'If
Footmen Tire You'
CD / LP (color)
reached #35 on CMJ 200
Get a Bloody Hollies
color promo
photo (300 dpi) |
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If one of those
great, booze-soaked rock and roll weekends like Garage Shock
or the Las Vegas Shakedown were still a going concern (correct
me if I'm wrong and one of them still is ) the Bloody Hollies
would have been one of those bands that came in unheralded, blew
everyone away and sold a ton at the merch table. And anyone who
picked this album up would have been plenty satisfied 'cos it's
30 minutes of fire-breathin' punk fury. - i94Bar |
Hey now! Loud, brash
Rock n' Roll is just what I needed to clear my head, and The
Bloody Hollies serve up a perfect platter of just that and more.
From beginning to end, guitarist/vocalist Wesley Doyle is a motorcycle
weaving through traffic as the tight rhythm section of bassist
Phillip Freedenberg and drummer Michael Argento are the freshly
paved road free of pot-holes and snags. Maximum riffage for maximum
volume - Rock n' Fuckin' Roll, baby!
- Chuck Foster / Under The Volcano #90 |
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After heading from
their Brooklyn home to Detroit to work with Jim Diamond at Ghetto
Recorders (Diamond has produced bands like The Fleshtones, Andre
Williams and The White Stripes) The Bloody Hollies show no mercy
with their third disc If Footmen Tire You ... . With their meaty
guitar licks, frontman Wesley Doyle's distinctive vocal swagger
and the frantic paced rhythm section this three-piece mix punk
and garage rock with occasional touches of surf and rockabilly
into a non-stop frenzy. While they're not the only band out their
doing this kinda thing, The Bloody Hollies have definitely carved
out their own well-deserved little niche. - Geoff Melton / Music
Korner |
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The Bloody Hollies
fly right into you like a biker in a bar whose girl's ass you
just grabbed. With crunchy guitars and a garage echo sitting
as the foundation to everything they do it is a wonder why The
Hives were so huge and The Bloody Hollies haven't exploded in
the same way. Both bands wear ties, both play explosive rock
the way it should be played, but The Bloody Hollies do it with
the angst and flair of a million angst wielding kids. "Burning
Heart" rolls through two minutes on just three chords and
one guitar solo, but it latches on like a leech and will have
you humming for days afterward. Like The White Stripes' "Fell
in Love with a Girl" The Bloody Hollies know how to be short,
sweet and to-the-point. Why waste time with ambient shit when
you can get straight to rocking? - Pete Soyer / Modern Fix |
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They may be from
Buffalo, New York, but The Bloody Hollies play revved up, southern
blues infected punk. And it absolutely floors me. The first track,
"Watch Your Head," opens with a few short chord bursts
before drummer Michael Argento fires off three drum rolls with
Gatling gun ferocity and the fiery gates of Hell open up. The
conflagration continues to rage through "We're So Anxious"
and "Burning Heart," on which singer/guitarist Wesley
Doyle's slide guitar calls to mind a deal with the devil at a
crossroads. Doyle wails and screams his vocals with dark religious
fervor, delivering lyrical gems like "You're better off
just to stay at home / You're better off just to be alone / Murder
on the rise / Livin' those lies / Then it hits you right between
the eyes" on the album's stellar track "Right Between
The Eyes." A sinister, hypnotic undercurrent winds its way
just beneath the surface of these songs, making it one of the
most cohesive, affecting albums of the year. A must have. - Josh
Benke / Razorcake #30 |
ROCKSOUND (UK) |
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Detroit trio the
Bloody Hollies never do get around to finishing the phrase that
is their second album's title, If Footmen Tire You...,
but that's the only cloud of doubt hanging over a very fine record.
If you know your garage rock, you know deep down in your heart
that, these days, at least, most of the music on the scene is
derivative of its forebears and that there's a thin, almost-imperceptible
line between "good" derivative and "bad"
derivative. No garage band in the past 25 years ever formed with
the intention of reinventing the wheel. And so it goes with the
Bloody Hollies -- guitarist/singer Wesley Doyle, bassist Phillip
Freedenberg, and drummer Michael Argento. They plug in their
guitars, take a handful of time-tested garage, surf, and blues
riffs and proceed to blow out the speakers for 30 glorious minutes.
