Bully Pulpit gets busy in 2013

Bully Pulpit is off to a busy start in 2013.

Winners of The Charleston City Paper’s 2012 Music Awards for “Metal Band of the Year”, the self-described “electrified blues” foursome is hitting the local circuit hard, recently playing a show at The Royal American. And if you haven’t made your way over to The Royal American yet, you should probably add it to your New Year’s resolution list of “Get Off My Ass and Check Out Charleston” things to do. Tucked away on Morrison Drive in the Ole Charleston Forge ironworks building, this refurbished and repurposed hipster dive bar is the perfect joint to host the type of line-up that a Bully Pulpit headliner bill can draw.

Sharing the stage was opening band Costumes, a trio from Georgia who kicked off the night with the expanse of Gregg Allman’s “Whipping Post”, but with all the gritty garage distortion of an early Stone Temple Pilots album (which may sound premature to a lot of readers, but think about it – STP’s “Core” was released on Atlantic Records in 1992). Theirs was a straight forward rock n roll act, with the vox/guitarist and bass player churning out deep grooves while the drummer propelled the songs forward. They played for close to an hour before their amenable departure from the small corner stage, making way for the next guys to swap out gear and set up shop amongst the hot red lights and piles of Mardi Gras beads that cascade from the low stage ceiling.

Leogun, the flagship act signed to Yamaha Entertainment Group of America’s new indie-inspired label, is a sonic trio hailing from central London. Emitting a wave of rich sound from the austere Royal American stage, this three-piece shook up the crowd with their grinding British blues, highlighted by singer Tommy Smith’s impressive vocal range. Channeling the likes of Robert Plant in the lower registers (think, “Since I’ve Been Loving You”) and deftly escalating to the prettiest of Justin Hawkins’s falsettos, Smith’s sweet and proper English lilt transforms into a powerful rock n roll force when he gets in front of a microphone. His flashy finger work on the guitar is anchored by the steady throbbing of Matt Johnson’s bass riffs, and is driven by drummer Michael Lloyd, thrashing, gyrating and headbanging their way through tunes like “Let’s Be Friends”, “Everyday” and even a metal rendition of the 1970s club classic “Jungle Boogie”.

Locally promoted by Charleston rock radio station 98 Rock (WFBB) ahead of the show, Leogun gave away an autographed guitar to a newly engaged couple in the crowd and offered humble thanks to other bar-goers who had seen the band previously during their time on the Kiss Kruise last fall. Touring the U.S. to support a 4-song EP that dropped in October, and in anticipation of a new record coming out early this year, Leogun played a solid and explosive hour-long set, showcasing the tenacity and dogged passion of any well-worn rock n roll veteran act.

Wrapping up the night was, at last, Charleston’s own Bully Pulpit. While it has since been widely agreed that the band is far from “metal”, as the 2012 CPMA’s decreed, Bully Pulpit is undoubtedly a raw, grindcore-of-blues, heavy riff rock kind of band with an infectious energy that makes it impossible to sit still while they’re around. Singer Edward Enword (aka, Danny Kavanaugh) moves like a wire that's been electrified by the band, jolting to every swoon and cadence of his bandmates. Smashed together in the stage corner of The Royal American bar, the band ripped into their set, confirming their “must see” reputation around town and lighting up the late night crowd.

Climbing across the bar to join Bully Pulpit for their second song was Rachel Kate Gillon, a local musician, singer and songwriter with a variety of acts throughout town and the former frontwoman of the highly revered 2011 CPMA “Metal Band of the Year”, The Shaniqua Brown. Gillon herself is a musical force to be reckoned with, but Enword owned the stage as one of the most naturally enigmatic frontmen that I’ve ever seen. Gripping the mic stand in a double-fisted choke hold, he swings about and drops his knees to the floor, just as quickly rising back up, challenging the stage presence and antics of such forefathers as Iggy Pop (sans the blood), coupled with the nonchalant swagger of such gods as Jim Morrison.

The band played through tunes from its independently released record "Goldmine" (2012), packed with heavy crash cymbals and gritty, scathing guitar riffs. Drummer David Bair, a stoic and stone-faced metronome, kept the boozy roadhouse menagerie of talent on point with his click track accuracy, matched by the clean lines of guitarist Rex Stickel and bassist Kelly Burt. Enword's voice, a naturally throaty and melodic howl, fuses a bleeding heart and soulful pitch that surely has the ability to elevate Bully Pulpit from the ranks of misdiagnosed "Metal Band of the Year" to a bonafide new blues revolution, so please be sure to track these guys on Facebook and through Reverbnation, and mark your calendars for their upcoming shows - this is one band that you do not want to miss.

Bully Pulpit on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Bully-Pulpit

Bully Pulpit on Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/thebullypulpit

Leogun website: www.leogunband.com

Leogun on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeogunBand

.pr.