This is an album that almost didn't happen - which would have been a shame.
The Bullys were founded in New York in 1997 by frontman Johnny Heff, and they immediately began making fast, loose loud punk rock, steeped in the traditions of the New York punk bands of the '70s. They put out two albums, and kept getting tighter and better without losing their sloppy edge or New York City streets mentality.
Then tragedy struck the band. Johnny Heff was a New York City firefighter, one of the many who died in the World Trade Center saving others. This nearly spelled the end of the Bullys, the end of a great sound in New York punk. Ultimately, the band decided to carry on and keep the sound - and Heff's memory and punk rock spirit - alive.
Picking Up Where They Left Off
Half of the album was written by Heff, and the other half by Walt Stack. These tracks mesh seamlessly; Stack picks up where Heff left off, and continued to run with it, doing what the Bullys have always done best - make punk rock. It's a testament to how well Heff and Stack knew one another, as well as to how well they all know their sound.
And when I call this punk rock, I'm not talking about slick, overproduced pop punk, either. I'm talking about fast, dirty, aggressive two-chord rock. Equal parts New York Dolls and the Ramones, the 10 frenzied tracks on BQE Overdrive are rife with so many in-your-face riffs that this record manages to cram more than an hour's worth of beer-fueled energy into an album less than 30 minutes long.
On top of all this, BQE Overdrive manages to be poignant as well. The songs are often issue-driven, boldly dealing with such weighty subject matters as being broke, getting fired, eating fast food, and driving crappy cars. In short, it's punk rock for the everyman, especially if that everyman is a beer drinking punk who's occasionally woken up in the gutter with a splitting headache. It's a fitting tribute to Heff, and solid proof that his legacy lives on.
