“Die Ungewöhnlichkeit dieses Albums beginnt schon mit der …überraschenden Faltkonstruktion… die klare Strenge der kraftvollen Stimme, die Lust an lang gezogenen Melodien und das ausatmende Tremolieren verleihen …etwas Opereskes… 007-Movie… Elektro Kammermusik… sehr puristisch … atmosphärische Elektronik…feine, ruhige Nachdenklichkeit … augenzwinkernd sexy als Live-Session vom Parkett gefegt …fast schon zum Tanzen, für die Schüchternen zum Fingerschnipsen…burlesquehaft mit Kabarett kokettierend…schwungvoll poppig… sehr komplex…mit nostalgischem Flair irgendwo zwischen Oper, Kabarett und Jazz…wie darstellerische Miniaturen auf einer Theaterbühne schwelgend. Als Publikum wäre hier ein gemischtes Volk viktorianisch gekleideter Gothic-Anhänger und experimentell eingestellter Steampunk-Jünger vorstellbar.” (Stalker Magazine)

„There are concept records and there are concept bands. German theatrical band Feline & Strange definitely fall in the latter category as every tiny detail of their mythos is carefully curated.“ (Speak into my good eye, USA)

On air: Interview und Liveperformance bei Radio Eins, RBB
„ureigene Art von Musik… eine Klanglandschaft, wie man sie noch nie zuvor erlebt hat…. diese Frau hat ordentlich Pfeffer im Hintern! … Electro, Soul, Cabaret, Steampunk, Burlesque und ein feines düsteres Flair machen hieraus etwas ganz Besonderes… abgefahrene Stücke…“ (Orkus – Dark Magazine)

First fan feedback:

“You keep on amazing  me with your musical talent. The  diversity in this album is astonishing. IMHO cabaret soul just scratches the surface but I have no better expression. Your music is broader and deeper. I cannot express why it appeals so much but it is like music of a floating world, sheer beauty.” 

DIARY

10/3 Jason contacts me via facebook. We have a loooooong Skype. – Did you think we had to consider? No: We confirm anything Jason offers us 😉 and decide who will go.10/6 Finding out which visa we need… a long story.
10/7 the first songs as drafts go into Jason´s Dropbox.
10/8 Jason´s flight to Berlin is booked. Our flights to Harrisburg are booked.
10/19 BRIAN VIGLIONE confirms recording date!
10/30 we go on tour, Jules Fantasy Markt. 17 Shows!!! in three days!

11/4 JASON IS HERE!!! we already talked for hours about music, and tomorrow we´ll start rehearsing.
11/5 First rehearsal. We literally did ALL songs, and already chose (more or less) those to go on the EP. (Doesn´t mean that I won’t write another during the flight or so.)
11/7 Show at 12Grad. Jason loves it! watch some of it in the video on top. we fool around afterwards. Jason carries the cello and feels like a coooool Berlin musician 😉
11/9 A day off. We visit the flea market, and I set up the Indiegogo campaign. Still some money missing…
11/11 I am in being-dragged-kicking-and-screaming-to-success-by-Jason-mood and have a very long talk with him about music. And I have to tell you: that´s one of the greatest hours in my life. I learn more about listening to music than in ten years before. And all the time, over all my doubts and I-want, Jason is the most amiable friend and counselor one could wish for.

11/13 Jason is off back to the States! He got his plane although my boys drove around the airport three times all the time arguing about where to park. Result: Jason just hops out and runs to gate. Umpf. Well, he sent a pic from London later, so he made it…

11/23 Off we go!! and have a (nearly) private jet on British Airways. 1st class across the Atlantic. Perfect start! – What was not so perfect: I actually OVERSLEPT in the morning and had to RUN to the airport.  Oh my….
11/24 It´s summer! For the moment at least. America is SO big, lots of space here, Europe feels cramped already… Jason is wonderful! Our host Michelle is wonderful! We raid a monstrous supermarket, and all-you-can-eat a TRUE AMERICAN diner. Whoa, THAT´s what a burger tastes like!

