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Viral Jazz Dog Joins Cubby and Christine · The Cubby and Christine Morning Show

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  Speaker 1: Well, it's Cubby and Christine, 106.7 Light FM. And I'm
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  Speaker 1: so happy because I get to meet somebody incredibly special today.
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  Speaker 1: Two incredibly special people. We'd like to introduce you to
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  Speaker 1: Cara Baldus-Merman, who is a jazz pianist who's captured the
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  Speaker 1: hearts of audiences both through her music and through her
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  Speaker 1: very special four-legged companion, Bradford. Hi. Cara's beautiful piano playing companion.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you. Combined with Bradford's adorable presence sitting right there
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  Speaker 1: on our lap has made this duo a favorite across
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  Speaker 1: Instagram and social media. And together, they remind us that
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  Speaker 1: great music and great people can bring us together. And
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  Speaker 1: sometimes great animals as well. Always, I think, bring us together.
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  Speaker 1: So please join us in welcoming Cara and Bradford.
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  Speaker 2: Such kind words.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you.
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  Speaker 2: I'm very honored to be here.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, it's so true. Cubby, Bradford was, Kara and Bradford,
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  Speaker 1: I discovered you guys last summer. I think you've been
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  Speaker 1: doing this together since 2020, right?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, exactly.
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  Speaker 1: So you can kind of, you can explain your origin
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  Speaker 1: story better than I can. How did the two of
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  Speaker 1: you get onto social media and grab this giant following?
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  Speaker 2: Well, obviously during the COVID days, I was at home
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  Speaker 2: and we had to do some virtual lessons, but To
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  Speaker 2: backtrack a little bit, he's always been around music. He's
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  Speaker 2: been a really good recording studio pup. But it wasn't
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  Speaker 2: until I was downstairs teaching 25 hours of students in
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  Speaker 2: our recording studio basement that he said, oh, hey, I
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  Speaker 2: want to come up. I want to join you here. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: And I would just hours and hours at the piano, obviously.
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  Speaker 2: And I just started to notice his face kind of
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  Speaker 2: react to certain songs I played. And I started putting
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  Speaker 2: the piano or the phone near the piano. And a
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  Speaker 2: couple of my friends said, well.
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  Speaker 3: What are you doing?
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  Speaker 2: You need to post this. People would love it. And
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  Speaker 2: we started on TikTok and one kind of blew up
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  Speaker 2: from there. And I think during the COVID times, it
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  Speaker 2: really helped, you know, sense of community started to, you know,
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  Speaker 2: and it just, we, yeah, it was lovely. So 2020
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  Speaker 2: COVID days and he was a perfect teaching partner.
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  Speaker 1: He is, and you guys have been building a following
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  Speaker 1: ever since.
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  Speaker 3: When did you realize something big was happening?
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  Speaker 4: Were you waking up in the morning and seeing hundreds
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  Speaker 4: of new followers, or was it the likes?
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  Speaker 3: You knew something was happening. Yes.
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  Speaker 2: A sweet follower on TikTok suggested a tune that I played,
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  Speaker 2: and that was the first viral video back in 2020, 2021.
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  Speaker 2: It was just wild to see the growth and Other
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  Speaker 2: publications started noticing and Instagram had some viral moments as well.
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  Speaker 2: So it's just been very shocking and beautiful and surreal.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, Kara, you're a really beautiful, talented musician, singer.
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  Speaker 1: I know you're and your husband is he's a musician
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  Speaker 1: as well.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, we do music together. I'm in his mix room
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  Speaker 2: recording studio. We run bands together. We run an event
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  Speaker 2: band called the Luster Lights here in St.
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  Speaker 1: Louis.
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  Speaker 2: And it's just we're the perfect team. I'm so lucky
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  Speaker 2: to have him. He writes music that I have. Bradford
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  Speaker 2: really responds to Dan's tunes.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, your husband's music is beautiful, too, from what I've
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  Speaker 1: heard when you've shared it. But yes, I love when
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  Speaker 1: Bradford closes his eyes and he puts his little head back,
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  Speaker 1: kind of like Snoopy, you know.
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  Speaker 2: Right?
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  Speaker 1: And just gets into the music. Yeah. Which, yeah, which
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  Speaker 1: music kind of, what's his favorite?
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  Speaker 2: You know what? Obviously some jazz. The one that really
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  Speaker 2: is the most viral, which is wild to me because
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  Speaker 2: I wrote this original jazz song in college. It's called Rebirth.
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  Speaker 2: And that's the one that really took off. And so
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  Speaker 2: as a musician, that was a beautiful moment for me
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  Speaker 2: that people were responding to, to the song as well
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  Speaker 2: as his, His movements, jazz, he likes soothing, solo piano,
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  Speaker 2: which I have one solo piano album, one or two out,
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  Speaker 2: and we need to do another one. So he loves
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  Speaker 2: the calming solo piano. He's ridiculous.
