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.
—
The Bad Penny (beta) 