The Bullys
Arlene's Grocery
NYC
Jan. 9, 2009
text & pixs by Cary Doll
(SugarBuzz CT-NYC)
SugarBuzz Magazine
The Bullys tell it like it is! And bluntly so! Maybe that’s why I like them so much! No pretense! No bull! Just straight up rock’n’roll, served honest and raw, with lots of “Attitude”. They mix enough snarl and energy to light up the NYC skyline. And they’re nice guys to boot! Now don’t beat me up for telling that little secret!
The Bullys, like The Ramones, hail from Queens, NY and wear the same dress code: Tshirts/jeans/leather jackets and Converse sneakers…nuthin’ fancy, nuthin’ pricey… what you see is what you get!! Their music can best be described as “Old School NY Punk” which addresses issues like girls (Sluts, PMS) , work (Fired), /fighting (Tonite We Fight Again, Sight of Blood). They play original fast-paced material with the occasional cover. They have 3 CDs.: “Stomposition”, “Tonite We Fight Again” and “BQE Overdrive”. From “Tonite We Fight Again”, I ask you, how can you not like them with lyrics like “I wanna be famous/ I’m gonna wear a backstage pass/I wanna be famous/’Cos I want everybody to kiss my ass!!” They sing “in your face” lyrics mixed with humor and a smartass smile!!
Their recent show at Arlene’s Grocery was a smash! The Bullys have been around for a good decade now, and so if you live in NYC and are into Old School New York Punk, you probably already know about them.
A populous crowd packed the room at Arlene’s. Yours truly was by the stage, and happily so, clicking shot after shot of sheer Bullys “magic”….Joey Lanz, the band’s lead singer and main focus delivers their simple yet brilliant lyrics with a scowl, passion and energy that satisfies. He can often be found onstage in typical poses of another Joey. Walt Stack, guitarist (and band booking agent) is the Keith to Joey’s Mick. He lets Joey be the main focus but Walt rocks out—just more subtly. But don’t let that fool you. He is totally cool.
Danny Nez, the band’s rhythm guitarist, adds a energetic spark that makes you wonder if he isn’t a human Superball, jumping around with the energy of a teenage boy who just ate several pounds of candy! Full of charisma, with a mischievous smile, he ups the energy quotient that dares you to try to stay still during a Bullys gig.
Todd Feyh the bass player is the perfect counterbalance to Danny, helps keep that Bullys rhythm/sound addictive and should not be underestimated for his contribution to the Bullys sound. And finally there is Gerry Tuohy, a talented drummer who is an important part of the recipe that IS the Bullys beat and sound!
A quick history note for those who aren’t so familiar with the band: Circa the late 90’s when they formed, Johnny “Heff’ Heffernan was the band’s original rhythm guitarist, but tragically lost his life in the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, when he worked some overtime for the New York City Fire Department, on what would have been a day off for him. Yet, against adversity, the Bullys persevered.
Speaking to Joey before they went onstage, I learned that they will be working on a new album this year, but haven’t had the time to devote to it lately. But, it “is” on the horizon this year to work on new tunes for a new album. I asked him about the lack of Bullys videos on YouTube and the like, and he said that won’t be the case for much longer. He explained that there is footage of their July 2008 show at bar “Rehab” at 25 Avenue B, when Dead Boy Jeff Magnum jammed onstage with them for a number of songs. “That night” Joey explained to me “was professionally videotaped and professionally edited” and will be added on YouTube soon, probably by early Spring.
The band played 9 of their own tunes-including “Skel”, “I’m A Boy”, “Fired” and “Gimme”. They also played a ‘Statues of Liberty’ tune as well (another great band that followed them at Arlene’s this same evening!) and in their final set number they paid homage to recent 
rock casualty, Ron Asheton of the Stooges, who passed away earlier this week, with a wonderful and blistering rendition of the Stooges “Search and Destroy". If you weren’t there, you missed a great show!!
The End