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  Speaker 1: I love how we got Bradford up a little early, right?
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for, you know, he's dressed. He looks very handsome.
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  Speaker 1: And we so appreciate it.
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  Speaker 3: I have a question.
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  Speaker 4: Does Bradford react to any kind of piano? Like if, say,
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  Speaker 4: Vanessa Carlton, A Thousand Miles comes on the radio, that da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
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  Speaker 3: Yes. Does Bradford, like, he picks up on that?
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  Speaker 2: He has some certain favorite genres, but I don't know
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  Speaker 2: if he picks up just on a tune. It's mostly
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  Speaker 2: when we're at the piano together.
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  Speaker 4: Now, if you're walking around the house, is he anticipating
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  Speaker 4: you to sit by the piano?
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  Speaker 2: No. Oh my goodness. That's so sweet. Yeah. He, especially
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  Speaker 2: during those days from teaching, he would just jump up
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  Speaker 2: on my lap. I'd never, people ask me, do you
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  Speaker 2: pick him up there? Do you, what do you do?
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  Speaker 2: He just genuinely wants to join in. It's just so sweet. So,
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  Speaker 2: and he lays his, you might've seen some cutie little
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  Speaker 2: videos of him laying his head on the keys, a
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  Speaker 2: piano pillow.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: It's just wild. I've never seen a dog do a
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  Speaker 2: lot of these things, like genuinely react and be into it. So.
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  Speaker 1: He's so special. I know sometimes he's like leaning on
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  Speaker 1: your arm. Sometimes he's leaning back against you and you're
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  Speaker 1: still able to play.
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  Speaker 2: Barely. But yes, he's provided awesome challenges, especially when he
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  Speaker 2: lays his head. I'm like, OK, wait, my jazz improv
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  Speaker 2: is coming in here.
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  Speaker 1: Right. It's a good skill set. And I love your.
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  Speaker 1: So we know him as Bradford. But what do you
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  Speaker 1: call him?
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  Speaker 2: Well, we call them Butters, and a lot of people
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  Speaker 2: are wondering. It's just a silly, no reference, just Buddy
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  Speaker 2: turned into Butters. So that's what a lot of his
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  Speaker 2: fans know about.
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  Speaker 1: I feel like we all do that with our pets.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, they're different names, right.
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  Speaker 1: We all have, like, pet names for our pets. They
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  Speaker 1: have their proper names and then their pet names.
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  Speaker 2: Lord Bradford's another one. Lord Bradford.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, Lord Bradford. That's just cute. I have a– we
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  Speaker 1: call him our jazz cat, Archie, at home. And he'll watch– Yes,
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  Speaker 1: and he's like Sir Archibald Von Nagy.
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  Speaker 3: What a long name.
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  Speaker 1: He's Archie. He's Daboo. So I put Bradford up on...
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  Speaker 1: He's so cute. I put him up on the big
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  Speaker 1: screen so we can watch him, especially you went live recently. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: he's so sweet. He was watching.
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  Speaker 3: He loved it.
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  Speaker 1: We both loved it. And you said hi to me
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  Speaker 1: during the live video, and I was so overwhelmed. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: my goodness.
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  Speaker 2: I was so thrilled.
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  Speaker 1: I feel like... you're so, so great with your fans
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  Speaker 1: and your followers because you've got a lot and you're
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  Speaker 1: able to respond, which is really lovely.
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  Speaker 2: Oh my goodness. You're so sweet. I just, that's been
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  Speaker 2: the thing. It's just the sense of community. It's a
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  Speaker 2: really beautiful part of social media. It's helped us through,
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  Speaker 2: you know, his health challenges and things like that. So
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  Speaker 2: it just feels great to be connected to everyone.
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  Speaker 1: Do you mind sharing a little bit of Bradford's health challenge?
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  Speaker 1: Because that's, he and I connect on that level too.
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  Speaker 1: I think that's, Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: That's right. Oh, yeah. In October 2024, they discovered a
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  Speaker 2: baseball-sized tumor on his spleen, so he had to get
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  Speaker 2: an emergency splenectomy, and it turned into very aggressive splenic
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  Speaker 2: cell sarcoma cancer. They gave him probably two to six
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  Speaker 2: months prognosis, and he's here. Two years later, his oncologist
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  Speaker 2: vet said, do you realize he's two years after?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so... That's the power of music. That's music doing that.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, that's awesome.
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  Speaker 1: Seriously, just everything about both of you. It's just so healing.
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  Speaker 1: It's healing for him. It's healing for all of us.
