Kitty Craft Interview

From the flower patch to the main stage, Kitty Craft is back and better than ever

Courtesy of Pamela Valfer and Takotsubo Records

Kitty Craft, musical pseudonym of Pamela Valfer, was once a local enigma who has risen to internet stardom almost 30 years later. Hailing for Minneapolis, her sample-heavy, nostalgic lo-fi trip-hop beats and melancholic yet enchanting vocals debuted on a small 1994 S/T cassette release, complete with iconic collage j-card artwork. She went on to release two 7” EPs, It’s Stupid and I Got Rulez, in 1995 and 1997 respectively. Finally, a full length album, titled Beats & Breaks From The Flower Patch, was delivered in 1998, with a sophomore album, Catskills, following close behind in 2000. After a long break from making music to continue her visual art pursuits, her albums eventually made their way to streaming quietly in 2019. However this, combined with the rise of TikTok, attention from social media music blogs, and the idiosyncrasy of her craft gave her newfound success. She returned to performing last year after a 20-year hiatus, and has been traveling throughout the year to bring her music to stages across the country. I had the privilege of sitting down with Ms. Valfer to discuss her various projects, analog gear, her return to music, and her upcoming tour:

I wanna talk about the rise of your music in recent years and how social media played such a big role in recent years. Did you expect that kind of reaction to your music once you put it out there?

Straight up, no. I really [put it out on streaming] because the music just wasn't available. I walked away to do other pursuits, [but] this whole sort of machinery of online media came to be. I was like “people should hear it, right?” So I did it more just to have availability, and it has been such a pleasant and heartwarming surprise at the positive response it's received.

What do you think brought back your music besides for social media? I know there was some traction in 2019, right before TikTok became what it is right now. Was there anything else that played a role in the Kitty Craft comeback?

If I knew that answer, I would write a book and retire. I think it became this word of mouth thing. I started noticing that people were blogging about it and were like “why does no one know about this?” It just became this real grassroots, kind of underground thing that I didn't have much of a hand in.

What kind of audience did you have back then, and what's it like now? Has it changed or have you noticed the same types of people gravitating towards your music? 

Back in the day, I never really toured as much as I do now, so I didn't have as much one-on-one interaction with fans and people who enjoy the music. I would say [my fans are] contemporaries, it was just 20 somethings in the day. Again, I just didn't have that kind of immersion enough to know [them]. So I think this time around, I've really gotten to know the people that are responding to my music. 

Can you talk about the success you found early on in Japan? How did your music make its way over there? 

Back in the day, I did something called a licensing deal, which means that you don't sell your music outright. So I retained all the rights, which means that I could find different record labels in different areas of the world and they'd be like, “hey, we wanna put [your release] out.” For that territory, they would [maybe] have 3, 5 or 7 years to put it out and release it. So I ended up doing a licensing deal with a label in Japan called Rock Records. They set up the whole promotional side of things and that’s how it got out there.

Cassettes played a pretty big role in your start as Kitty Craft. I'm sure you've seen there's been a little resurgence in physical media. How do you feel about that comeback?

I think it's awesome. I get it, because the pendulum swings back, right? Everybody is longing for that physical, tactile experience of having something in your hand - the warmth of tape versus, warmth of vinyl, you know what I mean? You probably don't remember, but getting up and having to flip the tape was just a bummer. But then, they made tape players that would automatically flip from A side to B side, which was awesome.

They gotta bring that back. I haven't seen any of those. 

Keep your eyes peeled at thrift stores and stuff, you might be able to find one. Look at estate sales.

Do you find yourself at estate sales a lot, for the purpose of making music? I know you can find some really cool old analog gear that could be good for creating and performing. 

I loved thrifting [and going to] estate sales from the day that I could get around in a car. I feel like the biggest danger [in thrifting] is going in looking for something. You'll never find it, you gotta walk in blind and just [leave it up to] fate. I just went to one on Saturday and my boyfriend found these beautiful, high-end 1980s speakers, and they had like the most ridiculously cheap price and were already half off. 

You started out in Minneapolis. There is a lot of really great, lowkey music coming out of the Midwest which I feel like can get very overlooked. What was the Minneapolis art scene and music scene like and how did that inspire you when making Kitty Craft? 

