Archive for the Features Category

Happy 83rd Birthday to ‘Office’ Actor and Folk Musician Creed Bratton!

Posted in Features, Happy Birthday, Interviews with tags , on 02/08/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Feliz cumpleaños to Office actor and folk musician Creed Bratton, who turns 83 years old today. (Yes, that really is his age.) Creed (real name William Charles Schneider) portrayed a psychologically troubled but hilarious social misfit who occasionally popped his head out from his cubicle to uproarious effect.

The Bad Penny found it fitting to give Creed some love and attention because he’s also an honest-to-God musician. He made his recording debut in 1966, playing guitar for the Grass Roots on their album Were You When I Needed You. Nine years later, after making many more LPs with Grass Roots, he devoted almost his artistic energies on making solo material – and taking a stab ata professional acting. It’s widely considered that Creed was the most bizarre and perhaps side-splitting characters on The Office. His tenure with the series ended when The Office itself closed its doors in 2013.

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Pet Sounds #79: NORMANS Mastermind Insists ‘You Will Be a Better Person’ for Rescuing a Pooch

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , , on 02/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck


Matthew Reid handles vocals and plays guitar and bass for his noise-rock band NORMANS. But as much as he loves music, we’re pretty sure he prefers playing with his two gorgeous dogs. The L.A. band consists of former members of FEELS, Prissy Whip and Blonde Summer and released their self-titled debut through Solid Brass in January 2024. Fans of the Jesus Lizard, Metz and IDLES will appreciate and get hooked on NORMANS’s penchant for creating cacophonies.

A press statement said NORMANS tap into the “terrified animal caged within us all.” But Reid’s limitless love for his dogs ensures they rarely get terrified, if at all – and he’s not the type of dog owner who would coop up his pooches in cages. For this edition of Pet Sounds, Reid answered our questions via email, resulting in the most superb writing of any installment in the series thus far. It’s hard to decide which is more breathtaking, Reid’s superbly poetic writing or the photos he provided. Either way, enjoy this consummately beautiful entry in Pet Sounds.

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On Tyranny: Jesus Christ Taxi Driver Say Humor Is the Greatest Threat to Trump and MAGA’s Authoritarian Coup

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , on 02/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Denver’s Jesus Christ Taxi Driver isn’t just a band with one of the best monikers in the music universe – they’re also dead serious about resisting the Trump administration and MAGA’s destruction of American values, the federal government and even the country itself. But as The Bad Penny learned in an interview conducted just two days ago, the punk-rock band believes humor might the best response to America’s transformation into a fascist country.

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On Tyranny: Fuck Money Drummer Tells ICE and Billionaires to Fuck Off

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags on 02/05/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

There are three types of artists in this world. A small minority refuse to talk about current events, politics and social matters altogether. Another set acknowledges crises and problems happening in their immediate vicinity and/or in other countries. And then there are those who speak out vociferously and take action against clear injustices, especially when they’re occurring locally.

Take a wild guess as to which bracket Austin, Texas’ extreme, iconoclastic, loud-as-hell, 10-on-the-Richter scale band Fuck Money falls into. The four-piece band formed in October 2021, less than a year after Trump’s thugs committed insurrection against our country, and immediately declared their opposition to oppression, fascism and capitalism. For that reason alone, Three One G artists Fuck Money should be lauded at time when American musicians are more cowardly than ever to speak out against the atrocities that the federal government is committing against even its own citizens. After all, taking a position could alienate some of their fans and hurt sales of their concert tickets, records and merch, right?

Fuck Money don’t give a fuck about that shit and are ardent fighters in the resistance. For proof, watch the above interview that The Bad Penny conducted with Fuck Money drummer Alton Jenkins on Monday.

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Pet Sounds #78: Ponte del Diavolo’s ‘Mascot’ Dog Passes Out at Metal Shows, Pees on Pillows

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , , on 02/05/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Doom/black metal band Ponte del Diavolo are about to gift the world with their second full-length, De Venom Natura, a week from tomorrow. But perhaps even more meaningful to the Italian crew is their beloved English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Spettro. As a spokesperson for the band who is part of the Season of Mist family, Spettro’s hobbies include sleeping in bed with his human parents, running in the mountains, shaking his butt, eating cat food, Harry Potter, cooking and supervising Ponte del Diavolo’s load-ins at venues.

