I’ve mentioned in the past, that I really love living in my town of Missoula, Montana. It’s an isolated town (and state, frankly). The larger cities are approximately 10+ hours away in any direction – Seattle, Portland, Denver, Boise, Minneapolis, etc. So to get a taste of the big city, it’s a road trip.. a long road trip. But, I have to tell you, I’ve seen some amazing shows in this great town over the years. Why is that? Well, Montana is a huge state, and often needs to be crossed to get to those cities I mentioned above. If you’re in Seattle and planning on going east, you’re most likely going to have to cross the state. If you’re in Minneapolis and heading west, again, crossing the state is your option. Why not play a show? Missoula, is a great college town and many touring bands will book shows here, and usually in a small venue, which is fantastic for the people living here. I love the intimate shows!
Last week, I had a chance to see the band Bully. I’ve been hearing about this band, but was unfamiliar with the music. There was a lot of buzz, so I had to give a listen. Wow. Right now the 90s music is hot as ever! I love the shoegaze stuff, or bands following the loud/quiet/loud format again. I’m a sucker for that. Bully is a band where you can hear the influences of Nirvana and Pixies, but forging their own path and not-rehashing. One of the big differences in the vocalist/guitarist Alicia Bognanno. She’s a force and there is no denying the energy she puts out. I was blown away.
Check out this performance on Conan a couple of months ago:
This is the band that gets those melodies stuck in your head on the drive home. Always a good sign. I was also really impressed with the other members of the band. Clayton Parker was totally playing high energy guitar, and I was really digging the tone coming from his Jazzmaster. As a guitar player, watching him, I appreciated his energy and movement WHILE maintaining the precision on the guitar. One tends to get a bit sloppy the more you bounce around – not this guy. Spot on all night long. Reece Lazarus on bass was holding down the low end and similar to Clayton was fun to watch. And to round things off – Stewart Copeland on drums. Yes, spelt exactly this way. I wonder how many Police reference jokes this guy gets (probably on a daily basis).
Alicia also spent some time interning with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, and their album was recorded there as well. To me, any album recorded in that studio is worth a spin.
I was able to get some board shots. Let’s get nerdy!
Alicia Bognanno
Rogue Analog Delay
Dr. Scientist The Elements
Boss TU-2 Tuner
MXR M237 DC Brick
Clayton Parker
Electro-Harmonix Neo Clone
MXR M101 Phase 90
MXR M169 Carbon Copy Delay
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff (black russian)
Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
Boss TU-3 Tuner
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2
Reece Lazarus
Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff
Arion Bass Distortion
Boss TU-3 Tuner
Let me know what you think about Bully by commenting below! Also, if you see anything incorrect or missing on the boards – please let me know!
