I have to thank The Village Voice for cluing me into Bell, a Brooklyn-based dreamy electro 4-piece that recently released their full-length album, Diamonite. Interestingly enough, the stand-out track on the album is "Chase No Face," a song inspired by an extraordinary cat of the same name.
Chase
Image credit: Daily Tails of Chase
Chase is a six-year-old survivor who was disfigured in an accident as a kitten. In 2005, she was discovered on the road and taken to the vet by a Good Samaritan, where she was saved, but lost her back leg, nose, eyelids, and the skin on her face due to the trauma of the accident. Fortunately, one of the vet techs at the animal hospital ended up adopting her into a wonderful forever home, where she has both animal and human siblings to keep her company. (You can read Chase's full story here).
Despite her handicaps, Chase is in good health, and as her owner frequently stresses, is not in any pain. She requires daily medication to keep her eyes moist, and even has a blog, Daily Tails of Chase, where you can catch up on her latest adventures, which as of late seem to involve getting into places where she doesn't belong. While some people find her difficult to look at, her story, along with the message she spreads is an important one. As it states on the header of her blog, "I'm a happy kitty and hope to help other humans feel just as great about themselves and realize that not everyone looks perfect and that is ok."
Singer Olga Bell tells the Voice that the song "Chase No Face" is about bravery vs. adversity, and that when she first read about Chase through her friend's blog, she was amazed that she's still alive, and behaves like a normal cat. Olga also shared that the song came about because she enjoys "singing about roaring, and the words 'no face.' "
When asked if she has any cats of her own, Bell replied, "Yes! His name is King. He's really into belly-rubs and mackerel-as should we all be."
You can stream the full track above (advance to song #3 to hear the Chase song), or at Bell's website where you can also purchase a full-length copy of the album for $8.
I love Chase, the song, and the fact that this cat was able to inspire a bona fide indie rock track. I also hope other artists are listening, and start following suit with similarly feline inspired tunes!
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6 comments:
I actually teared up reading about his story! I have never heard about or seen anything similar to this story, in all my years of loving cats. So happy to know he's got kitty and people friends. Also, I want to check out Bell now. :)
Alyssa
coolproducts.com
Great story about Chase. Thanks for pointing us in that direction. We have been voting for you all along. Have a fantastic day.
I have been following Chase for a while. She is an awesome kitty!
We know Chase and she is pretty amazing as is her Mom :) This is a great post too!! We are impressed that someone is so taken with this kitty that they wrote a song about her :) Very nice too!
Purrs Tillie and Georgia
I've also been checking in on Chase periodically. It's amazing what traumas our furry friends can go through and still retain so much life and love for others. As humans we have so much to learn from them!
I cried after reading Chase's story. What an inspiring kitty! Much love!
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