Yes, If Footmen Tire You... is derivative, but it's definitely
"good" derivative. The Hollies' -- and specifically
Doyle's -- chief musical touchstones seem to be the first two
White Stripes records. Whether that's more a by-product of the
band's taste or the knob-twiddling by Motor City producer extraordinaire
Jim Diamond, who produced and mixed the first two White Stripes
albums, remains to be seen. There's no denying that moments like
the supercharged blues of "Burning Heart", where Doyle
yowls, "Be afraid of a burning heart!" in a distinctly
Jack White-ian way, or "Infatuation of the Girl" would've
fit nicely on, say, the Stripes' De Stijl. Of course,
If Footmen Tire You... isn't all White Stripes mimicking.
For starters, Argento can actually drum, and it's his solid foundation
that allows Doyle to shred his guitar. Opener "Watch Your
Head" is a rapid-fire surf riff anchored by two incendiary
solos, and if that isn't combustible enough, the band has swagger
and attitude to burn throughout the album. Naturally, they turn
in a tune called "Gasoline". - Stephen Haag / Popmatters |
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On their third release,
psychobilly veterans the Bloody Hollies mature their sound and
take no prisoners. With a musical stance bordering on breakneck
(their live shows are legendary, high energy rock exorcisms),
the Hollies are clearly not fucking around. Vocalist / guitarist
Wesley Doyle's intonations take on more of the early White Stripes
tinge, running the gamut from teeth-baring sneer to come-hither
innuendo, often within the span of a single song. High octane
rock-n-roll from a band that has come to practically define the
genre. - Justin Habersaat / Altercation
Magazine #17 Fall / Winter 2005 |
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The Bloody Hollies
embrace the unrelenting spirit of rock 'n' roll and will literally
beat the shit out of you with their back-to-basics punk-a-billy.
And you'll like it. I was hooked as soon as I put it on If
Footmen Tire You (their third disc) after snagging it from
the ISS swag pile last week. The CD has all the right ingredients:
driving drums and thumping bass; overdriven guitars and an overdriven
voice that demands attention. Which, oddly, are much some of
the same ingredients I hate to love the White Stripes for, even
though the BHs' songs get a bit more technical than the 'Stripes'
output. Plus, the Bloody Hollies aren't just relying on one or
two hooks to carry a song like Jack White and Co. "Gasoline"
is the song you'll play in your car stereo over and over again
on an early Sunday morning reckless drive home from the bars.
No use trying to resist the urge to beat the hell out of your
dashboard with your fist. Go with it. The song drips sweat, dirt,
and grit with every note - actually, the entire album drips sweat,
dirt, and grit that you won't want to wash off. - Tom Willis
/ I
See Sound |
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Shit-hot rocker-garage
cum kick-ass mixed with dynamism collected from hot pennies handled
by The Sonics, The Up, The Makers, and many other "The"
bands as well as non-"The's" like, say, Mensen or LA
Peste, as well as a buncha cool stuff found on Gearhead compilations.
Perfecty recorded/produced by Jim Diamond (Patsies, Dirtbombs)
up there in Detroit. I mean, shit, if you like this kinda thing
(like if you like cheeseburgers and free beer), you'll like it.
If you don't, you won't. It's a classic rock and roll disc at
30.5 minutes, but I'd dig hearin'm eat up a couple of someone
else's tunes to kick it over the 36 minute mark. How 'bouts anything
by Moving Targets, or something by contemporaries The Decibators
( I always thought it was cool when '50s and '60s bands would
do any tune they dug, even trying to piggy back recent hits!),
Nine Pound Hammer, or Hüsker Dü's "In A Free Land"?
These guys have hi-energy that never dissolves into watery panic
punk or piddly indie-thrash. The pick-to-click for your next
fucking iPod party? "Gasoline," with its sly, bent
riff you can tuck between The Stooges' "Loose" and
The New Bomb Turks' "I Want My Baby... Dead?" and get
laid like crazy. - Craig Regala / Lollipop |
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Have you ever played
a show where shortly after polishing off what felt like you band's
best set in months, another group suddenly steps up to the stage
and mops the f**king floor with your miserable asses? Well, my
band recently had the pleasure of opening for Buffalo NY's Bloody
Hollies, and yes, a great deal of floor mopping with our miserable
asses did in fact take place. These guys were in full control
of the stage, and the crowd eagerly reacted to the foursome's
onslaught of driving, blues tinged rock'n'roll (think the Black
Keys meets the Von Bondies on amphetamines) with some hearty
ass shakin' action of their own. This admittedly doesn't quite
match the power of their live show (Which may not be such a bad
thing- my ears were ringing for 2 days afterwards), but I think
it's fair to say that this platter is destined to be looked upon
by many as one of the year's finer releases. - Hot Carl / Degeneration
Overdrive |
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Their new album,
If Footmen Tire You, is a different album than their debut.
