PET POLITICS: Drummer Diana Kinscherf on Bashing Kits and Cuddling Rescue Cats

I first saw Diana Kinscherf slamming the kit during an excellent set backing Hamish Kilgour of The Clean at The Glove in Brooklyn. The next time I saw her play live was in Manhattan at Pianos when she made an awesome impromptu appearance in Nick Rogers’ (of Holy Tunics) solo set. Before meeting Diana, I had also heard some recordings of her both playing and experimenting on the kit with fellow musicians. I was impressed by the force behind her drumming and her ability to jump on the kit at any moment alongside any other instrument – whether it was guitar, saxophone, vocals, or otherwise – and immediately find a compatible and consistent beat for the song. When I got to know Diana on a personal level, I was introduced to her wicked sense of humor and we bonded over our mutual love of music and animals (specifically cats). I learned that Diana was not only a fellow cat lady but a regular volunteer at animal shelters.

Diana moved in with some friends of mine and the first time I paid them a visit with their new resident, I almost accidentally sat on a an enormous and friendly brown tabby smush sitting on an antique chair. His name was Toki, and he was happy to let me stroke and hug him (but he clearly wasn’t going to give up “his” chair). Just when I thought I was going to die of a cuteness overload, another equally adorable and giant feline came slowly crawling down the stairs.  It was Scrambles with her chubby orange belly charmingly draping through the gaps in the staircase. I could tell the entire household was smitten with these two kitties, and I could understand why!

AF: Please introduce your furry friends!

DK: Meet Scrambles and Toki – both nine year old rescues! Five month old Toki arrived first from a litter of kittens being fostered at a Bayside, Queens vets office, and a few months later Scrambles came to me via a friend who took her in from the street in Bed Stuy but couldn’t keep her. They became best buds immediately!

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Scrambles & Toki (All images courtesy of Diana Kinscherf)

Toki and Scrambles have very strong personalities. Toki is well known for his forward friendliness and his love of being handled – he’s a giant baby that loves to be held! Any attention is good attention for Toki. Scrambles has a more introverted personality, but still loves attention… though she is less forward than Toki, she WILL (vocally) let you know when she wants something!

AF: You volunteer at animal shelters. Can you recommend any for those looking to adopt a new fuzz love?

DK: I’ve volunteered and worked for BARC (Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition), an independently run no-kill animal shelter in Williamsburg. I’d volunteer to walk dogs and worked with cats. I’d definitely recommend adopting from BARC, [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][or] another no-kill shelter, like Sean Casey in Park Slope. I’m a strong supporter of “adopt, don’t shop” so any animal shelter is a great place to save a life! No-kill shelters are a great to support in general, as vetting and animal care is costly and if you can’t adopt, shelters always appreciate a donation!

Diana cuddling up with Toki & Scrambles

AF: When did you move to NYC, and where did you grow up?

DK: I was born in and raised in Queens; my high school was in Manhattan so I spent a lot of time hanging out on St. Mark’s Place, spinning the cube on Astor Place and haunting the local record stores (I later ended up working at one of them, Kim’s).

Diana playing with Hamish Kilgour at the record store she currently works at: Earwax in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

AF: When did you start drumming, and can you remember the moment you decided to hit the kit?

DK: I wanted to play drums most of my life, but I didn’t give it a solid start til around early 2012 – I began playing small gigs with anyone who’d let me play with them almost immediately after. I began lessons around that time from a friend (Michael Evans – an excellent and versatile drummer) and Oneida’s Kid Millions. Kid’s best advice to me as a beginner was “Don’t wait until you’re ready – get out there and play!” This resulted in a few shaky first shows, but you gotta start somewhere!

Diana playing with Loop Diary for their “Sun Ra Remix” cassette release for Personal Affair at The Glove this past October. Photo credit: Ben Jaffe.

AF: Can you give us a rundown of all the projects you are in now?

DK: I’d say my current main projects are Giggle The Ozone, The Unnamed (we’re working on a name!) a trio with organ, drums, and bass/guitar (we haven’t played out just yet, but hoping to play soon), and occasional backing for Hamish Kilgour (The Clean) in his solo sets.

Flyer for a Hamish Kilgour show Diana played this past November featuring art and design by Diana.
Diana playing with Hamish Kilgour at Secret Project Robot last August. Photo Credit: Jordan Bell.

AF: What was your first band? How many bands have you played with since you started drumming?

