Rockin’ Good in the Neighborhood – Bully-Style
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It's a mixed bag out here in this lacquered, skyscraping, arid-on-the-outside/air-conditioned-on-the-inside Xanadu, where the desert meets the Pacific shore. You can get a little weary of the pervasive shallowness, sense of entitlement, solipsism, and obsession with status and material wealth that one encounters in Los Angeles. But massive, undeniable, energizing amounts of creativity and intellect keep this capitol of media powered up - which may account for its allure to some like me. I'd just rather be in L.A. part-time than full-time.
That said, the rewards - artistic and monetary - are plentiful if you know where to find them, and all falls into place.
Last Friday night, I was chauffeured to a fancy-schmancy party where I found myself hanging with some pretty people, some technocrat-nerds, and a couple of rock stars (whose privacy shall be respected), eating ceviche and drinking energy drinks, and dancing to celebrity turntablist Paul Oakenfold. Then, there was the midnight jaunt up to a house party on the tippy-top of the Hollywood Hills. And what a house: a pathway over running water that leads to the front door; cathedral high ceilings inside; a sliding glass wall dividing the living area and adjacent bedroom from a back patio/balcony that seems suspended over a sheer drop with no railings or barricades or safety net; a movie theater; and, by the pool, three raised bench-shaped flaming platforms to provide warmth on a cool night. The crowd was young and getting wasted with little concern about straying too near the abyss or the fire.
Fab? Definitely. Fun? To a point. Actually, I'd say more diversion than fun. Fascinating, for sure. But I had a much better time a few evenings before, crammed into a tight little Culver City hot-box, the Cinema Bar, to see a pop-wise, soul-rockin' L.A. quartet called The Neighborhood Bullys.
The Bullys Make Their Point.
I didn't know too much about the Bullys (misspelling deliberate, I'd wager) - magnetic singer-songwriter-bassist Davey Meshell, lick-lashing guitarists Eugene Edwards and Michael Hays, and monster drummer Joey Galvan - prior to seeing them perform. I was told that they came together in Hollywood, not too long ago, and were just starting to play around. What I now know after watching them tear apart the Cinema Bar and throw loyalists and newbies into a state of rock-stasy is that they are true sons of The Beat. They look like they have day jobs at a garage. But damn! They delivered the goods.
Encoded in the Bullys' sound, you can hear the new-wave bounce of The Knack, the glam-rock crunch of Slade, the proto-power-pop of Raspberries, the party-metal of Kiss, and the lean, mean R&B/pub-rock blast of Dr. Feelgood. And, though it would be an unfair overstatement to say that Meshell belies his goateed regular-guy look with the passion and moan of a Solomon Burke or an Otis Redding, you'd be lucky to find another white boy with as much soul in his voice. Mention should also be made of lyrics that are cynical, brutally honest, pointed and peppered with witty rhymes. If a cleaver was clever, it would be a song by the Neighborhood Bullys.
The band used the Cinema Bar gig to perform the just-released Bullys debut album What? in its entirety. On the basis of the set, the disc is all meat and no filler. From the insanely catchy "Spin It," to the sexy pulse of "Lead With Your Lips," the hammerhead slam-bam of "Let Me Be Me," and the rafter-rattling near-gospel fervor of "Alive," the disparate elements came together to create a sonic perfect-storm that thrashed, seduced and ultimately uplifted the crowd. And you could dance to it!
To make the evening even more ideal, the producer of What? was in attendance, and loving it. He just happens to be Mike Chapman, the expat Englishman whose songwriting and production skills fueled the likes of '70s U.K. chartbusters The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Mud and Smokie, and whose studio savvy informed hits by The Knack, Blondie and many more. Although I don't want to hammer on the obvious, you'd have a tough time thinking up a better marriage of producer and artist than Chapman and the Bullys.
Do yourself a favor and check out What? at CD Baby (http://cdbaby.com/cd/neighborhoodbullys) or press the red "Play" button above and give "Spin It" a spin. Do it. Not that I'd ever want to bully you...
Locating MOG account...
Comments (15)
nice write up m the k
i definitely hear that Sweet boogie
thanks for sharing
i feel the same way about nyc regarding part time status, and love l.a. in doses, perhaps we could trade and both be happy
The record is great but seeing them in person is 10 times better!
Damn Mike, this is really good. I might have to head over tonight to pick this one up.
dude--you didn't tell me you were at my house on friday! sorry i missed you. i must have been, on my ferris wheel or playing day-glo tennis in the back. sorry i missed you.
these guys are fun and i see they play a ton around town. based on what you and Swain say, i guess i'll have to check 'em out. thanks!
Not bad, not bad at all. Thanks for the headsup.
NeilNathan: You're welcome. As for a city swap, I could use a bit more of my old stomping grounds (that would be NYC), but I've gotta go where the work is for now.
swainchampagne: That's what she said.
Rawkkiddoh: Thought it would be up yer alley, man. Enjoy!
Robin Danar: Hmmm. I figured that you were in the movie theater. Definitely see them if you can fit it into the schedule. And it looks like they have another Cinema Bar show coming up.
August: De nada. It's my gift to you, and whoever else gets wind of them...
Try not to bump into Chris Moyles who is doing his radio show in LA at the moment....
Neill: I'd say "No problem," but there seems to be a lot to bump into. (With all due respect...)
LOL! He's well know for being a 'Fat Bastard!'
Uh-oh. Mike Myers might sue.
Ocasionally I wonder what Mike Chapman is up to these days. On the evidence of this fine crunching tune he hasn't been idle and wasting his time. Excellent song. I bet they're great live.
You'd win that bet, Jonh.
they can bully me around anytime! good stuff :) thanks Mike. Oh what a glamorous life you lead
You wouldn't think it was so glamorous if you saw me at noon when I finally wake up. ;-)
Waking up at noon is the definition of glamorous!