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
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