DK: My first band was duo (sometimes trio) Pulcinella, with largely improvised sets. One of my first on-stage performances was playing with several other drummers for Man Forever at Death By Audio for Thrill Jockey’s 20th anniversary show. Since then, I’ve also played with one-off projects or as fill-in in Caring Foxen, Straw Pipes, electronic dubbers Loop Diary, Brooklyn theatrical noise band BBW, with Sugar Life at the kit for half of one show (that was unplanned but exciting!) and a couple of jams with Eighty Pound Pug. There’s probably more, as I rarely turn down a gig when offered!

Diana playing a Bushwick Rooftop with Giggle The Ozone in September 2016. “Not a doom metal band, contrary to the aesthetic” says Diana. Photographer unknown.

AF: Who was your first pet? How many have you had over the course of your life?

DK: My first pet was technically a budgie named Genaro, but I was like 3 years old and barely remember him. Genaro went to a relative as at five my family adopted a pair of kittens from North Shore Animal League in Long Island; Louie and Ricky were my best remembered childhood pets. I was very close with Louie and he made it to almost 20 years old! We also had two dogs, two iguanas, and two garter snakes (although reptile expert Ben Jaffe told me they were probably ribbon snakes) in my childhood household in the course of about 15 years. There was a fish tank at some point, too. Later on, I had adopted an older adult cat (also from North Shore Animal League) who I’d only gotten to know for a year, as he passed away shortly after I’d adopted him. As sad as it was to have such a short time with him, it’s beautiful to let an older animal be able to live out their last days in a loving home rather than at the shelter.

Young Diana with her First Major Fur Love: Louie.

AF: What was it that drew you to your current kitties? Did you choose them, or did they choose you?

DK: Although Toki and Scrambles are both rescues, there was not a lot of choice involved! Toki was one of many near identical tabbies in a litter, and the vet opened the cage and told me “Have a look!” All the kittens scattered out of the cage except for one that preferred to stay put and continue eating. I picked him up to look at him, and he immediately kissed me on the nose! There was no decision to be made, I was taking this little guy!

Toki and Diana snuggling up

Scrambles’ adorable face was on a flyer in the window of the shop next door to my workplace at the time I was looking for a buddy for Toki with the words “FREE KITTY” – excellent timing, I needed a free kitty! As previously mentioned, Scrambles was found on the street and taken in by someone who wasn’t able to keep her… I remember going to Bed Stuy with my empty kitty carrier at night to get her, not knowing what this cat would be like; I heard her loud meows before I even saw her when we got to the door. Scrambles was a little aloof the first few years, but is now my best (fuzzy) friend and incredibly close to me!

AF: You are now working with GP Stripes. I loved your recent flyer for their Northside showcases! What would you say your role in this label is and how did you begin working with them?

DK: My involvement with GP Stripes is kind of a “right place at the right time” sort of deal… I had just left a less than great living situation and moved in with friends… so my part in GP Stripes snuck up on me! I’ve been able to get a bunch of GP tapes into a couple of the shops I work at and online, and have assisted in organizing a couple of shows. Of course there’s always the actual tape production that always needs a few hands on board; dubbing tapes, cutting J-cards, packing tapes… QUALITY CONTROL! Toki has been glad to “help” too!

Toki testing out a GP Stripes cassette
Toki “helping” Ben Jaffe fold some Holy Tunics shirts

I guess my role in GP Stripes aside from production of the tapes is distribution – the tapes are in a few shops in NYC and in the works for being stocked in some stores in Tokyo – a few are on their way to Dunedin, NZ as well! Psyched you liked the flyer btw! It’s one of my favorite things I’ve done recently.

The GP Stripes Northside 2018 Flyer by Diana Kinscherf

AF: If Toki and Scrambles started a band, who would be the drummer?

DK: Scrambles would definitely be the drummer; I’ve caught her tapping her tail to the rhythm of music I play at the apartment! She’d be a singing drummer… Scrambles loves stoner metal!

Scrambles rocking out on keys

AF: What instrument would Toki play?

DK: I could see Toki potentially play keyboard, but Toki appears to be indifferent/dislike music, so maybe he’s more of a fan of John Cage’s 4’33”?

Toki not giving any fvx about jamming

AF: What are your pets’ favorite human foods?

DK: They don’t have any real interest in human food (I’m not upset about that!). Toki will want a bite of cheeseburger here and there, but Toki’s interest in food instantly declines as soon as I try to give him any.