It is better. - San
Diego Punk |
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Singer Wesley Holmes
sounds like Jack White, if he fronted a raw, punk/garage band
that was inspired by Dead Boys. Fuzzy, gritty, good and plenty...
with enough Detroit-style riffs and punch to get you through
your darkest days. This band's from Buffalo, believe it or not.
- Cleo Merode / The Sentimentalist |
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Kerrang (UK) |
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Your heart rate
escalates, your palms become sweaty, your breathing becomes rapid
no you are not having panic attacks. Relax. You are just listening
to the Bloody Hollies for the first time! Remember that opening
scene in "Wild at Heart" when Nicholas Cage keeps slamming
a poor souls head into the ground until it is a bloody pulp?
Well, this is how I can sum up The Bloody Hollies. This band
never lets up. They keep slammin' your melon until your cranium
is crushed and grey matter spatters like some teenager poppin'
a puss filled zit. Call it what you will Garage, Punk, Blues,
or Rock and Roll, this release just explodes in your face like
some homemade fertilizer pipe bomb. High Energy, Addictive, Classic
Rock and Roll on speed. From the opening "Watch Your Head"
to the closing "Raised by Wolves", this release slams
the petal down and makes all others smell the burnin' rubber.
The Bloody Hollies revamp your faith in punk/garage/ rock and
roll and they do it with style, substance, and just sheer grit.
One of the best of 2005! - Demonseed / Sugarbuzz
Magazine |
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Pretty hot six-oh
filtered through the seven- and eight-ohs with an interesting
lead vox that'll remind you of maybe that one guy in the Jujus
or even your personal fave rockcrit with his stones cut
off. - Blog2Comm |
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The Bloody Hollies
have a bloody good rock history pun for a name. Better yet, they
create a beautiful noise. IF FOOTMEN TIRE YOU is packed with
urgent, angry, and generally emotional songs. In fact, the song
title "We're So Anxious" succinctly sums this band
up. Vocalist/guitarist Wesley Doyle leads this restless pack
through some moments where they come off like Iggy Pop and other
sections where they sound like a sped-up, latter-day version
of The Rolling Stones. Doyle's vocals are Jack White (The White
Stripes), swanky during "Dirty Water". The group revs
up the chugging guitars New York Dolls-style on "Raised
by Wolves". It's also easy to warm up to "Right Between
the Eyes" simply because its scratchy electric guitar work
makes it sound like old The Seeds records. So to The Bloody Hollies
we say: let it bleed! -Dan MacIntosh / Skratch |
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Originally hailing
from Buffalo New York the Bloody Hollies are true masters of
their craft. The group has now acquired two new members and has
relocated to San Francisco. The band plays a unique brand of
blues inspired junk rock that could most easily be described
as garage. The bands latest release, If Footmen Tire You marks
the group's first release on Alive Records. The album features
eleven fast and furious tracks, which were recorded in Detroit
by renowned producer Jim Diamond (the Dirtbombs, the White Stripes,
and the Sights) who striped down the bands sound to give the
album a raw, minimalistic quality. The Bloody Hollies manage
to keep an upbeat, energetic pace through out the entire album.
If Footmen Tire You, begins with "Watch Your Head"
a song full of heavy power chords and cleaver guitar hooks accompanied
by thick bass lines and Wesley Doyle's signature vocals. Other
notable tracks on the album include "Gasoline" which
sounds like a cross between Jon Spencer's Heavy Trash and the
Sex Pistols. "Raised by Wolves" the album's closer
takes inspiration from the motor city with an early White Stripes
resonance and slick slide guitar riffs reminiscent of Detroit's
blues rock legends of the past. - Paul Borchert / Mote
MGZN |
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Classic Rock (UK) |
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There's something
about it that never gets old: you turn on a cd and suddenly find
yourself back to the wall, accosted, beaten, and bruised by a
steady torrent of driven rock. It's something that any fan of
rock secretly looks forward to every time he or she picks up
a cd by an unknown band that seems to harbor some kind of aggression.
There's a number of different ways to satisfy this primal, masochistic
craving, and by now the idea has taken on so many incarnations
that it's become a sport in itself to chose which way to go.
I'm proud to announce not only another alternative to this desire,
but one that offers some musical integrity and fundamental rock
and roll, with the latest release from Buffalo, NY rockers the
Bloody Hollies. (...) There's so much pure energy, charisma,
and straight-up rock on this album that there's no room for disappointment.
The minute the album comes alive you've already become a fan.
