"We're Coming for Boring Bands' Throats" : Meet Animals on TV

They say there’s nothing new under the sun, but I saw a 19 year old zebra shred the guitar at Scratch House the other night. I’m not sure how their wild band got into the bar. They weren’t trying to fool anyone -- Animals on TV is a straight up circus. 

Frontman Rob Hogan // Austin Johnson

Animals on TV’s inaugural show last Wednesday at Scratch House attracted an energetic assortment of friends, family and circus freaks. The Kitty Coen Band and Where’s Molly opened the night on MAX energy before our Culture Capital dad Elliot Franshaw introduced the main attraction. The crowd was hopeful and excited, showing out support for friends’ creative launch into outer space. We knew about as much about Animals On TV as we did about outer space; which is to say we knew it was gonna be exciting, but we didn’t know how it would feel. Especially because the frontman had never been in a band. Or played a live show. 

The 5-piece punk band is led by a songbird who moonlights as a creative writer named Rob Hogan. His amorphous energy continued to surprise as he danced, jumped and head banged through their set of original songs. His sister Lauren smiled warmly, remembering Rob always loved Mick Jagger as a kid. Even she was shocked by his instant command of the audience. 

Animals on TV // Austin Johnson

 The rhythm section doubles as the world’s first friendship between a fox (Andrew Davis), a rabbit (Haden Hunt) and an otter (Ben Baron). If you give a fox a guitar and you give a rabbit a drum set, they’ll turn punk and form a band (I’m gonna write a book about it.). Then an otter will sneak up and learn the bass in two months -- and this is a true story -- just so he can be in the band. If they don’t blow your minds yet, you’ll lose it over the 19 year old zebra (Gabe Posada) defying anatomical possibilities and playing the guitar like he was born to do it.

Gabe Posada // Austin Johnson

Their first live concert featured an impressive selection of original songs with catchy bass lines and driving guitar solos from Ben, who isn’t afraid to get down on his knees and melt you. He’ll show you how he really feels. Each song’s lyrics were written by Rob and delivered with the chaotic excitement of a circus whose ringmaster is also a mischievous poet. The only unoriginal song was borrowed from the prolific Carl Douglas, who noticed everybody was “Kung Fu Fighting” and wrote a disco song about it. We danced like wild animals through the whole thing.

Rob’s singing and mysteriously energetic performance style shocked everyone -- even his own band. Rob knows the same thing won’t surprise anyone twice. Animals On TV plan to evolve their energetic punk performance style because, like Rob says, “we’re out for boring bands’ throats.”

Look out for Animals On TV’s first single, out Feb 6th! Animals On TV play on Feb 8th at Parish with Nané and Nightcap.