AF: How do Toki and Scrambles influence your creative side?

DK: I’d say they’re very supportive of me; when I work on flyers or any design stuff, I’m often up at all hours of the night (apparently the only time these things get done). Scrambles will sit and sleep by my side as I work – Toki may try to sit ON my work!

AF: Can you share a funny memory you have with your cats?

DK: Scrambles enjoys licking my high hat stand (for reasons unknown). There’s a whole video of this, but a picture will have to do for now …

Scrambles also has an owl beanie that she loves – she stole it from me and I just couldn’t take it away from her! It looks suspiciously like her…she’s thrown it at me (only when I’m not looking) with incredible force!

Scrambles relaxing with her Owl

Toki never has a dull moment – he’s very possessive of a particular chair and will try to push whoever’s sitting in it off. And Toki doesn’t actually “meow” or make normal cat sounds. He makes a sound that can best be described as “MAGUB.” I found out about this when Ben insisted Toki was saying “magub” and I thought he was messing with me. Soon after, everyone else in the apartment has heard “magub” and I have no idea what they’re talking about until Ben records Toki making his notorious “MAGUB” noises – my best guess is that’s what Toki calls everyone that’s not me!

AF: Where and when I could see can we catch your next set?

From Diana’s most recent set with Hamish Kilgour at The Glove this month. Photo Credit: Anthony Procaccino.

DK: My last set was backing Hamish Kilgour at The Glove July 15th. I love playing with Hamish – we rarely (if ever) rehearse, and the cast of characters is subject to change from gig to gig when I play with him… the set tends to be a mix of Hamish’s solo compositions, songs by the Mad Scene, and sometimes a Clean song here and there. Hamish is one of the handful of people I can play with intuitively, so there’s never much of a struggle to “find the groove” in our set. As Hamish is a drummer himself, his rhythmic guitar style allows me to change between a motorik drive to a painterly, less pulse-based sound. Violinist Marija Kovacevic and tenor saxophonist Greg Vegas joined us for the show Sunday night at The Glove; both Marija and Greg are fun to play with as well as they both have a good sense of space and dynamics during the semi-improvised set. The four of us have played together before – it’s always exciting to see what direction we’ll take!

The Glove. July 15th, 2018. Photo Credit: Anthony Procaccino.

I was delighted to have many people tell me after we played Sunday night how much they loved our set! That’s always a good feeling, when audience members give you that positive feedback. sometimes I’ll get on stage and behind the kit super last minute – you never know where I’ll pop up!

Diana backing Hamish Kilgour at Earwax Records in November 2015. Photo Credit: Alessandra Maria Iavarone.
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PET POLITICS: Drunk Gecko Hunting with Ben Jaffe of PILL

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Ben captures a Northern Black Racer at Quantico Marine Base. “[It’s] my favorite species to look for in the Northeast!” he says.
Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope all your furry family gets some special holiday treats off the Hanukkah/ Christmas table. I can tell you my cats are pretty amused by our family Christmas tree; little Ruby even tried to eat a few ornaments (as she attempts with most unknown objects).

A few years ago, my buddy Jordan finally moved to Bushwick from Connecticut into an apartment which would come to be known as the Hartbreak Hotel (for its Hart Street location and its influx of recent bachelors). “I can’t wait for you to meet Ben!” he said of one of his new roommates. Jordan wanted a genuine reaction from me, so he didn’t go into details; all Jordan would say was that he never met anyone else like him, and I would come to agree.

The first time I met Ben Jaffe, I was hosting Jordan’s birthday party. Ben brought fried crickets and hot sauce with him and generously offered them to the guests (to many declines—sorry, I am a city kid when it comes to bugs, particularly eating them). We became quick friends over some mulled wine and videos of animatronic Baby Hughie. The next time Ben and I hung out was at a Nitehawk viewing of Black Christmas. I showed up late, crawled under everyone’s legs to reach my seat, then proceeded to eat and drink almost everything on the menu and pass out, which Ben found very amusing. So I guess it is pertinent that my interview with him would run on Christmas!