If you've ever been a fan of the band that blasts the doors off
of a garage and does so with devastating grace, grab this album
without asking questions. If not, call the cops: you're not even
ready for this. - Andrés Carrera / Upbeetmusic |
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If it's possible
to have a crush on a band, I think I have one on the Bloody Hollies.
These Buffalo, New York boys play a gritty, in-your-face kind
of punk rock that will slap you silly while they kick you in
the head with their intense guitar riffs and heavy hitting drums.
Just when you think they can't make it any more louder or grittier,
the next song comes along and shows you that they can. I'm a
firm believer in the first song being the most important. If
it doesn't make you want to listen to the rest of the album,
you're screwed. If it makes you wonder why the hell you got the
album in the first place, it's not a good first impression, is
it? Fortunately for us, the Bloody Hollies know how to make a
good first impression and did so with the first song, "Watch
Your Head". Whether it's the raw sound of Wesley Doyle's
vocal chords or the fury-fueled riffs coming from the guitar,
this song is one killer track. And it just gets better from here.
"Burning Heart" is a short, intense track that is the
equivalent of being hit musically by freight train repeatedly.
And that's a good thing. "Gasoline" gets my vote as
the best song on the album. It's a bit slower, more rock than
punk rock, and the vocals screech. It's pure musical bliss capable
of producing those always sought after orgasms for the ears.
"Right Between the Eyes" picks up after the slower
tune of "Gasoline" and boy, does it ever hit you between
the eyes. Perfect for those days when you just want to smack
someone. Thank you, guys! The album ends with "Raised by
Wolves", a slightly fuzzy, gritty song of stripped down
rock 'n' roll/garage rock reminiscent of the sweet ol' 70's.
Clocking in at just over 30 minutes (30 minutes and 5 seconds,
to be precise), If Footmen Tire You... is a short but
punchy album that is worth every minute. None of the songs go
over 3 minutes and forty seconds, making it clear that this is
one intense album that you should own. - Jones Violet / Blogcritics |
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Best damn garage
punk rock record I have heard for awhile! This is the second
album by The Bloody Hollies and it's loud and in your face like
it should be. The album is produced by Jim Diamond (White Stripes,
The Dirtbombs etc.) in Detroit and it has a cool live feeling.
Sorta like if they where blasting away right in front of you.
I am sure they kick mayor booty live so please visit Copenhagen
sometime soon! - Don K / Lowcut (Denmark) |
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Part of the beauty
of punk rock is that you don't have to reinvent the wheel to
get over with the stuff -- there are seemingly thousands of different
variations to the fast/loud/snotty formula, and most of them
will work just fine if you put enough legitimate vim and vigor
behind them. Take the Bloody Hollies -- obviously weaned on the
same blues riffs and garage rock poses as a few hundred other
bands crowding the hipster landscape, these guys aren't doing
anything radically different than their peers, but let 'em plug
in, turn up their amps, and hit fifth gear, and you'll notice
that they just plain rock harder and sound more potent than most
folks walking the same line. Wesley Doyle's guitar riffs are
solid, meaty, and ladled with extra sauce, his vocals drip with
swaggering anger without overplaying his hand, and bassist Phillip
Freedenberg and drummer Michael Argento know how to bash the
music into submission without bruising it. The band's songs talk
women and anger as well as anyone else on the scene, and for
their second full-length album, they had the good sense to roll
into Ghetto Recorders in Detroit and let Jim Diamond put their
fury on tape in an appropriate environment. If Footmen Tire
You... isn't going to change the way you look at punk rock,
but the Bloody Hollies will give you a half-hour's worth of top-quality
guitar-fueled rant, and what's wrong with that? Not a thing,
pal -- crank it up and enjoy. - Mark Deming / All
Music Guide |
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"If Footmen
Tire You..." is one kick-ass slab o' screechin' Garage-Rock!
