Be Your Own Pet started as a band of Nashville high schoolers two decades ago before exploding nationally. The group went from playing sweaty house and bar shows to label bidding wars and tour dates with Sonic Youth in no time, and that pressure contributed to the group disbanding in 2008. The BYOP mythos only grew from there, stoked by videos of their ecstatic live performances. Watching those clips now, it’s hard not to wish you were there, the band’s powder keg punk rock whipping crowds into frenzies, punctuated by singer Jemina Pearl’s infectious howl and bleached blonde head banging.
Fifteen years later, with kids and responsibilities galore, Be Your Own Pet reunited for Mommy, released last year via Jack White’s Third Man Records. The members might be wiser, but the music is still just as kick-ass. There’s a newfound political bent to some of their songs, yet the life-loving rush is still there–consider the album trailer, a funny spoof on slasher film trailers.
Be Your Own Pet recently took its reunion lap through Austin with a show a few weeks ago at the Parish. When they jumped off the road, Pearl recorded this guest DJ set for us. It’s full of her particular influences, which range from punk anthems and garage rock to the drama of girl group pop. Hear Be Your Own Pet’s My KUTX on Saturday, August 3 or listen anytime right here.
Playlist:
[intro music: Be Your Own Pet – “Hand Grenade”]
- The Weirdos – “A Life of Crime”
- Iggy Pop – “I’m Bored”
- The Shangri-Las – “Out In the Streets”
- Redd Kross – “Clorox Girls”
- The Dixie Cups – “Iko Iko”
- The Penetrators – “Shopping Bag”
- Kleenex – “Ain’t you”
- The Anemic Boyfriends – “Bad Girls In Love”
- Alex Chilton – “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
- Sharades – “Dumb Head”
- Ramones – “Judy Is a Punk”
- The Runaways – “Cherry Bomb”
- The Whyte Boots – “Nightmare”
- The Damned – “Problem Child”
- The Undertones – “Teenage Kicks”
- The Velvet Underground – “Foggy Notion”
Episodes