11/25 DRUM DAY. I can´t tell how excited I am. Waking up and thinking ohmygogohmygod, what did I do, I invited BRIAN VIGLIONE to play MY music. Where´s the hole to hide? Why on Earth did I do this? Then Brian arrives, I say something utterly facepalmy and he turns out to be the nicest person on Earth, and he loves playing our stuff. And man, how he does. Not a single stroke that is not perfect. Ideas I´d never dreamt of. And: a whole lotta Voodoo on Gettin´ angry as a special treat… Can´t wait to sing on this. Brian, thank you sooooo much. You´re a force of nature. – and did I mention, Tyler, Jason´s assistant, is wonderful, too?
11/26 Cello day 1: today we go to a violin builder and get a cello for Christoph. Will be a little cramped on the backseat with the four of us and the cello. And it´s winter, all of a sudden: snow wherever you look. I have a walk (they tell me later I was in the no-go area – didn’t see anything dangerous…) and find the perfect inspiration for cover, title, and overall story of this album. Surprise…
11/27 Thanksgiving! Everybody’ away with their families. We all alone in the studio. Rehearsal time! And in the evening we are invited for fresh Gnocchi – nomnom..! Thank you so much Michelle, you`re an angel!
11/28 BASS DAY 1. All bass guitar pieces are threwn into the stew, and Marc and Jason do impressive work together. Fun!!
11/29 Day off! Out of our basement, we go see Harrisburg, go to HERSHEY’s, see singing cows, yay!!, eat loooots of chocolate, and then to Troeg’s brewery, try Mad Elf beer. I get a Mad Elf T-Shirt. My alter ego. And in the evening: Watching FIREFLY at Jason’s and Lauren’s place. Perfect day!
11/30 I have the drum/bass raws now and go practice with my headphones. Geez, those songs have changed! Brian wrote “Rock Power” on the drumhead he signed for me – and now I know what he means…!!!
12/1 AAARGH! the Cello is broken, it makes a saw noise on every single note – oh my god. 24.000,- dollars, and was it us??? Nope – the bass bar is loose, the cello was simply too dry. We try to get another. Not so easy, as it turns out, that most of the cellos are dry – finally we take the one Jason preferred from the beginning. Shouldn´t we have learned that by now? 😉

12/2 The piano is not due until Sunday. What can we do with the free week? – GO TO NEW YORK CITY!!! It´s a 4 hours ride, if Tyler Garrett, Jason´s fabulous assistant, takes you in his rickety car. Thanks Tyler!! I´ll never forget my first view on Lower Eastside from up on a bridge.

12/8 Ok. We have some piano here! Time for the cello. Christoph plays 7 hours in a row, and then – it´s singing time!! What is bad about that: in the night our air bed got flat – we froze nearly to death and didn´t sleep more than a wink. I am sooooo tired and don´t want to sing on a record. But Jason coaxes me into trying, and what we get, is very soft, vulnerable, emotional version of HURT, and a very relaxed and cool SOMEBODY CALLED FOR YOU. Dunno if I could have done that when fully awake.
12/9 Cello/Voc day 2! Better sleep, warm and sound, and a non-stop creative session – even as Jason is called to a building emergency, and we have to go on with Tyler. Tyler, thank you so much! You are great, and you didn´t let me sit on my next-best. First person in a loooong time who not assumed that what I had done was, while better than most people´s maximum (sorry, but that’s not MY words), all that I could do, but just asked for more. And even more. Simple as that. We do TELLING ME, and I´m so proud.
12/10 Last Cello/voc day. We do it, Jason asks if we are done, I say yes. But I can´t sleep listening to the stuff. Now I know I can do better, and I WANT to do better.
12/11 So I start the day as Grumpy Cat. Until I get the chance to do another version of BIG ASS. After doing it twice, Jason says: “Nobody can outdo Brian Viglione. – You just did.” There´s still a session waiting for us – REAL WOMAN! We want to do it live, no overdubbing. We fail in the first two tries, then Christoph gets really angry and beats his Cello almost to death with the epic punky Blues version you will hear on the album now. Uncut.

12/12 Free time! We bring the cello back, then try some other American stuff we didn´t do yet – coffee shops, malls, and “organic” superstore Wegman´s. Lots of fun for tourists!
12/13 Time to go back… But not until the evening. So we get a private tour through Washington D.C. in the sunshine by Jason! – And then liftoff at Dulles Airport…
12/14 We arrive in Berlin`s late afternoon. And go to bed. What else?
12/15 Back to work … I try to keep up with all media profiles and start cutting the videos…! Still a lot of funding needed to release this album.

What finally happened:

MAYBE – a Broadway Piece. The Quote: Tyler: “Your -almost- is my -holy shit-!” about my last note 😉
TELLING ME – a paranoid electro punk with an awesome performance of Brian. The Quote: Jason: “That’ some ideas!” to Brian while we were sitting behind him, gaping. Jason: “My favorite vocal performance.”
STOP ASKING – even more paranoid, and resignating. And eerie, and epic, and disturbing. The Quote: Jason: “This song is soooo good.”
UNDER WATER – Eerie, soundscaped, and seducing. The Quote: Jason did the Blobs on this. With his mouth. no kidding. so the quote is: “BLOB.” And: Jason: “I hate people tapping on strings. But this is really cool.”
A REAL WOMAN – a live session with a ragged cello, and lots of fun. The Quote: Jason: “Some people will say it’s the best song on the record.”
CRY – Between 60ies Thriller and 90ies Industrial, this song is settled.
HURT – The Ballad. Piano and string. With a classical cello cadenza. The Quote: Jason: “There’s this girl crying in her room, and then you tell her to kick some ass.”
SOMEBODY CALLED FOR YOU – just some scales, and a story.
BIG ASS – CircusWeillPunk. The Quote: Brian: “I really like this song!” (I think that`s the best you can get out of him about music 😉 Jason: “No one can outshow Brian Viglione. YOU just did.” about my last vocal take.