Influences and/or comparisons can be made to bands from the 70s
right up to the current wave of no-nonsense rockers. If your
music collection is bulging at the seams with output from bands
such as; Jet, the Stooges, The Hives, (early) Damned, The White
Stripes, (early) Hellacopters, The Strokes, and The Vines, then
you might as well break out your cheque-book right now, because
your friends are all gonna laugh at you if they find this missing
from your personal stacks o' wax (or I guess that's stacks o'
shiny silver discs as it is these days). It's raw, it's primitive,
and it's one hell of a catchy delightful ruckus! RATING = 8 Sunset
Underground |
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Disc of the week
: Straight-up, gas-guzzling punk rawk, armed to the teeth with
a head full of diet pills and cheap PBR. These ne'er-do-wells
get it right from the word go, with songs pegged in the red,
tempos that threaten to burst their seams at each turn and a
vocal snarl reminiscent of Norway's Sweatmaster. Dirtbombs alumni
and garage guru Jim Diamond captures the white-hot smackdown
like only he can, but with sonic pearls like "Burning Heart"
and "Right Between the Eyes," this is easily the Bloody
Hollies' show all the way. This is everything the stagnant punk
rock and skinny-tie-infested garage scenes are lacking. 9/10
- Johnson Cummins / The
Mirror (Montreal, Canada) |
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This album grabs
you by the balls from the first riff all the way through to the
last screeching guitar squeal leaving you violated, yet screaming
for more. This album is jam packed with catchy guitar riffs and
lyrics that you just can't help but picture yourself screaming
while rocking out to these guys on stage. If you're into having
a good time, rocking out, and listening to some kick ass tunes
you have to go pickup this album ASAP. - Chris / ePunkZine |
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Amateurs de rock
sale, THE BLOODY HOLLIES est le groupe que vous attendiez depuis
des lustres. Sorti plus tôt cette année sur Alive
Records, If Footmen Tire You est un album gavé
d'amphétamine et de testostérone. La pièce
d'ouverture, Watch Your Head, est un déluge de
guitares mordantes avec une voix un peu effacée et criarde.
La plupart des chansons de l'album vont dans la même direction.
C'est plus de 30 minutes de gros rock garage qui fesse sans compromis.
On y retrouve une énergie qui n'est pas loin de MANIC
MANON AND THE GUESTLIST. Un des groupes à surveiller lorsqu'ils
viendront en ville. - Dave / PunkMeUp
(Canada) |
It comes on strong
. . . like The Misfits, and it sounds like The Cramps for about
5 seconds and then it goes into Stooges mode, where it stays
for the majority of the album. The whole thing kinda reminds
me of the band Jet, only without all the pretentious Gap commercial
MTV posturing. What does than mean? It means that this record
is balls-out straight ahead rock and roll with no bullshit. I
love the record. I play it all the time when I want to get my
blood pumping and my mind racing. It's high energy, high octane,
and generally it's just rock and roll done fucking right. It
all sounds kinda the same, but that's not a bad thing think
Ramones. I'm even gonna go ahead and call the Bloody Hollies
the best pure rock n roll band out there today, not cause they
really have an edge musically over some of the others, but because
they're called The Bloody Hollies. Tell me that's not the best
fucking band name of all time. It's clear that they get it, and
if you get it too, you know what I mean and this record is for
you. If you don't get it, there's always The White Stripes.
May Save Rock N Roll: "Gasoline," "Cut It Loose,"
"Watch Your Head," "Mind Control." - Mike
D'Ariano / Areuonsomething |
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The Bloody Hollies
have the best band name I've heard in the last ten years. I get
images of a deranged Graham Nash feeding on the corpse of Buddy
Holly whenever I hear it. The music lives up to the name. This
is just the kind of ass kicking transcendental musical medication
the world never gets enough of. It's rock and roll distilled
to its essence; 100 proof savage punk rock libation liberation.
Just a bar fight waiting to happen. This Buffalo, New York band
have just put out a new album called If Footmen Tire You...
that should vanquish any sad thoughts you've been thinking lately
and inflame your good ones. They're raw and primitive as it should
be. "Watch Your Head" is a thumping, humping prototypical
rocker stumping for the party of rock and it gets my vote. There's
heat coming off it in waves and just when you think the tempo
and tension can't get any higher the next song, "We're So
Anxious" turns the dial up another notch. This one goes
up to 11. The Michael Argento powered drums and Phillip Freedenburg
bass go on the prowl for the bridge of "Gasoline" while
guitarist and vocalist Wesley Doyle takes a short break. It's
hypnotic and powerful because you just know that when Doyle rejoins
them the song is going to be exponentially more explosive than
before. It's a simple trick in dynamics that some bands never
bother to learn. They make like a harder edged Mummies with the
nervous energy of "Right Between The Eyes" which features
a spidery guitar riff framing the song like a web. "Cut
It Loose" is cruddy, muddy, and bloddy good stuff. The album
is all exposed nerves with razor sharp tight lines that never
let up. There is even potential for power pop lurking with "Infatuation
Of The Girl" which might have been a good Undertones song
25 years ago. There's a definite hint of Feargal Sharkey in Doyle's
voice when he's really singing. He mainly sticks to yelling and
it matches the songs to perfection. He treats his guitar like
a weapon, too. "Dirty Water" (not The Standells song"
hits with a physical force. The last song "Raised By Wolves"
uses some deft slide guitar to bring the album to a fitting ending.
