My initial exposure to Columbus punk band Putrid Cause was a few weeks ago at a weeknight Bourbon Street Show. Putrid Causes’s front man Chuck F*ck took all of his clothes off during the bands blistering set.

The Messr’s had played earlier in the evening and set it off well. Bo Davis of the Messr’s was wearing a Deathly Fighter T-Shirt that had appropriated a 70’s punk Malcolm McLaren/Vivienne Westwood’s design which has has two cowboys exposing their male reproductive organs.

So when Chuck of Putrid Cause decided to be the human embodiment  of that t-shirt; it was somewhat of a powerful moment.

I met up with Chuck and the rest of Putrid Cause at their North Campus punk bunker that is located adjacent to a Halfway House that had police cruisers sitting outside. The point of sitting on their porch was learn about Chuck’s antics, Putrid Cause in general and their upcoming performance at the upcoming Pet Without Parent’s Hardcore/Punk Benefit on September 13th at the Bobo/Summit complex.

Chuck explained why he chose to disrobe, “It’s kind of transcendental performance art. I feel more comfortable when I remove can remove all barriers between you and the audience.”

This led to the various members of Putrid Cause chiming into various antics by their frontman.

From this conversation I had gathered the following:   Chuck’s hair catches on fire from time to time.Chuck has slashed himself up at the Boneyard. Chuck is banned from both Used Kids and the 15th House for a reason no one would divulge.

During this interview was wearing a women’s lingerie top that was tucked into shorts. He was not naked, fortunately.

Chuck added that there was another reason for him to disrobe: humor.

“It’s just funny to see people with their junk hanging out.”, He said.

Trying to be offensive in Punk Rock is par for the course. Your band has to be good. And you have to be charismatic to pull it off.

Chuck admitted that he can’t exist on shock alone, saying, “If you do it all the time; then it just becomes a gimmick.”

The band’s line-up of Dansanity on Bass, Dr. Wolfgang Von Hiles the Barbarian Mother Funky Stay High on guitar, and Courtney L. Hell on drums gives a tight Poison Idea meets Void influenced sound to back up Chuck’s antics.

Courtney L. Hell is actually a classically trained jazz drummer who has been playing drums for 20 years.

“I still remember that grade school bright red Webster Dictionary...

I used that for my kick and my pad.”

Eventually Courtney got a kit, took lessons and was a jazz drummer in High School.

Courtney joined Putrid Cause when she returned to Columbus after attending grad school in Wisconsin.

“This is the first punk band I have been in.” Courtney admitted, adding.

“The first time I played with them I was nervous. They were so fucking fast.”

If you see them live, after noticing Chuck, you will also notice as Dansanity put it, “Our rhythm section is tight.”

Which something you will also notice on their split 7 inch with Cruelster which was released by Cleveland H/C label Turbine Piss.

Dr. WVHTBMFSH said of how this split 7 inch came together, “We played Cleveland. I though everyone hated us because they were standing far away. I guess we won them over because they wanted to do that split with us.”

Putrid Cause plans to follow-up this split with a tape in the near future.

So how does a band with nihilist tendencies end up joining a Benefit for a No-Kill Animal Shelter like Pets Without Parents?

Chuck’s reasoning was, “I don’t like people.”

Dr. WVHTBMFSH added. If you think about it. Humans are responsible for their own demise. Animals have no say. Dogs and cats didn’t choose to be this way.”

The organizer of this H/C Pets Without Parents Matt Tard chimed in, “I’ve always cared about dogs.”

Then he listed a supplemental motivation, “Any excuse to bring people together.”

For the Pets Benefit show on September 13th Features

Closet Case, Forget It, Broke As A Joke, Tessanga, Northern Widows, Slave House, Mutant League on the Cafe Bourbon Street Side.

Everyday Objects, DSA, Vegetative State, Putrid Cause, Checkmate, Takacs will play at the Summit. $5 each show. $8 dollars For both shows. 8 pm doors.