can’t be just me, right?!) and Ms. Kate Sloan doing their own little version in the very same kitchen you’ll see in their videos. Except I cannot find that anymore (nor can I find their version of the love medley from Moulin Rouge – again – I swear it was there before!)… so, it might have been just a figment of my imagination… but I am just hoping it was deleted and will one day resurface – ‘cos it was pretty awesome! Anyway – I contacted them with  my Mursday status (gotta love that) and asked if they’d be willing to do an interview.. nice as they were they agreed, yay! So I got my two minions (Taylor & Binks) to do a set of questions with me, and ta da! The Vixens, as we started calling them, even did special videos of  two of their originals just for us (and might I add, Hot Tamale is still stuck in my head). So, without further ado…. The Valiant Vixens !

1. How did you meet each other?
   We met in first grade, when we used to play games of pretend, such as Phantom of the Opera, Mulan, & Harry Potter.
2. How did you get into music?
   Kate: I joined a choir as per my music teacher’s pleas.
   Mishi: I also joined a choir, & took piano lessons.
3. Why do you like to play music?
   Because it makes us & others feel good. Because it’s a bonding activity. Because we always have.
4. What do you love most about creating your music?
   K: I love the idea of making something that would never have existed without us.
   M: It’s also an enjoyable bonding experience for the two of us.
5. How do you feel after you have a finished a song?
   Satisfied. Like finishing a lemon tart eaten with two forks, except more productive & less fattening.
6. What inspires you?
   K: Jazz piano, cupcakes, 1950s housewives, tiny cafés, Olivia Wilde, first dates, first kisses, Craigslist missed connections.
   M: Rainy days, classic literature, sweet spring romances, contact improv, Oscar Wilde, black ink on white paper, Bond girls.
7. Do you guys have any idols… anyone you look up to? Music wise or in general?
   K: Regina Spektor, S. Bear Bergman, Bryce Kulak, Violet Blue, Jeffrey Kuhn, Stephen Sondheim, Tegan & Sara, James Gangl, Charles Bukowski.
   M: The Dalai Lama, Gandhi, Oscar Wilde, David French, Mike Knight, Antonio Banderas, Heath Ledger, Michael Finnigan, Waldo, Errol Flynn, Alfred Tennyson, Sir Walter Scott, my father.
8. Who writes the songs, and who does the melody?
   We both write both music & lyrics together.
9. What do you want to do later on in life? Still music? Or music as just a hobby? Or perhaps something different?
   M: I want to be a performer. I’m into acting, dancing, singing, & stage combat. I’m also very into English literature, so I’d like to perhaps teach that at some point.
   K: I’d love to go into music. I also love writing, from fiction stories to love poems to blogs, so I might try to do that. & I want to educate girls about sexuality so they can own their bodies & make good choices.
10. What is something you’re passionate about besides your music?
    M: Fashion/style, reading, writing, environmental sustainability.
    K: Writing of all sorts, photography, internet media, street fashion, sequins & cashmere.
11. International women’s day is on this coming Sunday – which women do you look up to?
    M: Gala Darling, Pocahontas, Loreena McKennit, Laura Secord, Dita von Teese, Isabella Blow, George Eliot, Iris Apfel.
    K: My mom, Carole Pope, Nellie McKay, Betty Dodson, Tricia Royal, Katherine Moennig, Ellen DeGeneres, Glenn Close.
12. What other instruments do you play, and do you wanna learn to play something else?
    M: I used to play piano. I’d like to learn the Celtic harp.
    K: I play piano, guitar, & ukulele. I used to play violin. Next I want to learn the clarinet.
13. How did you come up with your band name?
    We made a short film about two international spies, Vivian von Venom & Veronica Virgo. We dubbed them The Valiant Vixens. When it came time to name our band, we kept going back to that name.
14. And we saved the best for last: coke or pepsi?
    NEITHER!
    M: Earl grey tea with cream.
    K: A tall glass of orange juice.

ps. don’t forget to check more of their videos HERE.