It was produced by Jim Diamond in Detroit and he gives the album
a gritty Seventies abandoned muscle car tone. - Wally Bangs /
Blogcritics |
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Apparently these
guys were loved by the late John Peel and I can fully understand
why. From the moment you turn this CD on you´re hooked
with their Garage influenced Punk Rock. Just listen to the opening
track ´Watch Your Head´ for starters and you´ll
see why this band kick ass. There´s 11 tracks on here and
each one constructed with the same love as the next. There´s
no fillers on here which means you get an album you´re
just going to love. The only downer about this album is that
it had to end and I just wish there were a few more tracks on
here. Yeah great band, great songs and a top production to boot.
- Fullfrontalrecordings
(UK) |
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These guys sure
cause an uproar for a three piece, it,s really quite amazing.
Recorded in Detroit this record captures all the energy and thrills
of raw, stripped-down Rock N, Roll, it,s so alive and animated
and barks and shrieks like a rabid dog. It,s crude and wild and
that,s all I need. It,s so full-on and thick and it,s nice a
distorted but not overly so, the fuzz is present but not overpowering.
This is the first time I have heard THE BLOODY HOLLIES but I'll
sure a hell be tracking down their debut 'Fire At Will'. (...)
The three-piece is a challenging thing to pull off but when all
the ingredients are right and the interaction gels it,s the best
thing ever and that,s what the BLOODY HOLLIES are all aboutthis
is pretty much the definitive sound of a raw Rock N, Roll three-piece,
thy don,t need anyone or anything else because their pure straightforwardness
already cuts past the bone. Excellent. - Marco / NFT
(UK) |
Fire at Will, the 2003 album from Buffalo's Bloody
Hollies, came on like a rabid wolverine that reduced "AC/DC-or-Ramones"
debates to hair-splitting. Most of If Footmen Tire You
is similarly speedy stuff, with wired guitar leads that sound
as if singer/guitarist Wesley Doyle is in the throes of the first
switch of the electric chair. But from the get-go, the band swings
more ("Watch Your Head") and attempts a facsimile of
rhythmic dynamics ("Right Between the Eyes," "Mind
Control"). Doyle also reigns in his screech, so at times
he echoes Jack White -- though with fewer Victorian mannerisms.
But there's also a dark core to the band that exposes itself
most on the fuzz-blues of the last tune; expect remorseful murder
ballads soon. For now, the Bloody Hollies are still rabid for
the fast action.
- Eric Davidson / River
Front Times |
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Have you ever imagined
what unholy racket would ensue if the CBGB's sleaze of both the
Dead Boys (known for their Alice Cooper inspired take on proto
punk) and the Cramps (fey conveyers of demented rockabilly) would
fuse together on some drunken stage somewhere? To me it sounds
like the latest offering from the Bloody Hollies brings that
sound to life, and it's a hell raising fest if ever there were
one. The crisp drums, sprightly chugging rhythm guitar, and lecherous
vocal represent the side of the band which resembles the Cramps.
The wall of sound production and Detroit style leads are where
the Dead Boys likeness appears. You got your rockabilly in my
punk rock! You got your punk rock in my rockabilly! Of course
when you fuse the decadent sprawl of guys like Stiv Bators and
Lux Interior, you're bound for a reckless soundtrack to drinking
lethal amounts of malt liquor and hitting on young girls with
visible sores on their lips. Drunken carousing oozes from this
CD like a salty ooze of poisoned ambrosia slipping from an open
wound. If you've got fifty dollars to spend on door admission
and too much beer and the Bloody Hollies are in town, go for
it. It will doubtless be a memorable evening. Of course this
CD is short on handclaps, thirteen part harmonies, and Rogue
synthesizers, but who the hell cares? From the most depraved
swamp bars of the South to the most junk addled rock haunts in
the city, a pained echo of decadence howls, with this cool record
serving as its loud tonic. Now take off those panties! - Jimmy
Reject / Now
Wave |
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Every song sounds
like the part of a set when it's time to smash the tables and
break a chair over someone's head (...) Loud and noisy and sloppy
and terrific. - Leeds / Culture
Bunker |
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Like the grunting
Neanderthal hordes who banged sticks and rocks together during
mankind's formative years, The Bloody Hollies' basic primal instinct
is to make themselves heard. And, boy howdy, I'm here to tell
you that they do it abundantly loud and clear! If Footmen Tire
You is a heavily distorted, wildly careening explosion of extravagantly
amplified noise that's as disruptive and twitchy as a fully revved
chainsaw ripping through your spinal cord. It's an aggressively
feral torrent of kick-ass, spazzed-out, fuzz-saturated Garage
Rock 'n' Roll madness that's clamorous, brutish, and beastly
both in content and delivery. Vocalist Wesley Doyle screeches
and screams like a psycho mad-dog lunatic who shoved an ice pick
through his testicles during a moment of extreme self-loathing
rage and is intermittently suffering violent seizures the rest
of his life as a consequence. He also ruthlessly attacks his
guitar like an uncaged, flesh-starved wolf ferociously mangling
an innocent, doe-eyed lamb with the utmost of savage glee. Bassist
Phillip Freedenberg and drummer Michael Argento spastically provide
a thunderous squall of rhythmic fury that can only be compared
to 100 million infuriated demons kicking and pounding the walls
of Hades so God above will hear their indignation and disgust.