Since then, I have spent many a day and night hanging out with Ben. Whether it’s 6am, 12pm, 8pm, or 3am, Ben is usually doing five things at once. Often these tasks include cooking something elaborate from scratch, listening to an obscure record, drawing a anthropomorphic animal comic, watching a bizarre documentary, and/or getting everyone hopped up on espresso. In addition to being a singular host, Ben is also an incredible saxophone player. You can currently see his skills showcased in Brooklyn’s feminist art-punk band PILL, garage rock group Dumb Wolves, and experimental rock group Saxophone Reptile. Ben has since launched a label with Jordan Bell, Nick Rogers, and Davey Jones called GP Stripes that is now making lots of waves. Ben also happens to be a grade school science teacher and an expert on the cold-blooded species of creatures: fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.


AF: What got you interested in animals? Was there a particular creature who struck your fancy?

BJ: I became fascinated with fishes of all kinds when I was about three. I would spend hours looking at encyclopedias, National Geographic, or books from the library. I also had a collection of paper fish that I cut out of magazines. From then I moved on to crustaceans, insects, and finally reptiles and amphibians.

AF: Who was your first pet and how old were you when s/he entered your life?

BJ: My first pet was a big black cat named Simon. He was a kitten when I was born, so we grew up together in a way. He lived until I was seventeen, and I still have dreams about him once in a while. Simon’s ears were all knicked up from his many battles. He was like an older brother to me. Cats mature faster, right?

AF: What or who made you want to pick up saxophone?

BJ: I always liked saxophones. I think it could be that it looks like a combination of an arthropod and an ancient squid. You know, all those moving parts? Anyway, I tried to play when I was nine, but had trouble reading music. Years later when I was about to turn seventeen, I had this dream where I was playing the horn, and I had figured out how to play “Tequila.” I woke up and knew that I should do it, since I already knew where the notes were. I rented an alto and practiced every day, sometimes being late to class because I was hitting the practice room during lunch. My good friend Abe Maneri was playing jazz piano and Bowie songs in the same building, so we started playing together. Abe got me improvising right away, really. He also hipped me to a lot of great music. Fela Kuti, Eric Dolphy, and especially his dad, Joe Maneri. My first live solo ever was with Abe Maneri in his glam rock band, Paniot’s 9 at a battle of the bands.

AF: Do you have any experience with any other instruments?

BJ: I have some facility on keyboard, and I play it on a track from the last PILL full length,”Convenience”.

AF: The saxophone is kind of an unconventional instrument for garage rock and punk bands. What was the genre of music you learned on? When did you enter the punk sphere?

BJ: I started out just playing with my friends, who were into Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Bowie, Iggy, Bad Brains, Nirvana, etc. Then I’d practice with my albums at home. The Fela records were big for that! There was a lot of saxophone on Iggy’s New Values album. But there were not a lot of horns on all the other stuff I liked, PIL, Black Flag, Circle Jerks. Flipper had a saxophone on a couple songs. I was even in a Flipper cover band called The Flippoffs. We played only one gig in the summer of 2001 at Charlie’s Kitchen in Cambridge. Can you believe it? Who wouldn’t want to listen to an eight minute version of “Sex Bomb“? There was a mermaid named Sally on slide whistle!

So from there I got into jazz and soul, because that’s where all the best sounding players were. I worked on Thelonious Monk songs because I liked the intervals. I formed a soul band with some friends who were big into Sun Ra and gospel 45s. We’d jam on a few jazz heads, which I could handle after a few years of shredding scales.
A couple of years later I was obsessed with guitarists like Link Wray, James Williamson from the Stooges, and Tony Iommi. I spent hours a day learning their solos by ear and trying to match the tones. Then when I was loud enough, I toured with Murphy’s Law for about a year. It is widely accepted that before 1965, the saxophone was the main instrumental voice of rock ‘n’ roll. Sometime around ’66, the guitar took over. My approach presupposes… maybe it didn’t. Like I mentioned, the first music I really liked was basically punk rock, and then I played jazz at the volumes required for punk shows.

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Jaffe with Dumb Wolves. Photo by Natalie Kirch.

AF: How long have you lived in New York and has that influenced your music to go in a particular direction?

BJ: Does couch surfing for five months count? I got here around June of 2008, but toured almost the whole time until January of 2009 when I got my first apartment. It was then that I really got my lip in shape to produce the sounds the way I do now. I had a situation where I was living in a loft on Myrtle that only had two tenants up on the third floor. When not on the road I would practice about four hours a day. I switched mouthpieces then to the kind I have now, which has a large chamber. Scales and long tones during the day, and shows at night. I checked out Silent Barn and Market Hotel a lot back then. Sometimes, a bunch of people would just show up at my practice space on Meserole and we’d have a noise jam until 4am. A friend came up with the idea that I should be playing through an amplifier around this time. I’d say that I expanded my tone to fit the environment.

