NOELLE's BE YOUR OWN PET ARCHIVE ! made by verzephobe ga

Q&A

What is "Be Your Own Pet"?

Be Your Own Pet (stylized as be your own PET or BYOP) is a garage punk / riot grrrl band spanning from 2003-2008 and 2021-present. It's made up of Jemina Pearl (vocals), Jonas Stein (guitar), Nathan Vasquez (bass) and John Eatherly (drums). From the self title era to the Not Rocket Science era, Jamin Orrall was also in the band as drummer.

Why is there so much lost content around this band?

BYOP was formed when the original members were only 16. Naturally, a lot of the content would be lost to time. Thankfully, with a bit of digging, me and my boyfriend have found a lot of the old videos and such only shown on TV!!

Why did you make this website?

With the growing popularity of some BYOP songs, misinformation will get spread. I've poured hours upon hours into research on this band, so I figured if nobody else will make a website, I will!

Album Explanation

be your own PET (or self-title)

selftitle

The self-titled album is the very first of the discography, released March 27 2006. Spanning 33 minutes, its short and sweet. This is by far the most amateur of the list, made by 4 16 year olds and a dream. There are plenty of themes of teenage rage (Bicycle & Bunk Trunk Skunk), simple fun (Adventure & Wildcat) and somewhat melancholy tracks (October First Account). This album had BYOP's very first hit, Adventure.

  • Thresher's Flail
  • Bunk Trunk Skunk
  • Bicycle Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle
  • Wildcat!
  • Adventure
  • Fuuuuuun
  • Stairway to Heaven
  • Bog
  • Girls on TV
  • We Will Vacation, You Can Be My Parasol
  • Let's Get Sandy (Big Problem)
  • October, First Account
  • Love Your Shotgun
  • Fill My Pill
  • Ouch

Not Rocket Science

notrocketscience

Essentially, Not Rocket Science (released May 8 2007) is a compliation of 2 other EPs, Extra Extra EP and Damn Damn Leash EP. While the tracks from Damn Damn Leash (Damn Damn Leash, Spill, Electric Shake) were recorded & originally released in 2004, the other songs (Feel Me Loud, Steal, Extra Extra) were recorded post-debut. This is the comprehensive listen to both, and they don't fit exactly into any of the eras. It's most similar to the debut album if any.


Get Awkward & Get Damaged

getawkward getdamaged

Get Awkward and Get Damaged are dual releases, the former being a full-length album and the latter a 3 song EP. Both were released on March 18 2008, though that's the assumed release date for Get Damaged. The 3 songs on the EP were all originally on the album, though they were deemed "too violent" by Universal, and removed. Themes on these releases include rage & violence (Black Hole & Blow Yr Mind), childish or school settings (Becky & Food Fight), love (Heart Throb & What's Your Damage) and bittersweet sadness (You're A Waste & Creepy Crawl). Get Damaged also has BYOP's biggest hit by far, Becky.

Get Awkward

  • Super Soaked
  • The Kelly Affair
  • Twisted Nerve
  • Heart Throb
  • Bitches Leave
  • Bummer Time
  • You're A Waste
  • Food Fight!
  • Zombie Graveyard Party!
  • What's Your Damage?
  • Creepy Crawl
  • The Beast Within

Get Damaged


Mommy

mommy

Mommy is the latest release, released August 25 2023. After a 15 year hiatus, they've come back to recap on how life has treated them since they were teenagers. It's quick but heavy, having some of the most intense lyricism on any release by them. Themes include motherhood (Goodtime & Big Trouble), exploring sexuality (Worship The Whip & Rubberist), nostalgia (Teenage Heaven) and violation (Never Again). Mommy also has a hit off it, Worship The Whip.

Hiatus

In 2008, BYOP split up for good (or what they thought was for good). This was after years of sexualization at a young age and misogyny in the music scene that Jemina was facing. Though some of the members have gone on to solo careers or other bands, from about 2010-2021 Pearl kept under the radar in regards to music. In that time, she'd become a mother, and that was a large inspiration for Mommy. They were invited to open for Jack White in 2021 after 14 years of hiatus, and once together, decided to make an album.


