Cow Punk Finds its Way to WMUL-FM | Classroom Concerts

By Alyson Messinger, News Editor

5-20-26

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WMUL-FM)- As a long-time fan of Huntington band Pet Bandana, I was thrilled to interview them after they played four original tracks at WMUL-FM for a classroom concert.

Being friends with the lead singer’s younger brother, my friends and I spent the end of my high school years packing venues for Pet Bandana.

Watching them go from opening for bands at The Loud and playing at small houses to headlining at the better-known venues across the Tri-State makes me extremely proud of the band’s success.

Pet Bandana calls themselves cow punk, a genre that drummer Alex Treacy described as a mix of a few other genres and influences.

“I would say it’s a mixture of old country folk, kind of like Waylon Jennings and The Avett Brothers, but at its core it’s punk rock.” Treacy said.

Playing both originals and covers at venues across the tri-state, lead guitarist, Salem Carlton said that covers can give the audience something familiar to sing along to. He said that Pink Pony Club by Chapell Roan is one of their most requested.

“It was right after the song had kind of blown up. We’ve had it on the setlist since because people just really seem to enjoy it. It’s fun to have an opportunity to dance and scream all the words to a song that you know you love.”

One song that will always remind me of being in the front row at shows is Harvest Moon, made famous by Neil Young. This cover fits in with a lot of the other original music that the band plays, leaning more towards their folky influences.

Carlton also expressed that for anyone just starting out in the music scene, getting out and performing is the best way to get better.

“Get out, find an open mic, say hi to everybody there, keep coming back, because eventually they start to remember you coming in, they recognize the face, the name, and that was kind of what did for us as far as like people actually wanting us to come and open up. Just play anywhere you can all the time,” he said.

My co-host, Shane Simmons, and I had a blast interviewing some of our friends. If you want to see some sick backflips and dance moves, check out Pet Bandana’s Classroom Concert on WMUL-FM’s YouTube channel.

For more from Pet Bandana, check out their social media and keep an eye out for flyers around campus.