Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"Believe heralds Bully Pulpit's entrance into the pantheon of Boston's first rate guitar pop bands (e.g. Bleu, The Pills, The Irresponsibles,Rocketscience, etc.). The four lads from Dot craft melodic and intelligent songs in a working class style all their own. One could best describe their sound as an successful mixture of Social Distortion's gruffness, Elvis Costello's musical sophistication and XTC's pop sensibility. "Snow" has the instant appeal of such hits as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the Smithereens' "Blood and Roses" (and, likewise, boasts a catchy bass hook). With the kind of chorus that sticks in your mind for days, "Naughty Girl" will leave you thankfully annoyed with the Pulpit while "Stepped On" encapsulates the frustration of the downtrodden. Brian Fitzpatrick's and Matt Dalton's adeptly co-written compositions are made all the more original by Matt's unique vocals and guitar sound. Fueled by Matt Kelly's succinct and powerful drumming, John Barber's (Rocketscience's drummer) first rate production adds polish to this jewel. "Starshowers," the closing track, packs the emotional and melodic punch that causes hair to standing up on the back of your neck and chills to run down your spine. bullyband.com"
(Marc Friedman)
- The Noise, January, 2004
"I don't know much about Bully Pulpit but would like to. This appears to be a three-song preview to a full-length so I suppose I'll find out the scoop on these guys soon enough as I didn't have a bio and the CD doesn't offer any info
save the song titles and contact info. For now only thing I share is what I hear - and after all that's what really matters the most.
Urgent, highly rhythmic modern rock led by jolting jangly guitar lines that pull it all together. Top-notch production propels this band from local sounding to label-sounding - as a matter of fact they sound almost too pro, too familiar, causing me to ponder the thought that this is some other already established band under the Bully Pulpit moniker (!). Besides the fact that I'm implying it is an established and not exactly
groundbreaking sound, it is a compliment to their confident, solid performance and evident talent of Bully Pulpit.
Though I don't often compare bands in my reviews to others, I have to say I'm kind of sensing a Buffalo Tom with Green Day tinges - just to give you a sense of their musical style.Overall, terrific offering from an excellent band that I definitely expect to hear more from and about soon."
(Debbie Catalano) - Boston Soundcheck Magazine - Dec. 2000
I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover. Grateful, Snow, Tonight came in a plain white envelope with nothing printed on it, and not much more information on the actual CD, but here's my impression anyway. (I know, I know it's just a demo.) Bully Pulpit could be a whole band or it could be one guy playing everything. In any case it's better-than average grunge punk with a fifties-ish surf feel. The vocals are male, reminding me of a cross between Dexter from Offspring and Billie Joe of Green Day. The guitar sound is full; possibly there are two guitarists or the guitars were double-tracked. There is some strong drumming on this recording. I especially love the cool half-time drum breakdown (I'm such a sucker for that!) at the end of Track #1, and the pounding toms on Track #3. The production is good; very spatial and dynamic. If they tried to save money on the packaging to put more into the production of this record, I'd say good choice. The name Bully Pulpit implicates something political, which seems appropriate for this crazy election, but when listening to the CD expecting some radical punk, I found that they are all break-up/make-up love songs-which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Kudos to you Bully Pulpit whomever you are!
(Jami Renee) - "The Noise" - December, 2000
Discography
"Believe" - 10 song lp - 11/03
"Snow, Tonight, Grateful" - 3 Song ep - 4/00
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
For those who enjoy Guitar-Driven Pop with a dual guitar kick, Bully Pulpit consistently produces. The songs speak for themselves, but the energetic live show is a feast for the ears, eyes and soul. Bully Pulpit is a term usually used to describe a position of power that affords the holder a wide audience. The ever-growing audience that call Bully Pulpit their own have followed the band right to the top of the heap.
"Watch out for the 'Pulpit...
It's downright infectious
being in the audience."
Shred - 104.1 WBCN
The recently released full-length disc "Believe" is filled with signature super-crunchy, overdriven guitar tones and layered with sweet vocal harmonies and almost surf-ish guitar hooks. Matthew Dalton's unique vocal delivery laces it all with a silver lining. Songs like "Snow" and "Naughty Girl" have earned such labels as "instantly appealing" and "in your mind for days".
"a band that I definitely
expect to hear more
from and about soon."
Debbie Catalano - Soundcheck Magazine
Through numerous lineup changes, Bully Pulpit has persevered, though the current lineup is arguably their best. Founding member Matthew Dalton (Vocals/Guitar ) is best known for his unique and engaging vocal style. Growing up in Dorchester, MA., Matt honed his skills playing with "Everyday Moses" in venues such as the legendary Rathskeller, and Aerosmith's venture into club ownership, Mama Kin's. ( Both victims of a floundering original music scene in the late 90's ) Matt's powerful and unique singing voice, endearing no-nonsense stage manner, and excellent songwriting are key to Bully Pulpit's success.
The other half of Bully Pulpit's songwriting team, Brian Fitzpatrick (Guitar), adds tasteful lead guitar and a harder edge to the Pulpit's unapologetic pop. Better known as "Fitzy", he spent his early days playing with bands that were "not real bands", except for maybe his stint with members of another of Boston's finest bands, "Rocketscience". When asked he'll tell you, "The eighth grade dinner dance was rockin."
On Bass, a true veteran of Rock n' Roll, is Mark Nigro. Longtime member of "The Irresponsibles". In over ten years with The Irros' Mark toured the country supporting Adrian Belew ( Guitarist for Dream Theater, Frank Zappa, David Bowie among many others ), while recording countless albums with a wide array of artists as a studio musician.
Bully Pulpit was quick to enlist Mark McCarthy. Back in Boston after "too long", and armed with Hardcore and Funk influences, Mark has injected new life into this sound. His energetic style is a powerful kick in the rear applied to an already adrenaline-packed sound.
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