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  Speaker 1: Cubby knows like, you know, last summer was 2025. I
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  Speaker 1: had to have surgery and it was major and it
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  Speaker 1: was hard to recover from. And I discovered you at
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  Speaker 1: that time. And I it was the one thing that
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  Speaker 1: put a smile on my face and just.
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  Speaker 3: Look forward every day to video.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: My gosh I'm gonna cry you guys helped me yeah
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  Speaker 1: thank you and I'm sure it's not just me you've
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  Speaker 1: helped so many of us through such a hard time
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't have to be health it's just the world
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  Speaker 1: do you know what I mean you're just putting love
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  Speaker 1: and joy into the world and we're so so grateful.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you I'm glad you're doing well now you feeling okay.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah I'm much better now thank you I'm glad that
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  Speaker 1: Bradford's better I get skin anxiety with him every time
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  Speaker 1: he has to go.
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  Speaker 2: Me too oh my goodness Yeah, the last time the
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  Speaker 2: oncologist called and I said, can I handle this phone call?
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  Speaker 2: Because normally my husband takes it because, you know, and
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  Speaker 2: she's like, no, you can because I didn't really find anything.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, good.
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  Speaker 2: No progression.
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  Speaker 1: Yes. Thank you for giving us updates along the way, too,
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  Speaker 1: because I legit, you know, am concerned and want you
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  Speaker 1: guys to be well. Thank you. I did want to
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  Speaker 1: just mention he takes the best nature walks. Like Bradford
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  Speaker 1: looks like he's having– so much fun out there. It
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  Speaker 1: looks so beautiful where you live.
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  Speaker 2: Beautiful, very great dog's life he has. That's near my,
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  Speaker 2: near where my parents live. And yeah, so that's a
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  Speaker 2: lot of people respond to those and it helps my,
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  Speaker 2: my mental health as well, just to have that peaceful
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  Speaker 2: moments video.
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  Speaker 3: Can we ever, can we ever get you to New
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  Speaker 3: York though? You Bradford and the family.
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  Speaker 1: I would love that.
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  Speaker 2: That's amazing. And my niece lives in, in Brooklyn, so
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  Speaker 2: I've got to go. She's the She's the artist that
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  Speaker 2: does a lot of the Butters artwork. So she's amazing. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you about her because that's beautiful.
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  Speaker 1: I feel like she captured your heart and soul, both
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  Speaker 1: of you.
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  Speaker 2: I didn't tell her what to do on that last artwork.
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  Speaker 2: And then it was just, of course, tears again. I'm
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  Speaker 2: very much, but she, she's so talented. Kylie Hicks is
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  Speaker 2: her name. She lives in Brooklyn, graduated from Pratt recently.
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  Speaker 1: Very nice. Very nice. Congratulations.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Come see us. I've got a jazz drummer for you
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  Speaker 1: by the name of Eric.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah.
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  Speaker 1: That's my fiance. He loves your music too. He's like,
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  Speaker 1: When I first started listening, he's like, wait, she's really good.
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  Speaker 1: She's talented. So you've got lots of fans here and
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  Speaker 1: thank you. Just like one last question. How does it
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  Speaker 1: feel to know that you're touching so many people? Like
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  Speaker 1: you may not even realize all the people whose lives
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  Speaker 1: you're touching.
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  Speaker 2: Oh my goodness. It's very heavy and it makes me
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  Speaker 2: very emotional. Like I said earlier, and just when I
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  Speaker 2: got into music, when I was, you know, five years
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  Speaker 2: old when I started and then became professional musician, All
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  Speaker 2: you hope is that someone responds to what you're doing
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  Speaker 2: in a positive way. So I never dreamed this would
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  Speaker 2: happen with our special pup here, but it's just an
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  Speaker 2: honor and a bit of something I'd be very proud of,
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  Speaker 2: a legacy situation that feels like I'm putting a little
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  Speaker 2: slice of something good in the world.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: You definitely are. You definitely are. Tell us where to
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  Speaker 1: follow you just in case you're new to somebody. Where
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  Speaker 1: can we find you on social?
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  Speaker 2: Well, that would be Kara underscore Baldus, B-A-L-D-U-S, and TikTok
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  Speaker 2: Kara Piano. But if you just do a little search,
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  Speaker 2: Bradford Piano Dog Kara, a lot of it pops up.
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  Speaker 3: So Well, we love you. Thank you for making everybody
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  Speaker 3: so happy. And please, will you give Bradford a treat?
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  Speaker 3: What kind of treat does he like?
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  Speaker 2: Wait, like literally, they're right here.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, there you go.
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  Speaker 1: He's ready.
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  Speaker 2: Yay.
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  Speaker 3: Bradford, it's been so nice to meet you.
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  Speaker 1: You did a good job. It's a great job. Thank you, Cara.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you. It's an honor to be on.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for having me.