It’s true and well-known that most Americans don’t know the nitty-gritty of government and politics. But we can distinguish between what is moral and not, and for that reason, we must fight for what we believe is right. VTB make a case for that claim — which every American should know –– during part of an interview The Bad Penny conducted on Wednesday with the grungy alt-rock-with-a-smattering-of-noise-and-post-punk.
Continue readingArchive for the Interviews Category
On Tyranny: ‘It Feels Like the Deck Is Stacked Against Us … I Wish We Could All Just Get Along,’ Band VTB Says
Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags VTB on 02/10/2026 by Kurt OrzeckPet 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 hardcore, post-hardcore, Saetia, screamo, Tom Schlatter 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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Happy 83rd Birthday to ‘Office’ Actor and Folk Musician Creed Bratton!
Posted in Features, Happy Birthday, Interviews with tags Creed Bratton, The Office 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.
Continue readingOn Tyranny: Parker Woodland Frontwoman Talks About Protesting at Complex That Housed 5-Year-Old ICE Detainee Liam Ramos
Posted in Interviews on 02/07/2026 by Kurt OrzeckIn this edition of On Tyranny, Erin Walter – frontwoman of Austin power-pop punks Parker Woodland – discusses the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to build a slew of new detention centers (some call them concentration camps) across the country. Walter is particularly knowledgable on the subject, having protested at the South Texas Family Residential Center, which recently housed 5-year-old ICE detainee Liam Ramos and his father (they were released earlier this week).
The singer/activist also reveals what led her band to cover the Clash’s “Police on My Back,” which Parker Woodland released as a single roughly a week ago. Proceeds from sales of that song and its B-side, “Get Me to the Show,” are benefitting the Texas Civil Rights Project. The single is available on Parker Woodland’s Bandcamp page, which also contains copious information about the band and its releases.
Continue readingVTB, Which Stands for ‘Very Tubular Band’ (No It Doesn’t), Ready to Rumble in Boise Tonight
Posted in Interviews on 02/07/2026 by Kurt OrzeckIf grungy alt-rock with a smattering of noise and post-punk if your bag – and if you live in Boise, Idaho – you’re in for a helluva treat tonight. A band fitting that aforementioned description, VTB are swinging through the City of Trees to play a set at Realms Arcade as part of their tour. VTB – which was originally a drum and bass project but is now a full-fledged band – are touring in support of their October EP, People Died & Things Exploded, which was issued by Bleakhouse.
On Wednesday, The Bad Penny caught up with VTB members Austin Stewart (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Mendez (synth) and Brennan Stewart (drums) for a lively interview ahead of their gig. It’ll be a special one for VTB, as they’ve never played in Boise before. For more on the group, go to their Bandcamp page.
Tickets for VTB’s concert tonight at Realms Arcade cost only 10 bucks. Chaz’s Corner, underdogs and potentially one more band will handle opening duties. VTB’s set will start around 8:30-8:45, the band told The Bad Penny.
Pet Sounds #79: NORMANS Mastermind Insists ‘You Will Be a Better Person’ for Rescuing a Pooch
Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags Matthew Reid, NORMANS, Pet Sounds, Solid Brass 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.
On Tyranny: Fuck Money Drummer Tells ICE and Billionaires to Fuck Off
Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags Fuck Money on 02/05/2026 by Kurt OrzeckThere 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.
Continue readingPet Sounds #78: Ponte del Diavolo’s ‘Mascot’ Dog Passes Out at Metal Shows, Pees on Pillows
Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags Erba del diavolo, Krhura Abro, Pet Sounds, Ponte del Diavolo 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.
Continue readingOn Tyranny: South American Post-Punks Pilgrims Worried About Touring US Amid ICE Atrocities
Posted in Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags Pilgrims on 02/03/2026 by Kurt OrzeckImagine 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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