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All good things must come to an end
Band goes separate ways after final record release
By Abby Jacobsen
They thought as a band that ending the good times while they were still passionate would be a better idea than dragging out their careers to the point where they hated it.
Be Your Own Pet: they sound just like you think. They’re independent, in your face and sassy. Each song throws their spunky-rock feel straight at you.
Sadly enough, their latest CD “Get Awkward,” was their last release as a band. The four members (Jemina Pearl, Nathan Vasquez, Jonas Stein and John Eatherly), chose to call it quits when back-up singer and lead guitarist Stein decided to quit the band. They thought as a band that ending the good times while they were still passionate would be a better idea than dragging out their careers to the point where they hated it. It’s a great idea band-wise, but not so wonderful for us listeners.
The Tennessee band got started back in 2003, when they referred to themselves as Night Shift Nurses. Then the group consisted of Pearl, Stein and brothers Jamin and Jeff Orrall. They created and recorded under their own label, Infinity Cat (which also recorded artists like The Sex, Art Circus and Monkey Bowl).
After Jeff Orrall left the band to do his own thing, Vasquez took over the rank of bassist. The band then re-dubbed themselves Be Your Own Pet. (The name was actually taken from another band under the Infinity Cat label- Art Circus). After renaming the band, two CDs were put out, along with different compilations for different releases in different countries.
In 2005, the band started recording under the UK label XL. They released their first self-titled album in 2006. Each song echoed a fun punk feel. All of Pearl’s lyrics play up her bratty persona – screams and raw vocals that mix well with the slight dance-y beat. Their first album contained more contemporary references. “Ouch” was based off the ’87 film “Dawn of the Dead,” while “Thersher’s Flail” referenced Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Kahn.”
Their latest and final album, Get Awkward, was released in March of 2008 here in the U.S. The album that was released in the UK had a few more tracks on it compared to the one here (which include “Black Hole”, “Becky” and “Blow Yr Mind”). The three songs taken off the U.S. release were deemed “too violent.” Those tracks available in the U.S. all contained the same punk-pop dance feel that makes you want to get out of your seat and dance around while listening. None of the songs were released herein as singles, but there were definitely a few that could have reached the Top 100. The songs all range in meaning and maturity levels. “Bitches Leave” has the on-going theme of girl fights; “Bummer Time” with the topic of nostalgia with childhood; and of course- “Food Fight” in which Pearl wails about the fun of food fights. “Lunch time just not fair/hot dog, mustard in your hair…crash a six year olds birthday party/ smash cake in her face, make her scream for mommy.”
While Be Your Own Pet will no longer be one melodic entity, you can expect to hear more from each of them separately in the future. Stein and Eatherly will still be in a quirky band called Turbo Fruits, Vasquez will be a part of the band Deluxin and Pearl will soon be working on her own solo project. And, although the band is no longer together, you still owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of either (or both) of their albums (iTunes, local record stores, etc.).
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