Solo Careers

Break It Up

Post-BYOP, Pearl has released only one album; Break It Up, October 6 2009.
breakitup

Break It Up, Jemina's first and only solo album, was released on October 6 2009. A breakaway from Be Your Own Pet, this album was created by Jemina and John as what was meant to be her solo breakthrough. It was pitched by Universal to turn Jemina into more of a pop-star type of figure, but it didn't work out as expected. After this album, Pearl stayed under the radar of music for about 11 years.


Others

Fair warning, I don't know all too much about this part. Please, if you have any information I missed or anything I got wrong, shoot me a DM on my twitter.

John Eatherly

John has gone on to make music alone, releasing 3 singles and 1 ep from 2019-2020, as well as with Club Intl. A debut album for Club Intl was slated to release in 2023, but hasn't released. Whether or not that's still in the works is unknown.

Jonas Stein

Jonas created the band Turbo Fruits in 2006, originally with John Eatherly (see above) in the band. They released a self-titled debut in 2007, and 3 more albums from 2009-2015. Jonas was the only consistent member for the entire band's lifetime, from 2006-2016.

Nathan Vasquez

As far as I am aware, Nathan didn't do anything with music (released) from 2008-2021.

Members

Jemina Pearl

2008 2023

Jemina Pearl is the frontwoman and main vocalist of Be Your Own Pet, founding the group in 2004. Born June 20 1987, she was only 15 when the band started. She created a name for herself and the band with her unusual and energetic performances in live shows. Though she's now praised by many, she was often disrespected by fans and critics. Pearl experienced a lot of sexualization and misogyny; even being described as the "Slutty Jemina Pearl" in an article when she was only 18. Now in 2024, she's a mother and a wife, while still fronting the band. Fun fact: she was originally supposed to play Envy Adams in Scott Pilgrim, before Brie Larson took the role!! She would've been so good, ugh.

Interview(s)


Nathan Vasquez

2008 2023

Nathan Vasquez is the bassist of Be Your Own Pet, being with the band since 2004. He had (in an interview mentioned that he) struggled with alcohol issues since BYOP's split in 2008, and has worked as a web developer for the past 10 years. He (apparently) kept in contact with Jemina since the split. Fun fact: there is at least 2 videos online of Nathan falling off stage and struggling to get back on!! Not sure why.

Interview(s)


Jonas Stein

2008 2023

Jonas Stein is the lead guitarist of Be Your Own Pet, and has been in the band since 2004. He was the first member to rejoin post-split, and he's also the current leader of the band Turbo Fruits! He's worked on the soundtrack for the movie Whip It in 2009 (its a better movie than you think, give it a shot) and has produced his own video diary! Fun fact: apparently he's known as Jonas "JoNasty" Stein? I don't know him as that.

Interview(s)


John Eatherly

2008 2023

John Eatherly is the current drummer of Be Your Own Pet, joining the band in 2007. After Jamin (see below) left the band, John (who was a close friend of theirs) filled in the spot. He began to date Jemina in 2009 (I believe), and they worked on her solo album together. He did all the instrumentation for the album, but they had a seperate band for live shows. After that album & the tour with it, they broke up and didn't speak (much) until the revival of the band. Fun fact: He does modeling!! Also don't talk about the bead necklace. It's. I'm. Um.

Interview(s)


Jamin Orrall

2006 2023

Jamin Orrall was the drummer for Be Your Own Pet from 2004-2006. He left because he wanted to focus on his own band, JEFF the Brotherhood. Honestly, I don't know a ton about Jamin; most interviews don't mention Be Your Own Pet, and that's my main focus. He still is in JEFF the Brotherhood, apparently with his brother!! Which makes sense. Fun fact: Jamin is the only member to not return in 2023, giving John the go-ahead to play his parts on older songs!! Also, he owns Infinity Cat, which sells Be Your Own Pet merchandise & physical music!! Fun.

Interview(s)


There's a lot of lost Be Your Own Pet videos, whether they haven't been uploaded or have been lost to time due to broken archive links. However, I'm doing what I can to collect all the old videos on Youtube!! So, as they're updated, you should check out my playlists!! We have this for old fanmade videos, and this for obscure older videos!! Thank you!!

Edit
Pub: 16 Jun 2022 06:22 UTC
Edit: 09 May 2024 14:45 UTC
Views: 155