AF: Has New York limited the type of pets you would like to keep in any way? What are some animals you would love to host but haven’t been able to in an urban setting?

BJ: All I want is a frog pond. But that won’t happen unless I move to the country. I would love to have a cat, but touring and living with roommates limits that idea. You have to really hang with a cat. I wish I could turn my entire room into a giant terrarium and just sleep on a flat rock. There could be garter snakes and a running brook. If I moved to Florida or Arizona, I could just walk outside and probably wouldn’t even keep any pets. I honestly just love seeing animals living healthy in their habitats. I guess I just want a cat.

AF: I know you have hosted many reptiles and insects. Has being a childhood science teacher warmed you up to these critters, or were you always interested in entomology?

BJ: I’ve always been really into arthropods. I just don’t get in trouble anymore for bringing them to school! I would say that it is the opposite, in a way. I have really enjoyed sharing my knowledge and fascination for living things with creatures I never took a close look at previously…children! It is so cool to show a snake to young people, because they are genuinely excited about it. Adults most often just say “Get that away from me!” This reaction is boring and a little heartbreaking for a biology-minded person like myself. So the children motivate me to learn more about living organisms with their own innate curiosity.

AF: I heard you were caring for a pregnant hissing cockroach in your apartment a few months back. How did you get the okay by your roommates? How do these creepy crawlers differ from the old Brooklyn gutter roaches?

BJ: I never told them about the hissing roaches. I think that’s the best way to keep large insects in your room. Hissing roaches belong to the family Blaberidae, which is different from Blattdae, the family that subway roaches belong to. Hissing roaches cannot fly, and would not be happy in a NYC sewer. They prefer rotting logs in a tropical forest habitat, and eat mostly fruits and vegetables. I think anyone that gives hissing roaches a chance will see that they are very chilled out, don’t bite, and make really good pets. Come on, cut up some of your apple and a few collard greens and give them a treat!

In New York City, we have three types of cockroaches. They are the American Cockroach, the German Cockroach, and the Oriental Cockroach. The one everybody talks about is probably Periplaneta Americana, the American Cockroach. This is the reddish brown monster that flies and is referred to as a water bug. To be specific, they are not true waterbugs, since they are not aquatic, and are not related to Hymiptera, the order that includes true waterbugs, stinkbugs and bedbugs! I’m glad we cleared that up!

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Cockroach comic by Ben Jaffe

AF: You have fostered some pretty interesting pets from your teaching job. Can you share some of them with AudioFemme?

BJ: My favorite animals that I have kept in the science lab have been the baby Chinese mantis I raised. They were so tiny and fascinating! You really have to do it yourself to understand what I mean. I don’t recommend keeping more than ten, because you have to house them in individual containers. They eat each other if left in the same tank together. The mother of this brood actually lived way into December of that year. If you’ve ever kept a mantis for that long, you notice some very curious changes in its behavior. I think that Chines Mantids essentially go insane as they get old. The eye spots get huge, making the mantis look crazed. They slow down and have difficulty hunting. My mantis chewed off part of her forelegs. One afternoon right before she checked out, she actually tried to eat my hand! She just chomped down on my knuckle and would not stop chewing. I had to spray her with water to get her to let go. It really hurt! I’ll never forget those eyes. Like something had gone haywire in her brain. I’ve never been more afraid of an individual insect.

Other cool residents have been an Italian Wall Lizard that I caught out on Long Island, and a very charismatic Anole named Cletus who now lives in my apartment. Currently in the lab, we have a Common Garter Snake that I adopted from a pet store. I am pretty sure it was wild caught. We also have some impressive Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. One got out over the summer and was discovered by the assistant principal! She recognized it and did not treat the insect the way New Yorkers usually deal with roaches. We also have a school of fathead minnows. I love common species.

AF: If you had to choose one animal you relate the most to, what would it be?

BJ: A grey tabby cat.

AF: Your roommate Diana has some pretty cute fluffy friends. What has it been like having those buddies around the apartment?

BJ: It’s the best. Toki and Scrambles! They are such friendly cats. I play with Toki every day after work. It is definitely important to keep my door closed, however. Toki will go in and chew up the house plants. One time, he threw up on Cletus’ cage.

