KITTIE Returns to ShipRocked, Bassist Bails for Family Drama!
In a shocking twist that sent shockwaves through the cruise ship metal community, Kittie performed aboard ShipRocked 2026 while their bassist, Ivana “Ivy” Vujic, prioritized something called “family” over rocking out on a floating paradise. Sources confirm Ivy chose actual human relationships over playing “Brackish” to sunburned metalheads for the fifth time that week. The audacity!
Filling Ivy’s Doc Martens was Rachel Gonzales from NEON KNIGHTS, proving that when Kittie needs a last-minute replacement, they just grab someone from the Vegas phonebook. Kittie announced Ivy’s absence with all the enthusiasm of someone explaining why they can’t make their cousin’s birthday party: “Family always comes first, and she’s honoring a prior family commitment, something we fully understand and support.” Wow, such compassion from a band that once sang about spitting on people.
The cruise itself sailed from Miami to various tropical destinations where attendees probably questioned every life choice that led them to pay premium prices to see the same five bands perform multiple times while battling motion sickness. ShipRocked 2026 featured Carnival Horizon navigating to Half Moon Cay, Celebration Key (Carnival’s private island where they charge $15 for a bottle of water), and Nassau, where attendees likely spent more time in port bars than watching bands.
Meanwhile, Kittie’s drummer Mercedes Lander revealed the band’s dramatic reunion story, which apparently involved ignoring Live Nation emails until they became so persistent it was like having a clingy ex. “We could not ignore the e-mails from Live Nation in our inbox any longer,” Mercedes explained, making the band sound like they begrudgingly agreed to a reunion because they were too polite to keep saying no. The horror of being asked to play festivals repeatedly until you finally cave!
The band’s comeback snowballed from playing “a couple of shows” into recording “Fire,” their first album in 13 years, which somehow involved working with dream-team producers Nick Raskulinecz and Josh Wilbur. Because when you’ve been ignoring festival promoters for months, obviously the next logical step is to sign a record deal and make an entire album. That’s just basic rock math.
Since reuniting, Kittie has experienced what industry insiders call a “remarkable resurgence,” accumulating 920,000 monthly Spotify listeners across demographics that probably include both original fans who remember when dial-up internet was cutting-edge and Gen Z kids who discovered the band through TikTok algorithms. Their performances at major festivals including Sick New World, Welcome To Rockville, and Sonic Temple have demonstrated the band’s enduring live power, proving that nothing says “we’re still relevant” like playing the same festivals as every other band that took a 10-year nap.
The band recently released “Spit XXV,” celebrating their debut album’s 25th anniversary with re-recorded versions of tracks that presumably sound exactly like the originals but with more expensive microphones. The original “Spit” transformed Kittie from four Canadian teenagers into international heavyweights, achieving gold certification with over 660,000 U.S. sales during nu-metal’s completely male-dominated peak era. Take that, Fred Durst!
“Fire” reached No. 13 on U.K. Rock & Metal Albums charts and No. 20 on Billboard Top Album Sales, while single “We Are Shadows” became the band’s highest-charting song on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart at No. 20. The album earned the band a 2025 Juno Award nomination for “Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year,” proving that Canada rewards bands who eventually answer their emails.
Looking ahead, Kittie promises more festivals, possible headline tours, and maybe even new music, “just for fun.” Because nothing says rock and roll like casually mentioning you might write songs while planning your festival circuit. Stay tuned for their next groundbreaking announcement: Kittie might actually practice before their next show!
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
