Author: HALEY PARSONS Photo by Evan Frost
It may seem unlikely that one of today’s leading alternative rock/grunge bands found its roots in Nashville, the country music capitol of the world. But the city’s rich music history helped forge bonds between four of its transplants and launched them into their own fight against the bullies of politics, the music industry, and everyday life.
Alicia Bognanno, Bully’s frontwoman, graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in sound engineering. She interned in Chicago under Steve Albini (producer for Nirvana, Pixies) at Electrical Audio studios, where both of Bully’s albums have been recorded. She eventually found herself as the house sound engineer at a Nashville venue called The Stone Fox, where she met Clay Parker (guitar), Reece Lazurus (bass), and Stewart Copeland (Bully’s drummer, but NOT the drummer for The Police). Together, they formed Bully and self-released a limited cassette, then signed with Startime International, a Columbia Records label and began work on their official debut.
Photo by Noah Feldpausch
Feels Like was released in June 2015 to very positive reviews and a slew of festival dates. The album leaned more toward pop but retained a grunge edge with a modern take. Bognanno wrote all the lyrics for the album and produced it all herself. She prefers to record to tape, which can be a huge pain but helps create a more human and authentic sound. Feels Like held tales of growing up and finding your place in the world as told by Bognanno through her sometimes sweet and soft voice, other times, she used her trademark sandpaper scream to howl about all of her frustrations.
After a successful debut, things began to fall apart a little bit for Bully. They decided to cancel the end of one of their tours and leave Startime in favor of Sub Pop records. Stewart Copeland departed the band and was replaced with Wes Mitchell on drums, and Bognanno began to focus all of her energy into 2017’s LP Losing. The band’s sophomore album featured a more opinionated and gritty sound in comparison to the first record. The lyrics are Bognanno’s deeply personal takes on breakups, the music industry, and politics. “Hate and Control” throws a huge “screw you” at the misogynists in power in the wake of Donald Trump’s election. “Focused” explains the hurt and sorrow that can emerge from watching friends grow up (it also features Bognanno’s classic screech). The album sums up what many 20-somethings are dealing with in today’s world. It’s a response to the uncertainty we all experience, wrapped into a package that can be head banged and moshed to for years to come.
Photo by Erika Goldring
It has taken me a little while to get into their music, but the more I listen, the more I realize that Bully is one of the female fronted rock groups that the world needs. Alicia Bognanno has taken cues from other leading ladies of rock, such as the cool, laid back exterior of Kim Deal, along with a voice reminiscent of Courtney Love, plus the vulnerability to go with it. However, she is also entirely her own person. She sits in the driver’s seat of her band and career and is doing things HER way.
Bully will be joined at Neumos on February 28th by two other female fronted bands: Melkbelly and Summer Cannibals. The former is a Sonic Youth-esque noise-rock band from Chicago. The latter are a Portland, Oregon, rock group who formed in 2012 and have toured nearly nonstop since then.
Tickets for this event can be found here! Give Bully a like on Facebook and check out their music along with Summer Cannibals and Melkbelly on Spotify.
HALEY PARSONS | fan of Bully, not bullying | KXSU Music Reporter