Caustic Casanova Get Catty

Prog Psych Sludge Punk Rockers Caustic Casanova, hail from Washington, DC. Vocalist/ bassist Francis Beringer took some time out to catch us up on their pets. 

At all about the Rock, we consider ourselves pet lovers, which is why we want to know all about yours! How many pets do you have? What are their names and why? How long have you had them? Tell us all about them!

Stefanie (Drums/vocals) and I have one 14 year old tabby cat, Natty. After 12 wonderful years we lost our dog, a Treeing Walker Coonhound named Emma in March of 2020 right as the pandemic lockdowns started.

Natty is regrettably named for Natural Light beer, a terrible and cheap American swill drunk by college students and those born without taste buds. Emma was rescued from a shelter when she was two and came with her name. Natty is really smart, extra sweet, sassy and loving. She has turned several people (especially my mom) who were formerly ambivalent about cats into cat lovers with her silly personality and fondness for snuggling. Stefanie has had her since she was a kitten. Emma was probably the gentlest and most patient dog to ever live, we miss her terribly. She was all femininity – we called her the delicate flower. She always sat cross legged and usually behaved impeccably, except at mealtime when she became a ravenous hound true to her breed. She possessed an exceptionally melodious howl, a sonorous bay as we liked to put it, that everyone loved. She often gave command performances of her howl. Every person that knew Emma loved her, she had no negative personality traits. She had an understanding about little kids and let them pull on her ears or tail and generally goof around with her. She was always gentle.

 

We’re sorry you lost Emma and Natty sounds like a total cutie. What is the weirdest thing your pets have done or what’s the weirdest thing you have done with your pets?

Not sure if these are exactly weird or not, but Natty once climbed into someone’s engine, got trapped in there, and survived a drive across town and the return trip unscathed, probably because it was the dead of winter. Definitely a nine lives story.

Natty also talks more than any cat we’ve ever encountered. She has running monologues and dialogues of chirps and meows going all day long. She talks to us and herself most of the time she’s awake.

Emma once had all her footpads ripped off running on hot asphalt and had to wear socks one entire summer. She also did a cross country road trip from DC to New Mexico to be the flower girl in a wedding. She got to roll around and run wild through the endless dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.

 

Wow! Very adventurous pets. Can Natty the cat do any tricks? 

Natty can sit and shake on command, which is pretty cool for a cat. We trained her to do this recently, too – old cats can learn new tricks!

 

This past year has been pretty manic, so you’ve no-doubt, like the rest of us, spent a lot of time at home. How has your pet helped being at home for you? Have they been comforting, or have they just been driving you nuts?

Natty has been a constant source of comfort, joy and entertainment to us.

Have you always been an animal lover? Have you ever owned any exotic or different pets?

I’ve only had dogs my whole life, plus Natty. My sister had birds and hermit crabs. Stefanie had a hermit crab (Hermes) that lived to be really old – I think 20! We’ve always both liked pets, but Stefanie came to truly love dogs through Emma and I came to truly love cats through Natty.

 

Are you one of those people that puts your pets into costumes? Don’t be shy to tell us about their battle vest.

Natty will definitely not accept any clothing. We used to put Emma in all types of stuff. She was a pumpkin and a shark for Halloween, she had Christmas pyjamas she wore every December 24th, and she wore an AC/DC shirt to a few outdoor concerts.

A dog shark costume, now that sounds awesome! Who looks after your pet whilst you’re away on tour/holiday?

My mom, usually – definitely for all tours. Occasionally our guitarist Jake will watch Natty, he is a cat and dog lover. Our other guitarist Andrew dogsat Emma on occasion.

 

Do/did your pets like it when you practise at home? Do they seem to prefer any particular genre of music more than another?

Natty has never heard us practice. Emma heard us practice – very loudly – all the time and could not have cared less. She slept through it every time. Other dogs that we looked after, definitely did not like the noise and would freak out.

Emma met a lot of touring bands over the years. She was the belle of the ball every time we hosted a touring band. Other people’s pets can be such a comfort and joy when you’re far away from home. We have lots of favourite pets and favourite pet stories from our many tours.

Speaking of practising, any new music in the pipeline? IF so when is it due and what can your audience expect?

We are working on two new covers for tribute albums that should come out this year. We are finishing our new album, which should have been done the past year but was paused due to Covid. The new record should be completed by late spring/early summer, and possibly released this year or early next, depending on pressing plants’ turnaround time. We also will have another live EP out on bandcamp sometime this spring.

We’re going to try to fit old recordings of Emma howling into the music somehow.

That sounds very productive and we can’t wait to hear Emma’s howling in the recordings, that’s a great way to honour her memory. 

Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans/followers?

We never tire of people posing in their Caustic Casanova gear with their pets, keep those CC pet pictures coming!

Thank you for your time. It’s been a pleasure as always!

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