Pet Sounds #59: Flummox’s Love for Their Pets Is Unwavering
When The Bad Penny caught up with Flummox front woman Alyson Blake Dellinger in April via video chat, she was in her comfort zone: Hanging out with her cats and wearing a cat ears headband in solidarity with her feline friends. The Nashville-area multi-instrumentalist was clearly in her happy place, but her smile was set to grow even bigger come Friday, with the release of the latest album by her bizarro heavy-rock/psych/funk/jam band, Southern Progress.
The experimental band describes itself as creators of “genre-fluid sounds for the strange & nocturnal,” and that couldn’t be more evident than on their fifth studio record. It’s Flummox’s second for Needlejuice, the label whose first release–the 2017 album Polygondwanaland by similar-minded King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard–put it on the map. For their own part, Flummox have blazed their own trail as a queer/transfemme quintet to be reckoned with. Dellinger–who plays bass and piano, in addition to providing vocals–launched the band in 2012.
But while we could go on and on abut the band, we know why you clicked into this story: to see heartwarming pics of the band members’ many pets
Can each of you tell me how each of your pets entered your life?
Alyson Blake Dellinger (bass, vocals): Widow was brought home by my ex when we were around 19 years old, and he took to me almost immediately. Cosmo was also brought home by that same ex, and we didn’t even know she was a dwarf cat until we noticed she stopped growing around nine months of age. And Juno was my dear friend Ian McKinney’s cat whom I inherited after Ian passed away in a tour bus accident.
Chase McCutcheon (guitar): Willow was a rescue. She was abandoned by a lake. Aria was found in a hospital parking lot by my sister in law.
Jesse Peck (keys): Sloane and Fern were my wife’s pets before we got married! At first they were a little shy around me, but they warmed up to me pretty quickly. It’s funny, my wife still feeds them and takes care of them almost exclusively, but they almost seem to have imprinted on me. They’re both very vocal and social, and having them around has been a joy.
Which pets get along best with which other pets that you have?
CM: They just have each other, and they act like sisters.
ABD: Same—my cats really only have each other, although my roommate has a small dog, a shi-tzu, but we tend to keep them separate since they get along about as well as one might expect.
Alyson, do Cosmo and Juno socialize comfortably with Widow?
ABD: For the most part! I mean sure, they definitely have their spats, but it’s not long until I see them curling up with each other in my bed again.
Jesse, are Sloane and Fern from the same family?
JP: Sloane and Fern are both rescues. My wife adopted Fern from a shelter, but she saved Sloane directly from a storm drain when Sloane was very little. They’re both gray tabbies, but they aren’t blood related. We call them part of our “pack.”
Chase, does Willow show the ropes to Aria, so to speak?
CM: Willow initially did, but Aria very quickly became the alpha cat. Poor Willow tries to be the alpha cat but always ends up being picked on. I sometimes suspect that she was the runt of the litter.
Do any of the animals make an appearance in any of your songs?
ABD: Widow does! He’s briefly sampled on a song from our new record called “FLUMLINDALË.”
Are any of your songs about your animals?
ABD: No, not about *our* animals. Though we do have songs about opossums, hummingbirds, roosters… no cat songs yet.
What’s the wildest situation each of you have found yourselves in with your pet(s)?
JP: Sloane and Fern are not particularly adventurous, so we don’t find ourselves in wild situations very often. The biggest ordeal is the rare occasion when we have to transport them somewhere: They hate their crate and it’s always a hassle getting them inside. One particular time, after finally getting them in their crate, I was carrying them to the car when the crate opened and they darted outside. Thankfully there weren’t any cars around and they didn’t go far, but it did turn into a little hunt.
ABD: I don’t know if I have too many wild stories in particular about my cats, but they certainly do some funny things sometimes. Widow in particular—I like to joke that he’s part-Corvid because of how smart he is. He knows how to open door knobs, but can’t physically do it because he hasn’t got any thumbs. He also knows that when the “little black box”—my phone—starts ringing in the morning, that I wake up and leave the house.
In order to combat this and keep me here, he lays on it with his girth and muffles the sound. The first couple of times he did this, I thought it was just by accident, but he’s done it way too many times now to the point where I have to put my phone somewhere he can’t get to. He also hides my shoes and even lays on them as well to try to keep me from leaving. He has bad separation anxiety.
What’s the best piece of advice each of you would give to someone thinking about getting a cat (or rabbit)?
CM: Don’t use negative reinforcement. Just don’t. I’ve had cats my whole life and the two current ones are the most well-behaved cats I’ve ever had. I praise them constantly and give them treats when they do well. And I simply say “no” in a stern voice when they’re doing something they shouldn’t be. It works.
JP: If you’re thinking about getting a cat, just don’t rush it and make sure you find one that is a good fit for you. They all have personalities and quirks, and you’ll get along with some better than others, So make sure there’s a good bond!
ABD: Let your cat be a cat. Don’t chastise them for doing what’s natural to them. Guide their behavior the best you can with love and attention. And for God’s sake, don’t get them declawed and don’t send them outside to live outdoors!
For more on Flummox, head to their Bandcamp page.
For recent installments of Pet Sounds, check out:
• Pet Sounds #58: Sally Anne Morgan’s ‘Circle’ of Friends Includes Sheep, Chickens, Cats
• Pet Sounds #57: BC Camplight Talks About His Buddy Canine
• Ex-Gram Rabbit Leader Jesika von Rabbit on the Heartache of Losing Her Pet
• Aussie Punk Trio Clamm Open Up About Their Pets
• Tombstones in Their Eyes’ Frontman Talks About His 8 Pets
• Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs ‘Love’ Their Pets Pets Pets Pets
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