I think the one thing about growing up in Minneapolis is there was always a lot of societal, cultural appreciation of the arts. There’s always a lot of money put toward artistic programs and museums. For the visual arts field, there was the Walker Art Center, which was a huge benefit to not only myself, but every freakazoid growing up in the Midwest because it was contemporary art. I will say pretty passionately that it's one of the best contemporary art museums, and I put it up against anything in New York and any cutting edge artists from Europe. [It gave us access to] things that we wouldn't normally have access to. It had a real global perspective that I think really shaped my tastes, so I feel really blessed to have had that in my backyard. As for the music scene, to be honest, I don't know what's really going on now since I don't live there anymore. Back in the day, there was a very rich history of musicians coming out of Minneapolis, all the way from Prince to Soul Asylum to Babes in Toyland. Lots of real rich history, and I feel really lucky because when I was coming up, it was a really creative time; there were a lot of great local bands. There’s just a lot of energy there. Even though it was this little dot in the middle of the Midwest up by Canada, it had a real plugged-in vibe. I think the unfortunate side is that it is geographically isolated, which does limit some opportunities. It's really difficult. I think the people that did really well, at least in the visual arts, tended to move outside of the city for a period of time - to Europe or New York or LA or what have you - and then would move back and bring their connections. I think when Kitty Craft came [about] the first time, there was a lot of attention and energy in Minneapolis, so I felt like it was on the radar. There’s always like a light in the dark, right? And I think that the good side of it is that it just became this little nest of experimentation. You can really kind of develop your art in a way that you don't feel so pressured about it. It allows you to take risks. It allows you to develop things and experiment. 

How is it now in California? California's very known arts and music, is there anything that you found easier to do over there or you preferred in Minnesota's art scene? 

I love LA. I really feel like this is my adopted home and I feel very welcomed. LA can be intimidating [though]. In terms of the creative arts, there's so many scenes - you have to go out and find art. For the visual arts, there's so many galleries, so many little pockets of art scenes; you gravitate towards the ones that you like, respond to the work, and feel a simpatico with what's going on. You find your tribe. Musically, I have no idea what's going on, to be completely honest. I was really drifting through the music scenes, which was kind of interesting [when] getting back into music. I was like “I don't know how to book a show, I don't know who to talk to.” By the time I was thinking “oh, maybe it'd be cool to put a set together and play it,” my boyfriend who helps me with some stuff was like “I don't know who to talk to either”. [I was wondering] if we rented, say a 50 seat theater, would people want to come? I'd be surprised if 10 people would wanna come. Then, a booking agent reached out and was really interested in working with us, so we bypassed the part of figuring out who to talk to, [so] I feel really blessed. I'm working with Minty Boi and they've been really lovely and incredibly supportive. 

You have a history as a visual arts teacher, and collaging was such an important part of your imagery, and you do a really great job crafting imagery in your lyrics and even in the way you just describe your music in your promo. I think people are starting to see the importance of like visuals with social media and music videos making a comeback. Can you talk about the role that visual artwork has played in your music? 

I would say that the one thing for me, both in my visual artwork and in my music, is that I'm inspired by things that exist in the world. I'm inspired by juxtapositions and relationships, how two things go together. In a way, I almost don't see myself as like an artist, I see myself as like a visual DJ and a musical DJ, taking these things that exist and sort of recombining already existing things. 

What inspired you to make this unique blend of music, making lofi hip-hop beats and singing dream pop vocals over them?

[I just] make music that I wanna listen to. It sort of became this hybrid of different things that I enjoy listening to. I enjoy a consistent, rhythmic vibe, which some could say [has a] trip-hop, hip-hop backbone to it. At the same time, I've always had a fascination with harmonies; as a kid, I loved Simon and Garfunkel. There’s a lot of things at play in terms of the music that I've enjoyed listening to throughout my life. I think that's how I arrived at it. 

If you could make any genre that you don’t make right now, what would it be? 