We caught up with Krhura Abro, one of the band’s bassists, to discuss the big bugger.

How did Ponte del Diavolo cross paths with Spettro?

Spettro (translated “Ghost”) came into our lives about 10 years ago. He belonged to a guitarist friend of ours (who currently plays with the metal band Strega) and is part of a litter of six. He was adopted by our singer Erba del diavolo, who I was living with at the time. After almost five years, when I moved into another flat, he came to live with me. Shortly after, we formed the band and from the very beginning Spettro became our rightful mascot.

Given Spettro’s human-esque hobbies and preoccupations, does he pay rent?

Absolutely yes, payment in kisses.

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On Tyranny: South American Post-Punks Pilgrims Worried About Touring US Amid ICE Atrocities

Posted in Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags on 02/03/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Imagine emigrating with your partner from Chile to Boston, only to witness fascist horrors unfolding in the U.S. similar to those implemented by Augusto Pinochet, the dictator who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. In the latest installment of The Bad Penny’s ongoing series On Tyranny, we talk with the impossibly kind and commendably upbeat Juls Garat and Claudio Marcio of post-punk band Pilgrims (formerly Pilgrims of Yearning) about why they’re unsure touring the States would be safe for them, their new album Gemini (due Feb. 13) and getting a thumbs-up from Robert Smith of The Cure.

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Favorite Films: Dummy Give Thumbs-Up to ‘Psycho Goreman,’ ‘Megan,’ ‘Creep,’ ‘Nosferatu’

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Interviews with tags , , , , , , , , , on 01/17/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Last March, we had the pleasure of catching up with L.A.-based psych-pop band Dummy ahead of their set at Treefort Music Fest in Boise. In addition to talking about their second album, Free Energy, and accompanying remix LP, Bubbelibrium DLC, Alex Ewell and Joe Trainor – each of whom plays multiple instruments – talked about their favorite movies. We present you with that portion of our conversation, if you’re looking for something worth watching this weekend.

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On Tyranny: Anarchist Art Collective INDECLINE’s List of Essential Reads

Posted in Features, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, What You Readin' For? with tags , , , , , , , , , on 01/17/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Earlier this week, we brought you an epic conversation with anarchist art collective INDECLINE, who have collaborated with Sleater-Kinney, Cursive, Deaf Club, Rise Against and many more indie luminaries. In addition to chatting us up, INDECLINE shared a list of essential reads for those currently fighting fascism or are curious about the war being waged across the globe.

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Pet Sounds #77: The Truth About Thrill Jockey Publicity Director Mike Boyd’s Cats And Dogs

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , , , , , on 01/15/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

The eminently likable Mike Boyd isn’t just the Director of Publicity at arguably Chicago’s strongest indie-rock label, Thrill Jockey, founded in 1992. Nor is he only the vocalist/guitarist for heavy trio Stander. He also plays guitar at live performances by experimental black metal band Genital Shame. Oh, and he two cats and a dog to boot.

Drilling into the nuts and bolts, Nikola is a gray and white tabby, whereas Mugen is an orange tabby.

“They’re brothers, and they’ll be turning 14 this year,” Boyd told The Bad Penny. “My dog, Saoirse, is a pit bull, and I am unsure about her actual age. But. based on the estimates from when I rescued her, I would guess she’s about 9 years old.

Without further ado, let’s take a gander at Boyd’s three adorable amigos.

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On Tyranny: Singer/Songwriter Gail Swanson Is Folking Sick About ICE Brutality, King Trump

Posted in Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , , , , , on 01/14/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Our parents and grandparents had Thurgood Marshall. Now it’s looking like we’re going to have martial law.

Earlier today, Gail Swanson – a cool, collected but also furious folk artist – participated in The Bad Penny’s tragically ongoing series called On Tyranny. As has been the case with almost every edition we publish, it seems like the Trump administration and MAGA have just terrorized or are about to terrorize the American populace with a calamity, catastrophe or cataclysm that may take decades, centuries or even longer to repair.

But while the majority of us seem to be in despair over our powerlessness, not just over the fascist regime that now rules over us, Swanson is refusing to give in to hopelessness and galvanize herself into action more than ever before.

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