Indie band PETS plans album release show July 15
Ask members of the Tri-City band PETS to describe the group’s sound, and you’ll get a few different answers.
“I always tell people that it’s like ’60s, ’70s show choir music,” said Chrissa Terrel, one of the singers.
“It’s practical, multi-generational rock,” said Cameron Mills, another vocalist.
Tim Leingang, who formed the band and writes the songs, said PETS plays “my own brand of pop music.”
“It doesn’t follow suit to anything,” Leingang said. “It could be called quirky, it could be called bizarre, it could be called indie.”
Or cool, catchy, interesting, fun.
The group, filled with movers and shakers in the local indie music scene, is celebrating the release of its new album, Personal Electronic Transactor Sounds.
A release party starts at 8 p.m. July 15 at Emerald of Siam in Richland. There’s no cover charge; the album will be available in vinyl, with a digital download card, for $12.
PETS is Leingang’s brainchild. The group formed in 2007 as a three-piece band and has morphed into a collective of musician friends who find inspiration playing and creating together.
Most got to know each other through Leingang’s art and music venue, 321 Art Space, which closed its doors in 2008.
Along with Leingang, Terrel and Mills, the current PETS roster includes Pat Mackey, Helen Mackey, Katy Mills and Andy Evens.
Gabriel Knutzen and Loren and Matthew Polk also appear on the album, which was produced by Eli Moore of the Olympia band Lake.
Moore and Lake bandmate Ashley Eriksson also show up as guest musicians.
The album is on Leingang’s Funkytonk Records. It’s the label’s 40th release.
It took about a year to complete, with the songs recorded on a reel-to-reel tape machine, giving them a vintage feel.
That’s not the only thing that sets the album apart. PETS’ lyrics are a defining characteristic of the band and its music.
Take the song Sewing Machine. “What would it cost you to go to the tailor? / Pull out a sewing machine and do it for free,” it goes. “Needles and thread, electricity / Your mom can teach you and you can teach me.”
Or Family Functions, which talks about “family functions, free time with your cousins / Pick a park where it will start.”
Or Daveno, which describes a daveno — or couch — that belonged to Leingang’s grandparents. “Daveno, davenport, it sits three / The family will be comfy,” the song goes, building to a chorus that invites the listener to “come see us on our daveno.”
The songs are specific, but also relatable. Who doesn’t remember a family couch or a park outing with cousins as a kid?
They’re simple, too, at least on the surface. As for deeper meaning, Leingang leaves it to the listener.
“The greatest thing about art and music for me has always been what it’s meant to me and not necessarily what the artist intended it to mean,” he said. “I think when you leave it open for anyone’s interpretation, that’s the way it works the best.”
After the Emerald of Siam show, PETS will set out on a short Northwest tour.
It’s an exciting time with lots to look forward to, band members said.
They gathered on a recent evening to talk about the new album. They’ve all known each other at least a decade, and that long history came through.
There was a warmth, laughter. That bond enhances the music, band members said.
“It’s super fun. That’s my number one reason (for being in the band),” Evens said. “That makes the music good — you’re having fun and you’re not stressing out.”
“We’re all friends. It’s great to be hanging out, and if this is what we’re doing it’s even better,” Leingang added. “It’s fun to play music with your friends.”
Emerald of Siam is at 1314 Jadwin Ave.
For more on PETS, go to www.funkytonkrecords.com, the group’s Bandcamp page at www.personalelectronictransactorsounds.bandcamp.com or its Facebook page under www.facebook.com/funkytonkrecords.
To download the album now, go to www.funkytonkrecords.com and click on “Store.”
This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Indie band PETS plans album release show July 15."