I have things that I think would be cool to explore. As much as I have made music a certain way, as I'm getting back into it, I’m re-exploring what that can look like. Nothing’s off the table this time. There’s things that I like listening to, but I don't necessarily know if they are going to feel right on me. It’s like clothing: there's a lot of styles, but when you put them on your own body, you're like “oh my gosh, this does not work.”  I'm in a state of experimentation; I'm playing with loops, I'm playing with beats, I'm playing with guitar, I’m trying to find the new thing. [As for] what I did before, [I’m] not saying that that's not there. That’s still a passion, but I'm just trying to find the 2.0. So, I don’t know - ask me in a year!

I would never ask you to share the secret sauce behind your samples, but there is an art form to picking the right sample just as making the music itself is. Can you talk about the importance of picking the right sample? 

Again, I think I am drawn to mellow things that have a melodic thing underneath. Everything I'm drawn to [has a] certain chord progressions. I hadn't realized until recently, as I am prepping these songs for live shows, how yacht rock [the songs] are. I might have the sensibility of [someone from] 1974.

Why did you go on hiatus? Was it just to pursue the visual arts or were there other factors at play?

I think what led me away [from music] was a personal gut check. There was this real, internal resistance to wanting to be in the studio.  I couldn't explain it. It felt like real work and there was no real joy. So, I had to listen to that internal compass - among other topical things that were going on - but I pay a lot of attention to my internal guide, same with visual art. I've had a big shift in my visual art from product-making to more post-studio things, and that process took a long time. And again, it was that same gut feeling, that same internal compass that led me there. I've just had to listen to it and bear through the pain. 

What drove you back into music, to upload it on streaming?

It was sort of that offhanded comment by [boyfriend] Garrett that I didn't have anything on streaming, and I was like “well that's so smart.” Because [the music] is something I'm proud of, and to make it available to people for free online seemed really like the right move. Then, I really think what got me back into making music was the outpouring of appreciation and  respect for it. It has been so meaningful and made me re-look at it as a form of communication.  I don't have that feeling in my stomach [anymore]. It’s feeling right. I'm excited by it. I don't know if I would be if I continued. I really feel like there was some kind of divine intervention or something that told me to walk away.  The one thing that I've learned throughout the years is that you have to sit with the feeling of uncomfortableness to figure out if it's a momentary uncomfortableness or a soul's journey shifting.  I think the journey would be very different [had I continued], so in a way, I’m a new band, [especially to] people  who've never heard me. It just has a different energy, and maybe I'm just not so jaded anymore. It's fun again.  I've always hoped and wanted my art to be some sort of change agent in a positive way. I'd be remiss if I didn't look at this as a reasonable, if not exciting way, to express desire. 

What has it been like playing live in 2024-2025? With music like yours, the set up can look so many different ways. I'm curious what the reaction has looked like as well?

I think the reaction's been pretty good. If people hate it, they certainly haven't been telling me. It’s kind of like the best of both worlds right now - there's an honestness and a real interest and nuance to the backing tracks. So, I was thinking of a hybrid of the backing tracks while also making it a complimentary live experience where it's still the song that you recognize, but not so far out of left field. I always make a joke about adding tin drums or something -  I feel like I saw a famous musician do that once and I was like “aw man.” The guitars to me feel supportive of the backing tracks rather than it being a guitar forward project [when performed] live. I hope it's hovering right in that in-between-area of [creating] a more filled out version of what exists [rather] than making something that would be entirely new. 

What’s next for Kitty Craft besides for the tour? 

I’m looking at playing some more shows. We haven’t been to certain places, so we are looking at Colorado, Arizona, and Florida. Starting this summer, I’ve been working on recording new music and I'm just gonna keep hammering away at that. I'm also doing a project with David Rentz, the head of the choral group at Chaffey College, the college I work at - I'm translating Kitty Craft songs into acapella chorus songs. I’m hoping there will be a live performance of that in May, and we'll see where it goes. [Maybe] there's an opportunity to continue adding that into live shows. There’s a lot of possibilities that I'm excited about!

Anything else you want to promote?

Just come out to the show [on October 29th]! We just moved from the back room to the main room, so there are more tickets available right now. I’d love to see you there! It’s gonna be a lot of fun.

For tickets and details on the upcoming Kitty Craft show in Carrboro, visit https://catscradle.com/event/kitty-craft/cats-cradle/carrboro-north-carolina/.
To keep up with Kitty Craft, check out the links below:

Bandcamp | Vinyl & CD | Spotify | Apple Music | Instagram | TikTok