Archive for the Pet Sounds Category

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Pet Sounds #83: Dandy Warhols Synth-Bass Player Saved 6-Month-Old Mutt From Gang of Chihuahuas’ Bullying

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , on 02/15/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

The Dandy Warhols surely had a blast creating PIN UPS, a collection of cover songs they’ve recorded over the years. Coming March 20 via Beat the World Records and Little Cloud Records, the reputed psych-rock band take on The Beatles, The Cure, Gang of Four, The Clash, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, The Runaways and more.

That said, one member of the Dandy Warhols – synth-bass player Zia McCabe – is equally if not more passionate about spending time with her dog than making music. The exuberance she feels when with 6-year-old Alice is clearly evident in the above photo. Those emotions are probably heightened due to the fact that McCabe recently lost her pet cat.

We dare you not to smile at the words and photos McCabe generously gave to us for this joyous entry in Pet Sounds.

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Pet Sounds #82: Products Band’s Drummer Has a ‘Freakishly Fast’ Cat That Can Maybe Talk, Too

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , on 02/14/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

In the 81st edition of Pet Sounds, we learned a little bit about the music that Products Band produces – and we learned an awful lot about bassist/vocalist Wooley’s two cats: Casper and Disney. There are more pets in Products Band, and one of them, Lucy, got a bit jealous and felt she wasn’t getting the attention she deserves.

That stare you see in the photo above is Lucy saying, “Can I please be in Pet Sounds too?”

Lucy belongs to Konner Johnson, who handles drums, percussion and synths for the Minneapolis art-rock band that is signed to Solid Brass.

Products Band consists of Johnson, Woolsey, Jo Kellen (guitar, vocals, synths) and Alex Hanson (guitars, vocals, piano). Woolsey and Johnson jumped at the opportunity to participate in the one and only – or at least extensive – online series in which musicians gush over their pets.

And boy did Johnson gush. Here’s our email conversation about Lucy, Products Band and … lots more Lucy. Enjoy one of the most tender entries so far in Pet Sounds.

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Pet Sounds #81: Bassist/Vocalist for Art-Rockers Products Band Says She ‘Simply Would Not Be Here Without’ Her Cats

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags on 02/12/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Minneapolis’ Products Band are as stylistically sinuous as their moniker is amorphous. Pulling primarily from R.E.M.’s best art-rock material, the crunchiness of Pavement and the Replacements’ dalliances with punk, Products Band have no qualms about dipping their toes in just about any body of water – or pool of liquid, for that matter. Those statements are verifiable on the quartet’s second full-length, Some Sudden Weather (Solid Brass), which came out in October 2023.

Products Band consists of Jo Kellen (guitar, vocals, synths), Konner Johnson (drums, percussion, synths), Alex Hanson (guitars, vocals, piano) and Jack Woolsey (bass, vocals). Woolsey and Johnson jumped at the opportunity to participate in the one and only –or at least extensive – online series in which musicians gush over their pets.

In the 81st edition of Pet Sounds, we learned a little bit about the music that Products Band produces – and we learned an awful lot about bassist/vocalist Wooley’s two pets: Casper, a gray cat that is 7.5 year old; and Disney, a 5-year-old black cat. To answer questions you probably have already, Disney the cat isn’t sponsored by Mickey Mouse’s mega-corporation, and Casper is indeed friendly but not a ghost. Whoa, ghost cats … now that’s a great idea for a movie.

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Pet Sounds #80: ‘Dogs Are Like Tattoos … You Get One and You’re Hooked,’ Saetia’s Tom Schlatter Says

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , , , on 02/10/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Welcome to the 80th installment of The Bad Penny‘s Pet Sounds series. We have a very special one for you today, because the pet owner who graciously participated has had such an immense impact on hardcore punk and screamo, the genres might have gone in different directions were it not for him.

The gent in question is one Tom Schlatter, a major character in the proverbial book of hardcore music. Since 1997, he has served as a member of, or otherwise collaborated with, 16 bands as a guitarist, bassist and drummer. His loyalty and integrity were tested when one of those bands, Saetia — which formed in broke up in October 1999 two and a half years after they formed.

Lucky for Schlatter — and the screamo community, Saetia reassembled in 2022 and, last year, released its first song in 26 years, much to the delight of punk-rockers listeners (especially those who were sold on the band in the first place, a quarter-century prior). Two more songs followed, and an EP should be on the way.

So, how did he handle all that turbulence, not to mention the pivotal roles he played in a plethora of other acts? Well, with pets, of course; they make everything better. Schlatter has more than most — two cats and two dogs — but, as he told The Bad Penny, he wouldn’t want it any other way. He explained why (and divulged a whole lot more) in an email we received on Friday.

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Osie
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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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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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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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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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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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Pet Sounds #74: Hooded Menace’s Pets Are Hardly Menaces to Society

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , , , , on 12/11/2025 by Kurt Orzeck
Harri and Touko

Finnish doom-metal cult band Hooded Menace can come across as, well, a wee bit intimidating. But the Finnish Grammy (equivalent)-nominated trio of vocalist Harri Kuokkanen, guitarist/bassist Lasse Pyykkö and drummer Pekka Koskelo temper those fears by throwing curveballs every so often. Look no further than the out-of-nowhere cover of Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer” that they surprised fans with three months ago.

Turns out all three members of Hooded Menace have a soft spot. For his own part, Kuokkanen touched base with The Bad Penny shortly after the October release of his band’s smoldering seventh record, Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration (Season of Mist), to talk about his coterie of cats (and one dog).

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