AF: I know you dabble in comics on the side of your music and teaching careers. Are Carlos Rock Dog, Kitty Cat, or Denim Frog based on any real animal or human pals?

BJ: It’s hard to pinpoint who is what. Carlos just sort of showed up one day. He was a seagull first, in a comic I drew during lunch. Then he was a hound dog, and before I knew it, he started driving a car in the desert. Carlos spends most of his time on the highways between Ohio and Los Angeles. He hardly ever goes to New York City. Over time, I realized that Carlos is based on a few different people. He looks most like Jhon Grewell and Edd Chittenden from Dumb Wolves, the Prits, I’m Turning Into, MTS. Edd once said that Carlos is my diary, and he is right. I take things that have happened to me, and draw them as comics. “The Cat” from Carlos is based on every annoying friend you have ever had. The friend that drives you crazy, gets you in trouble, and you sometimes have to disassociate yourself from because it’s just dangerous being around them. Except Carlos can never do that with the Cat. He does not have a choice. Along for the ride, unfortunately. Denim Frog is a less complex character. He is a vehicle for dumb jokes. He is not that smart, but loves tricking other people. I won’t reveal who he is based on. I did keep a bullfrog for about eight years, so there’s something for you to think about.

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Denim Frog illustration by Ben Jaffe

AF: How did you become friends with all of your current bandmates? Do you think you all would be in the same animal family, or are there some fluffies and some scalies in your crew?

BJ: I first met Edd and Jhon [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][of Dumb Wolves] when I would go to hear I’m Turning Into around Brooklyn. We became friends at shows and parties. One day, Jhon was out of town and I filled in the bass parts of I’m Turning Into songs on saxophone. That was the beginning of the band, basically. We’re all Dumb Wolves. Which are dogs, as you know. Jhon likes to wear a shirt of whatever dog breed he feels like that day.
We also like Thrinaxodon, a mammal like reptile who lived during the Permian-Triassic period.

[Regarding] PILL, I knew Andrew from his performances as Space Lions in Outer Space, and I met Veronica at Death By Audio and various shows/parties. I did not meet Jon until the first time the four of us jammed together. We played for about twenty minutes and he said, “Hi I’m Jon.” I imagine we’d all be different animals: Andrew, a dolphin; Veronica, A cockatoo; Jon, A black or dark brown poodle; and myself, a frog or a garter snake.

AF: You have been on the road a lot these past few years. Do you have a favorite location to play in?

BJ: I like Nashville. There are some great spots there, and it’s different enough to feel far away from NYC. Columbus, Ohio is a good gig to play in the middle of the week. People really seem to come out for shows there. I also really dig Chicago.

AF: Any funny or fantastic road stories to share?

BJ: Drunk Gecko Hunting in Talahassee. After playing a party last March, I went looking for Mediterranean Geckos behind the house. We tried to film it to send to my students as a science video, but I was too drunk. There was no way I would ever email it to the school. It sounded like I was lurking behind people’s houses talking crazy about nocturnal animals, which I pretty much was. I did catch a good sized gecko, however.

I’m racking my brain about these tour stories. I have some from when I was a kid, of course, but PILL stories? Every day is a ridiculous day. I could relay the time in 2016 when I stood at the Mexican border in Big Bend National Park, playing “America the Beautiful” to a couple of people standing across the river. They came over to sell us some little toys and things made from wire. I continued to play, and this time it was more free. A man and a younger guy who was probably about 14 did not even look phased. A family came by to take some photos. That is who we saw on the border that day. It might not be much of a story, but it has a resonance now.

AF: Will you be cuddling with any animal friends for the holidays?

BJ: Oh sure. I will have a little extra time to hang and play with Toki and Scrambles. Toki is the kind of cat that wants to be chased around, and if you don’t play his games, he will do something to make you annoyed. Chewing house plants and then throwing up are a pretty common agenda. There will be a few cat naps, which is close to how I sleep anyway. I’ll spend some time hanging with a garter snake from the school. It is necessary for me to take it home to ensure fresh water and lots of live food. Garter snakes like water, you know. I also have two cat sitting gigs. Cats get bored and need a buddy to hang with. I think that’s the most important thing about keeping one. After you sleep for three hours and there is nothing to do, what happens then? You can’t go back to sleep.

PILL’s next New York show takes place at Elsewhere’s Zone One on January 16th, when they open up for Olivia Neutron-John. Get tickets here and check out their latest release, Aggressive Advertising, via bandcamp.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]