| Talena Atfield | |
| Background: | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| Birth Date: | 14 January 1983 |
| Instrument: | Bass |
| Genre: | Nu metal, industrial |
| Occupation: | Musician |
| Years Active: | 1999–2009 |
| Past Member Of: | Kittie, Amphibious Assault |
Talena A. L. Atfield (born January 14, 1983) is a retired Canadian bass guitarist and Indigenous persons historian of the University of Waterloo, best known as a former member of the heavy metal group Kittie.
Atfield grew up in London, Ontario, the elder sister of two children. At age 14, she received her first guitar as a Christmas present from her parents, inspiring her to play music later on. She cites Bon Jovi as an influence, as her parents introduced her to their music at age nine. Throughout her youth, she would float around memberships with various bands and gigs, but none would persist past a few gigs.[1]
Atfield had just about given up on playing in a band when she received a phone call from Mercedes Lander. Atfield was asked to replace local band Kittie as their bassist Tanya Candler had just left for "personal reasons". Talena had been a supporter of Kittie and was happy to join them so she learned how to play bass guitar in two weeks to go out to New York to film the video for "Brackish".
In 1999, Atfield joined Kittie to replace Tanya Candler on bass guitar. Although she did not play on Spit, the first studio album by Kittie, the cover art on later pressings was changed to represent her presence in the band. She performed on their second album, Oracle and the band's accompanying live appearances. During her tenure with Kittie, her primary equipment consisted of various ESP-LTD guitars and a BC Rich Custom Widow 5 string; these models would be revoked after quitting the band.
On March 21, 2002, Atfield left Kittie after creative disputes and an ultimatum over conditions of a newly written contract. She was replaced by ex-SPINE member Jennifer Arroyo. According to a message forum on kittie.net:
"I would like to clear something up, the money wasn't an issue for me and that was not the reason for my departure, they replaced me before I even left. They gave me an ultimatum, to sign something I was unable to sign because it did not benefit me in the least and did not give me control over myself, they said to sign it or leave because they had already found someone new to play bass. And that right there was enough for me to decide on, if they could replace me that quickly without even talking to me then they obviously didn't want me there anyways. They can state whatever reasons they want for me leaving. They don't even know why because they never even called me to talk to me about it, they had Jeff call me to tell me the news, and I am sure it makes them look better if I am a "money grubbing whore" or so they have been saying." -TALENA ATFIELD
Atfield was also a member of Fallon Bowman's Amphibious Assault industrial music project.
Atfield served on a judging panel for America's Hot Musician, a reality talent competition for instrumental musicians, alongside Duke Ellington Orchestra alumnus Gregory Charles Royal and National Symphony Orchestra violinist Marissa Regni. The show was to air on the Oxygen Network in July 2007. An attorney representing the current incarnation of Kittie served American Youth Symphony (producers of America's Hot Musician) a cease-and-desist letter for their use of clips from the band's video "What I Always Wanted" in the opening sequence of the show.
After retiring from the music industry in 2009, Atfield would go on to receive a doctorate In Anthropology at the University of Toronto, and currently specializes in Indigenous relations and history.[2] In a July 2022 interview with Media Relations, it is revealed that she is a member of the Kanien'kehá:ka Nation of the Six Nations of the Grand River, an Indigenous peoples society primarily based in Canada.