Pet Sounds #96: Attack Dog Have Two Dogs and a Cat – but, Sadly, They’re Not Planning to Form a Cover Band
Attack Dog, a punk-prone indie-rock band that hails from Philadelphia, recently swung through Boise in support of their recently released album, Can I Be Your Attack Dog? (If that title calls to mind the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” you’re not alone.) Recorded over the course of two years, the LP nonetheless boasts an immediacy that makes it extremely challenging to press pause once you’ve hit the play button.
Attack Dog features guitarist John Duesler, bassist/vocalist Paul Mangan, guitarist/vocalist/keyboarist/percussionist Dylan Michael and drummer Brandon Washburn. When the band swung through Boise, yours truly had the good fortune to hang with them for a while and can therefore attest that they are four stand-up gentlemen despite their band name.
As evidence of that claim, the band generously participated in our ongoing Pet Sounds series, which is nearing its 100th installment. (If you’re a great band and love to talk about your pet(s), don’t hesitate to reach out.) Surprise, surprise, Attack Dog have two dogs – and a cat to boot. Before we get started with our conversation with the band about their pets, let’s meet Attack Dog’s pets first:
Snoop
Breed: Corgi/Dachshund mix (yap dog)
Age: 9
Owner: Paul
Louis
Breed: Poodle
Age: 6
Owner: John
Flea the Cat
Breed: street cat
Age: 3
Owner: Dylan
How often do all three of these troublemakers get together?
For better or for worse, our pets have not hung out to form the next Attack Dog cover band.
Which gets along best with which? Which ones don’t see eye to eye (or claw to claw)?
Lewis gets along with everyone, as does Flea. Snoop is mean and would bark at a flower. Our rehearsal space is in Paul’s house and we have to enter through the back door to avoid a run in with the cretin.
How did each of these beauties enter your life?
Adoption! All of these pets were rescued in one form or another.
Louis looks like a very serious, stately fellow. Has he ever considered running for office?
Louis prefers to spend his time on the hiking trail rather than the campaign trail.
Snoop cracks me up. Does he usually have that hilarious smile plastered across his face?
Snoop is a menace and will bite you. The smile is a ploy. I’ve known her for five years and she still lunges at me when we cross paths.
Flea appears to be very attentive. Does she hunt bugs; either way, what are her favorite playthings?
Flea is obsessed with a string toy. She’ll wake you up in the middle of the night not for food, but to play with the string. She plays with bugs but does not hunt them. One time we had a mouse in the basement and Flea made friends with it instead of handling the pest.
How do your pets react to your music?
It seems all of our pets are rather indifferent to our musical pursuits. I’ll strum the guitar around Flea but she won’t even raise her head from her nap. Snoop will just bark.
Do you guys help each other out with dog-sitting and cat-sitting?
Most of our vacation time is spent together on the road, so we enlist girlfriends and family to feed the children when we are away. Some say the hardest part of being on tour is the time away from pets…
I hate asking bands how they came up with their name, but why did you call your band Attack Dog?
People will mention our band name to me and I will forget that Attack Dog means something relating to the animal kingdom. There’s many Dog bands these days, especially in Philly, but I reserve the right to think that we have the best one. Woof.
For more on Attack Dog, and to pick up a copy of Can I Be Your Attack Dog? and the band’s other releases, go to their Bandcamp page.
Check out the Pet Sounds archive, where you’ll find contributions from Osees, Deerhoof, Sleigh Bells, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Cattle Decapitation, NORMANS, Nick Oliveri, Melvins and many more.
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