Collectively, The Bloody Hollies are a fierce sonic force not
to be ignored or taken lightly. I have my serious doubts as to
whether the average human ear can survive such a powerful, skull-splitting
racket, though. - Moser / Under The Volcano |
|
Round two from these
drunk and dangerous garage brawlers from Buffalo, NY (now expanded
to a four-piece) amps up their bare-knuckled approach to Street
Sweeper levels either find a place to hide when the whapadang
comes down (the teeth-rattling feedback that heralds "Cut
It Loose" is the only warning you get), or take the Hollies'
full-bore sonic assault like a man. My advice is: go for the
latter, 'cause soaking in main headcase Wesley Doyle's evilbilly
hellspawn guitar and scorched vocals is like a reverse colonic:
it's gonna put toxins into your body, which is what you need
to survive in today's mean world, my friend. And the ladies,
they won't be able to resist you. Maybe you wanna buy two copies
of this CD, just to be safe. - Paul Gaita / Sleazegrinder |
|
Garage rock for
all you cavestompers and mod choppers. Mad bliss and lout guitars
this shit must be great live (hint, hint, hint!) - New
York Waste |
|
pparently these
guys were loved by the late John Peel and I can fully understand
why. From the moment you turn this CD on you´re hooked
with their Garage influenced Punk Rock. Just listen to the opening
track ´Watch Your Head´ for starters and you´ll
see why this band kick ass. There´s 11 tracks on here and
each one constructed with the same love as the next. There´s
no fillers on here which means you get an album you´re
just going to love. The only downer about this album is that
it had to end and I just wish there were a few more tracks on
here. Yeah great band, great songs and a top production to boot.
10/10 - Fullfrontalrecordings.co.uk |
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The Bloody Hollies
are a runaway locomotive. The skinny-tie wearing quartet, which
attacks nightclubs with a raw, inviting garage-rock assault
... - Interview
for the Idaho Statesman |
|
Fans of the White
Stripes should immediately pick up the new album from Buffalo's
Bloody Hollies entitled If Footmen Tire You... This is
garage-rock taken to the hilt, loaded with punk attitude, cool
lyrics and fiery guitars. It will cure all that ails you, at
least for the 30 minutes it plays for, so get yer ya-ya's out.
- Michelle Picardo / Free Time NY |
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You gotta love a
band who's name is a take off on one of Texas' all time great
rock and roll originators. If Buddy Holly were still around I'm
sure he'd be happy to see these guys proudly carrying the torch
of rock and roll. (...) There's danger lurking at every curve
and the music feels like some cheap speed across your scalp and
shooting up your spine. Like the best punk it makes you want
to consume beer in mass quantities and break shit. - Read
T.J. O'Brien review in the Houston Free Press (PDF) |
|
The Bloody Hollies
live up to their cool ass name with blistering vocals and guitars
that explode just like they should from a band with a name like
this. (...) They don't fuck around as the opening track "Watch
Your Head" will nail you with an explosion of vocals and
guitar that seem to ring true with all the songs on this release.
By the time "Gasoline" comes up you kind of gotta take
a breath. "Right between the eyes" was meant to be
played loud driving very fast in the car of your choice. If I
had my choice I'd be toolin' around in a old Trans Am with the
Bloody Hollies thumping out of the windows. This is fucking rock
and roll the way we like it here at MusicFilter... the real deal.
