Stroll through SUM Studios on any given night and you’ll hear Boston music history in real time. The halls fill with a cacophony of genres seeping under the doors of rehearsal rooms and recording studios: Cymbal crashes ringing, guitars whamming and weeping, singers perfecting their trills before showtime. But there’s one particular tune that consistently flows from the second floor that musicians and their guests can hear whenever they need to reconnect with nature.
It’s the ballad of Wally, courtesy of SUM’s pet pigeon-in-residence. Sometimes her coos are light; other times she murmurs an owlish tune that’s a bit more aggressive (translation: She’s feeling frisky). But though her tone may change, her gregarious temperament never fails to attract new admirers, making her the feathered face of this Malden-based musical hotspot.
“It’s funny, our mission at SUM has been to significantly raise the bar for rehearsal and recording studios — to create a far more professional vibe, and all of the sudden I’m meeting potential clients with a freaking pigeon on my shoulder,” SUM Studios owner Bob Logan tells Vanyaland.
Wally will sit on anyone else’s shoulder too, if they can tempt her over with a handful of refrigerated sunflower seeds from the comfort of her second-story “aviary,” which comes complete with a pigeon-sized loft and catwalk bolted to the ceiling. In fact, guests can pose with SUM’s second mascot (we’d argue that Sparky, Logan’s 15-year-old dog, was the first) whenever they want. Wally’s an unabashed performer who’s eager to flex her tail feathers given the right audience.
“She is more social than I am,” Logan confesses. In her short time at the studio, Wally’s already patented a repertoire of dance moves. She can puff out her chest with pride and then flatten herself to half her size if she feels like shapeshifting. If she wants to act out what Logan calls the “Darth Vader walk,” she struts with a regal gait as her feathers dramatically drag behind her. Put her on a sofa and she’ll ski down the armrest with grace. Wally even has the courtesy to scoot away from visitors’ hands or shoulders so she doesn’t poop on them — although Logan provides extra large t-shirts to borrow, just in case.
“Wally wants to be around everyone all of the time,” he explains. “It’s all great that you rescued a bird, but these are incredibly smart, social beings who need a partner and a tribe. So, we built an aviary/library for people to hang with Wally before or after band practice, recording, et cetera.”
If it weren’t for Logan’s assistance, Wally would have never found her social circle or a new family at all. Last November, she was a confused week-old chick in a Walmart parking lot, with apparent trauma to her beak, wings, and feet. Fearing for her safety, Logan took home what he thought was an ailing turkey vulture. Commenters on Facebook were quick to point out that the yellow-feathered fledgling he took under his wing was actually a pigeon. Technically, she’s a rock dove — no pun intended, but “Wally the rock dove” does make for a great title and Instagram handle.
“Although we did go back over the next few days [after recusing Wally] to confirm, it was clear that her family and nest were disrupted by construction or possibly another bird,” he explains.
Logan’s intention was never to keep Wally as a pet, let alone give her free rein of SUM Studios. Alongside his partner Sam, he nursed Wally back to health over the course of last winter, feeding her via tube every two to four hours. The pair limited any other interactions with Wally, hoping to prevent any imprinting that could leave her defenseless upon her return to the wild. As the weather warmed, Logan and Wally warmed to each other, and Logan started sneaking in some musical moments.
“We did not want to hinder her progress, but I constantly played or sung the melody and solo to ‘Lips Like Sugar’ [by Echo & The Bunnymen] and she still gets a bit trance-like when you sing that to her,” he adds. To this day, Wally insists you sing it to her before bedtime.
This past spring, a representative from Cape Ann Wildlife examined Wally and estimated that she wouldn’t flourish in the wild, due to factors such as her initial trauma and malnourishment. The solution was obvious: The SUM family was officially getting bigger.
“SUM Studios is over 50,000 square feet and we are constantly expanding, so it was easy to find a little sunlit spot for our new pal,” Logan explains. “As long as she was willing to put up with construction sounds during the day and Worshipper, Gozu, and The Devil’s Twins rocking out at night!”
And she is — she’ll even bop her head along to the noise in the halls when she’s perched on Logan’s shoulder during a stroll (yes, really). Members of bands like Motel Black and The Devil’s Twins can testify that SUM already feels like Wally’s natural habitat. She is a rock dove, after all.
“SUM is a home away from home for musicians — it’s a pretty unique spot and Wally’s presence as bird ambassador just feels kind of natural,” says Sean Joncas, drummer for Motel Black. “There’s a huge tangerine orange couch when you first walk in, so why shouldn’t there be a pigeon hanging out there, too?”
Joncas says the band was shocked to see Wally cosy up to Sparky — and even more shocked when she cozied up to them.
“She was not afraid of anyone in the band. When you walk through a city park, usually pigeons scatter every which way as you walk by,” he remarks. “She happily perched herself on top of [bandmates] Marcos’ head and Ryan’s shoulder for a while until they decided to give someone else a turn.”
Fortunately, Wally has plenty of love to go around. Nicole Marie, singer of The Devil’s Twins, says an impromptu visit with SUM’s pet pigeon always lightens the mood after a grueling rehearsal.
“Honestly, when Bob asked us if we wanted to meet the pigeon he found at Walmart, I wasn’t surprised,” she notes. “Of course he befriended and bonded with a pigeon. He could make anyone feel like a friend. Wally fits right in with all of us at SUM and is a great mascot alongside her dog brother. I’ve honestly never met such a cool, calm, and collected pigeon! She has such a sweet and quirky personality and a wild bond with Bob. It’s really cool to see the connection they have and how trusting she’s become with all of us after all of the care Bob’s put in with her.”
As Logan gets his ducks in a row for SUM’s continued expansion, it’s hard to say what the Malden space will look like in a year. But however the future unfolds, Wally will be there, strutting, sitting on shoulders, and helping Logan’s vision take flight.
She’ll probably still be demanding her evening rendition of “Lips Like Sugar,” too.
“Wally is a remarkable being who inspires everyone with her love of life,” Logan says. “It’s been a truly profound gift to raise her and watch her overcome and adapt. It’s also been bizarre having her follow you around like you are her mommy… joking aside, I think the artists that make up SUM love to be a part this collective that embraces this special bird.”