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Pet Sounds #76: Cat Lovers Psychic Pigs Named Their Band as a Derogatory Slur Jabbing the Police

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , , , on 01/10/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

What do punk-rockers Psychic Pigs have in common with The Simpsons? The band’s name is a derogatory slur toward cops and their streak of brutality, and the long-running animated TV show features a piggish cop, Chief Wiggum, as one of its central characters. But don’t make the mistake of thinking Psychic Pigs are haters; Brandon Welchez adores cats, as he revealed to The Bad Penny this week as part of our Pet Sounds series.

Based in L.A., Psychic Pigs put out a new album in May 2025 through Slovenly Recordings (quite a coincidence considering that “slovenly” is a commonly used descriptor of pigs). Welchez, formerly of psych posse Crocodiles, crafted the self-titled effort – one of last year’s best psychedelic records – in a mere four days. While we could’ve picked Welchez’s brain about pigs and crocodiles, we focused on his cat, Henry, as Pet Sounds revolves around musicians and their pets.

Here’s how our conversation played out:

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Roddy Bottum’s ‘The Royal We’: Two Cent Review for Treble’s Best Music Books of 2025

Posted in Features, Reviews, What You Readin' For? with tags , on 01/07/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

At a time when the memoir market is oversaturated, Faith No More member Roddy Bottum’s brazenness strips the word “transparency” of its trendy veneer and restores its original meaning. He’s done as much work on himself, and it shines through. Read my full review on Treble.

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Sahan Jayasuriya’s ‘Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen’: Two Cent Review for Treble’s Best Music Books of 2025

Posted in Features, Reviews, What You Readin' For? with tags on 01/07/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Interviews with Steve Albini, Neko Case and Thurston Moore shed some light on how an enigma of a band found such favor with artists who were actively trying to alienate their audiences simultaneously as Die Kreuzen attempted to woo and expand theirs. Read my review on Treble.

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On Tyranny: Musician Joe Turmes, No Kings Organizer, Says What You Can Do to Help Resist Fascism

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , on 01/07/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Joe Turmes is an instrumental figure in mobilizing the No Kings protests in Idaho and one of the key resistance movement leaders in Idaho. He recently participated in The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series for a conversation about Idaho 50501’s efforts to push back against ICE, galvanize local organizations under common causes (rejecting fascism among them) — and why the music community in Boise and beyond is instrumental (pun intended) in fighting back against Trump’s authoritarian takeover.

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The Visionaries: Jeremy Moore and Saccharine Underground – A Comprehensive Career Overview 

Posted in Features, Interviews, The Visionaries with tags , , on 12/22/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Hop over to Veil of Sound to read my exhaustive primer on the works of ultra-prolific musician Jeremy Moore, currently the top story on the respect German music website. You may recall the artistic genius from his edition of The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series. Now you have the chance to acquaint yourself with the sheer size, scope and high quality of Moore’s many music endeavors.

For more installments in The Bad Penny’s Visionaries series, check out:

• The Visionaries: Sadness Finds His ‘Purpose’ in Music, Readies for Breakout Year in 2026
• The Visionaries: ‘Dungeon Synth’ Master Jute Gyte Exudes Empathy in Rare Interview
• The Visionaries: Journey to the Center of Aaron Turner

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On Tyranny: Thalia Zedek Suggests ‘Artists Should Boycott Playing the United States’

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , , , on 12/21/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

*Please subscribe to this channel for future installments of The Bad Penny’s “On Tyranny” series, which focuses on the damage that Authoritarian America is causing to the careers and personal lives of artists.*

The legendary Thalia Zedek’s influence on alternative music through her groups Uzi, Live Skull and Come cannot be overstated. Additionally, a long-lost EP by another one of her projects, Via, finally saw the light of day courtesy of Dromedary Records.

This week, Zedek became the highest-profile artist yet to participate in “On Tyranny.” She talks about how she is taking action to fight the attack on democracy by Trump and corporations; how she fears for the safety of Ethiopian poet Mihret Kebede, with whom she has collaborated; and why drastic moves like foreign artists refusing to tour the United States until the country rights itself should be on the table.

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Favorite Films: Jacob the Horse Singer Digs Russ Meyer, Nolan, Tarsem Singh, William Friedkin

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Videos with tags , , , , on 12/20/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Aviv Rubinstien, singer for Los Angeles indie punks Jacob the Horse, reveals which movie scene inspired him to want to become a filmmaker, explains how Russ Meyer influenced his band video for “666 Chicks” and defends William Friedkin’s divisive movie “Sorcerer.”

The interview took place on December 14, 2025, less than two weeks before Jacob’s Horse dropped “666 Chicks” – and ahead of the March 20 release of their new album, At Least It’s Almost Over.

Also, don’t miss our conversation with Rubinstien as part of The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series.

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On Tyranny: Nightrage Guitarist Scolds Complicit Public for ‘Looking the Other Way’ as Democracy Dies

Posted in Interviews, Lists, News, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , , on 12/18/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Little did The Bad Penny expect that a feature called “The 20 Best Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal Bands of All Time” that we published five days ago would become the most popular post in the history of this 15-year-old website in its entire existence. But that’s exactly what the headbangers ordered, and it’s spurring us to run some spinoff articles about bands made the cut on the list but that we’ve never had the pleasure of interviewing.

Reaching out to the bands on the list that aren’t as popular as your In Flames, Amon Amarth and Dark Tranquillity, we were reminded that Gothenburg is the historic city that birthed more than just three MDM bands. Nightrage guitarist Marios Iliopoulos said he was both flattered to be recognized and that their artistic output is just as strong as many of the other bands included on the rundown.

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On Tyranny: POWAMOV’s Son Brave, Shango $upreme Urge End to Authoritarians’ Favorite Weapon: Violence

Posted in Features, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , on 12/17/2025 by Kurt Orzeck


Son Brave and Shango $upreme, one-half of Baltimore anti-violence collective POWAMOV, speak with The Bad Penny about how America will never be truly “great” until we face and eradicate social unrest, discrimination and easy access to guns — all of which are forms of violence — that corrode our country. We’ve dug one hell of a deep hole for ourselves, but Son Brave and Shango $upreme explain that, by acting as positive role models for kids and treating each other as neighbors worthy of respect and basic human freedoms, all is not lost.

The message isn’t just one that Son Brave and Shango $upreme elaborate on during this installment of On Tyranny; it’s the beating heart of their POWAMOV EP, due January 17. A precursor to their TBA full-length, the collective present a fresh take on Boom Bap/Phonk-influenced hip hop — proving POWAMOV want us to see and hear the world with fresh eyes and ears.

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Pet Sounds #75: Brokedowns’ Drum Kit Player Can’t Get Enough of His Kitty Cats

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , on 12/16/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

If you’re unfamiliar with the Brokedowns, a punk band out of Chicago, than shame on you. Less than three weeks ago, the band’s irrepressibly good-natured and good-humored guitarist/vocalist, Kris Megyery, bravely participated in our On Tyranny series, informing us how he had personally witnessed despicable ICE raids at his workplace. He also agreed to speak with The Bad Penny because the Brokedowns’ new record, Let’s Tip the Landlord, which just came out a few weeks ago through Red Scare Industries.

During the same interview, Megyery informed us that the Brokedowns’ drummer, Mustafa Daka, has limitless love for his pets, making him an ideal candidate for the Bad Penny’s other popular series, Pet Sounds. Megyery’s claims proved to be very well-founded, as Daka got back to us speedy, ready to gush over his cats.

“My precious angels, sisters Ava and Olive … are my favorite topics to talk about!” he gushed during an email exchange.

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