- Jeff Jackson / Music
Filter |
|
Have you ever imagined
what unholy racket would ensue if the CBGB's sleaze of both bands
the Dead Boys, known for their Alice Cooper inspired take on
proto punk, and the Cramps, fey conveyers of demented rockabilly,
would fuse together on some drunken stage somewhere? To me it
sounds like the latest offering from the Bloody Hollies brings
that sound to life, and it's a hell raising fest if ever there
were one. The crisp drums, sprightly chugging rhythm guitar and
lecherous vocal represent the side of the band which resembles
the Cramps. The wall of sound production and Detroit style
leads are where the Dead Boys likeness appears. You got your
rockabilly in my punk rock! You got punk rock in my rockabilly!
Of course when you fuse the decadent sprawl of guys like Stiv
Bators and Lux Interior, you're bound for a reckless soundtrack
to drinking lethal amounts of malt liquor and hitting on young
girls with visible sores on their lips. Drunken carousing oozes
from this CD like a salty ooze of poisoned ambrosia slipping
from an open wound. If you've got fifty dollars to spend on door
admission and too much beer and the Bloody Hollies are in town,
go for it. It will doubtless be a memorable evening. Of course
this CD is short on handclaps, thirteen part harmonies, Rogue
synthesizers, but who the hell cares. From the most depraved
swamp bars of the South to the most junk addled rock haunts in
the city, a pained echo of decadence howls, with this cool record
serving as its loud tonic. Now take off those panties! - Jimmy
Reject / Diggin
For Dirt |
|
Despite the fact
they look like they've yet to ditch their Catholic school uniforms,
Buffalo's Bloody Hollies at least sound a bit older on their
sophomore slab. Their 2004 debut came on like a rabid wolverine,
the kind of sneering slaughter we need every so often to wipe
the make-up off the latest comely punk sub-genre. The new one
may be more AC/DC boogie-bashing then Ramones hey-ho, but it's
three chords and a cloud of huffed gas all the same. This is
four-through-the-floor stuff, always a hair too fast, but steering
away from a generic crash. On "We're So Anxious," "Mind
Control" and "Gasoline," singer/guitarist Wesley
Doyle wiggles off wired guitar leads as if he's in the throes
of the first switch of the electric chair. - Columbus
Alive |
|
Hard, fierce, clangy
rock n' roll that'll straighten out those rickets right quick,
skip. Speaking of rickets, they should've named their band
BLoody Holly and the Rickets...but I digress. This is the
kind of stuff that keeps giving me faith every time I go to the
mail box. Give me a double shot of rock n' roll right in
the guts! These guys clearly have the chops to go with
the attitude, and there is attitude - a - plenty on this here
cd. I especially dig We're So Anxious and Dirty
Water. - Time2RocknRoll |
|
Live fast, die young
and leave a sexy fucking corpse! That could have been the title
of the latest offering from The Bloody Hollies, If the footmen
tire you. This is rock and roll at its finest. The kind of
disc that makes you want to get in your car and drive at break
neck speeds down the freeway. There is some awesome guitar work
on this one and a singer that would do any band proud. Tracks
like Gasoline and Infatuation of the Girl are just
examples of how real rock should be played loud fast and hard!
- Ectomag |
Bloody Road Warriors by Scoop Stevens (aka Bart Mendoza)
/ San Diego Citybeat
With high rents and not many
good paying jobs out there, many local musicians are seriously
having to reconsider San Diego as a home base. Indeed hardly
a week goes by that we don't note a prominent local or two's
imminent departure. But for some bands San Diego is still a mecca,
with a thriving indie music scene. And then there's the weather.
"After one last bitter cold Buffalo winter, I decided to
finally make the move, said Bloody Hollies guitarist Wesley Doyle.
Like may other transplants, Doyle made his initial discovery
of San Diego through the military. "I had friends that relocated
out here when we were in the marines together. I would come visit
a lot and really dug it out here. The move also brings the group
closer to it's Los Angeles label, Bomp offshoot Alive Records.
The label drops the bands latest album, If Footmen Tire You,
on Aug. 23 with a CD release party set for that night at the
Zombie Lounge. Following the show the band heads out on an extensive
2 month North American tour, followed by a lengthy European jaunt.
While many musicians have derided San Diego's location in the
corner of the U.S. as a detriment to touring Doyle doesn't see
it that way. I've always thought it didn't really matter where
you live if you want to tour. He clearly has disdain for bands
that make excuses for their lack of touring ability. "I
always hear stories of bands relocating to Chicago, New York
or L.A. in hopes of making it," he laughs. "The only
proven way to make it is to get your ass on the road. The less
time you spend in your home town, the odds are that (musically)
you're on the right track." |
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