Sea-Monkeys, X-Ray Specs, and a necklace full of soil from Dracula’s castle are among the many bizarre items that were sold in comic-book ads of yore. Garage/surf rock supergroup Darling Pet Munkee aims to tell the tales of these lost items in song. For the next 6 months, the band will be releasing one song a month – with accompanying history – examining the bizarre knick-knacks sold via these misleading ads that promised fighting skills, wondrous creatures, and grand journeys.
The band name is derived from both the sale of living squirrel monkeys via ads (“Darling Pet Monkey”) and the combination of Sophia Cacciola (drums, vocals) and Michael J. Epstein (bass, vocals) of The Prisoner-themed act, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, and Catherine Capozzi (guitars) of Axemunkee.
Issue 1: X-Ray Specs
Issue 2: Sea-Monkeys
Issue 3: MONSTER S-I-Z-E MONSTERS
Issue 4: Genuine Soil From Dracula’s Castle
Issue 5: Jet “Rocket” Space Ship!
Issue 6: Darling Pet Monkey
Issue 7: Kung-Fu Sandals
Issue 8: Hypno-Coin
Issue 9: Scary, Giant Size ALIEN-EYE Creature!
Issue 10: Polaris Nuclear Sub
Issue 11: Charles Atlas (Hey Skinny…Yer Ribs Are Showing!)
Issue 12: 100 pc. Toy Soldier Set
Issue 13: GROW MAN GROW! (Ladies Too!)
Issue 14: Live Toy Circus (With Performing CHAMELEON)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/darlingpetmunkee
Blog/News: http://bit.ly/DPMnews
Axemunkee: http://axemunkee.com
Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling: http://donotforsake.com
About the band:
Catherine Capozzi is nothing less than a guitar goddess, a girl who can shred with the best of the boys. After being selected by Queen’s Brian May out of 104 guitarists to win a famed “Red Special” guitar, Catherine founded Axemunkee to highlight her original guitar-based compositions, blending a variety of musical styles including: majestic psychedelia, hard rock, surf music, Middle Eastern music, and Parisian swing. Axemunkee’s “Acid Django” has been featured multiple times in the History Channel’s hit program, American Pickers. Cathy, known previously for her work with the band All the Queen’s Men and the Edith Piaf tribute band, Ziaf, was even mentioned in the book: She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul by British rock writer Lucy O’Brien and, appropriately, was the basis of a character in Marvel Comic’s Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Dr. Capozzi, a “mad genetic scientist with a heart of gold.”
Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein together make up Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, an angular drums/bass duo performing songs based on the ‘60s spy-fi cult-classic, The Prisoner. The band is currently two EPs (April 2010’s The New Number 2 and June 2011’s Questions Are a Burden to Others) into a project to write and record 17 songs, each one based on/inspired by an episode of the series and has recently released a painstakingly accurate, music-video recreation of the opening sequence of the show, The Prisoner, for their song, “Episode 1 – Arrival.” The pair also perform in the library-themed baroque pop ensemble, The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library and the intergalactic children’s band, Space Balloons.
Press:
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/music/131748-new-music-for-bostons-winter-of-discontent/ – http://thephoenix.com/Boston/music/131748-new-music-for-bostons-winter-of-discontent/?page=3#TOPCONTENT
Boing Boing: http://boingboing.net/2011/10/03/darling-pet-munkees-soungs-based-on-old-comic-book-ads.html
Boing Boing debuts music video for X-Ray Specs: http://boingboing.net/2011/12/16/darling-pet-munkee-x-ray-sp.html
Boing Boing Gweek Podcast, “Sea-Monkeys”: http://boingboing.net/2011/10/10/gweek-020-mads-al-jaffee.html
Boing Boing Gweek Podcast, “Darling Pet Monkey” http://boingboing.net/2011/10/17/gweek-21-i-go-pogo.html
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[…] Pet Munkee was originally a one-off (go here for the story of how it happened) recording project combination of Cathy Capozzi of Axemunkee and Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. […]