photo by Devon Bristol Shaw I hope everyone is sufficiently stuffed from Thanksgiving and had a chance to cuddle up with some fluffy friends over the long weekend! Make sure you chop up some of those leftovers for your pets to show your appreciation. If you don't have a furball bestie what the heck are you waiting for?! November is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month; if you're in NYC, check out one of the many great rescue programs for senior and special needs pets we're very fortunate to have, or find a local no-kill shelter to support near you. For this month's column, I had the pleasure of talking to the lovable Shari Page, drummer of THICK, before the holiday weekend. THICK has been crushing the music game more than ever, recently opening for Cherry Glazerr and receiving a mention in The New York Times. I had the chance to watch them in action again a few weeks back when Sharkmuffin played a show with them. As usual, they were vivacious and fierce – a melodic but explosive live act. Shari is tough on the kit, but also one of the most affable personalities in the Brooklyn music scene. Check out her spirit animals, those she assigned for her band, and her history of pets!

AF: What is your favorite type of animal? SP: I love dogs, and all animals, but I have such a soft spot for mutts. AF: How would you say your personality correlates to this species? SP: I think dogs are very goofy, loyal, and compassionate. I hope I am also! Growing up, I sort of felt like the mutt amongst the bichons. My town wanted to breed people to all go to the same colleges, have the same jobs and interests, so I found myself trying to always do the opposite. AF: What is your spirit animal? SP: Bloodhound. AF: What do you think your bandmates’ spirit animals are? SP: I think Nicole’s spirit animal is Tails and Kate’s is Sonic (from the video game). AF: Where did you grow up and did that have any bearing on the types of pets you were able to tend to? SP: I grew up on Long Island, and we always adopted cats and dogs. Since it was the suburbs, we were able to have a cat that could go outside and come back. I used to jump with my dog Bud on the trampoline in my backyard. My cat Rockey would eat mac and cheese with me.

AF: Who was your first pet? What type of animal was it and how did you come to care for it? SP: My first pet was a dog named Apache. He’s the childhood mascot for my friends. He was a bloodhound mutt mix. I used to always walk him, and play with him. I took him everywhere. He was the sweetest animal. He used to open the fridge when no one was home, and take all the food out. We would find cold cuts all over the living room floor! He was famous for drooling on everyone. AF: How many pets have you had over the course of your life? SP: I’ve had four dogs and two cats, who were all adopted. AF: Is there any “dream pet”—real or fictional—that you always wish you had? SP: I always wanted to have Yoshi as a pet. I feel like we would go on a bunch of adventures together. I also would love to have a magical pug named Townes. AF: What are your current pets named, how old are they, and what type of animal are they? SP: I have two dogs named Raine and Rocket. Raine is 10 and Rocket is 4. Raine is a dalmatian/pit bull mix. Rocket is part brussels griffon/mystery.

Rocket is a little snuggle bear! AF: Do you have a favorite animal-themed song? SP: The Wishbone theme song, and not just because I had the coolest Wishbone lunch box growing up! AF: When did you start drumming? SP: I started taking lessons in third grade. I went to an event where you sign up for activities, and my mom suggested drumming. When I couldn’t afford a drum set, I would pretend a chair was a drum set and learn Blink-182 songs. I would just play the beats by hitting the chair. I finally saved up babysitting money when I was 13 and got a used drum set! AF: Was there anything in particular that you can point to as an “a-ha!” moment in your life that launched your career? SP: I think playing shows and having anyone there is an amazing feeling. I was playing in bands for 10 years, and all you want as a band is for someone to be at your shows. We recently played a show with Cherry Glazerr, and there were a bunch of people moshing and going crazy. I was once that kid at shows in the mosh pit, watching bands, and going “ I want to do this one day.” I don’t think of the launch, but the next positive thing for THICK, and anyone and their mom or dog who will listen to our music. AF: How did you come to meet Nicole and Kate? Tell me a little bit about the history of THICK. SP: I was randomly on craigslist, and saw a post that said “two girls, one drummer.” It said they were around my age and into Blink-182. This was everything I’d dreamed of! Making a pop-punk all girl band. Nicole and I would see Kate in the air at every show (she was always crowd-surfing or moshing). When our old bassist left, Kate joined, and the rest is history!

AF: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to be as a musician thus far? SP: Having a band that works as a team. I feel so happy to be able to play music with genuine people who I can call my best friends. I’m so proud of Nicole and Kate for all the hard work and rock n’ roll that they keep doing. I’ve been in bands since I was 17, and my college band must have had 100 different members. I really never gave up on myself or music, and I hope we can influence anyone to do the same... that’s the real accomplishment!! AF: Any big plans for THICK this year? SP: One of our goals as a band was to play with Diarrhea Planet, which is happening on New Year’s Eve. It’s very surreal. I think Nicole said she would retire if we ever got to play with them. We were also featured in the New York Times this year, I’m still pinching myself to wake up... AF: Are you anticipating seeing any animal pals over the holidays? SP: I’m going to be visiting my parents in Florida, and seeing my dogs. I’m going to be spending my birthday and Thanksgiving watching TV with my dogs, and feeding them pretzels (don’t tell anyone). They like to binge watch Lock Up with me on Netflix. AF: Have any animals or pets ever influenced your songwriting? SP: Having pets taught me everything about connections. We can’t speak the same language as our pets, but we feel the same love, loyalty, compassion, and connections. I feel the same way toward music.

Have a snoot boop courtesy of Raine, Shari's dalmatian/pit mix!

PET POLITICSShari Page of THICK