The Pullmen

The Pullmen are not pulling your leg, pulling a rabbit out of a hat or pulling a fast one — none of those old clichés. Rather, the Ventura quartet is offering local music fans a real deal: For a single Alexander Hamilton ($10), you get a copy of the band's new CD, "The Western Score," and a beer. Or if you're totally broke, cheap or not thirsty, the show is free, but no CD. It's all happening Friday night at the Bombay Bar & Grill in Ventura.

More solid musicians out of Ventura High and following in the footsteps of Raging Arb & the Redheads, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Guy Martin and so many more, the boys in the band remain Shane Cohn, vocals and guitar, H.S. Strong on guitars, Matt Kash on bass and Erin Sidney on drums, all set to deliver "rock 'n' roll with a kick in the face."

This gig features three other bands and will offer considerably more fun but less drama than the Pullman Strike of 1894, when 13 workers were killed after the rapacious railroads called in U.S. troops to break up one of the most famously violent episodes in American labor history.

Survivors of many a gig with the best punk bluegrass band anywhere, Old Man Markley, The Pullmen can also boast of the only song (I'm guessing here) about Oak View, the small town up on Highway 33 between Ventura and Ojai. The frontman was the man when it came to discussing the latest during a recent phoner.

Hey, Shane, so what's the latest with The Pullmen — are you guys rich rock stars?

You know, I'm sitting here drinking a tall can of beer, so ...

Is it good beer?

No. It's (expletive) beer. If I was drinking something like liquid diamonds, I'd be rich and famous.

Drinking a Pabst, are you?

You got it.

So how long have The Pullmen been around?

About a year now.

Where did you get the band name The Pullmen? The Pullman is a railroad car.

When we started, this guy who was a captain in the Army and just back from Iraq heard us practicing and asked what we were called, but we didn't have a name or even a bass player yet. So we asked him, "What do you think?" And he said out of nowhere, "The Pullmen," and it stuck, and it was kind of cool, too.

So what's your take on "The Western Score"? What's that one all about?

"The Western Score" was about settling a score — a collection of songs about the journey to right something that's gone wrong, but somewhere along the way, things get sort of western and mixed up. Booze, temptation and mild forms of lunacy are in there.

What's your take on the band's sound?

It's a tough one when people ask what kind of music we play, but I say it's got grit, it's got guts and there's some sense of urgency to it. When I listen to music, I listen for that type of urgency where the singer or musicians don't always play certain chords or sing certain lyrics, and there's a good chance they might just implode. That's the sort of beauty that I'm aiming at; we call it a western rock feel.

I'm guessing that you guys are the first to ever write a song about Oak View, right?

I don't know, but it's a true story.


CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The Pullmen's new CD, " The Western Score," features seven tracks, including "Oak View," "When the Rope Pulls Tight" and "Mourning Song."
I didn't hear it playing in the background when I went to the doughnut shop in Oak View a week or two ago.

Yeah, but it's going to be their anthem.

How did the song come about? Does anyone in the band live in Oak View?

No, but there was an event that happened in Oak View involving a member of my band, and just for the sanctity of keeping good relations among folks, the devil's in the details — it's in there.

Can other small towns on Highway 33 and in the Ojai Valley expect their own theme song? Will there be a Casitas Springs, a Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte or maybe a Cuyama song in the future?

I hope not, but if our lives continue on the same paths, there may be.

Scary. So are you guys from the Ojai Valley or were you just slumming in Oak View?

Ventura. Three of us were raised here and one of us is from the East Coast, a transplant — he married my sister, so it all worked out.

So you guys are Ventura High guys?

Yeah.

Lots of great local musicians from Ventura High: Raging Arb & the Redheads, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Guy Martin, Frank Barajas.

Absolutely.

What's your take on the Ventura music scene? What does it need, or is it fine the way it is?

It's funny you ask; I was thinking a lot about that earlier. I was talking to someone who was saying that Ventura is about to get sponged up just like, say, Seattle was.

That could be good or bad.

Right. Our city officials aren't in a place to guide that anywhere. The Ventura Music Week was - Ventura County Star

The Pullmen are not pulling your leg, pulling a rabbit out of a hat or pulling a fast one — none of those old clichés. Rather, the Ventura quartet is offering local music fans a real deal: For a single Alexander Hamilton ($10), you get a copy of the band's new CD, "The Western Score," and a beer. Or if you're totally broke, cheap or not thirsty, the show is free, but no CD. It's all happening Friday night at the Bombay Bar & Grill in Ventura.

More solid musicians out of Ventura High and following in the footsteps of Raging Arb & the Redheads, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Guy Martin and so many more, the boys in the band remain Shane Cohn, vocals and guitar, H.S. Strong on guitars, Matt Kash on bass and Erin Sidney on drums, all set to deliver "rock 'n' roll with a kick in the face."

This gig features three other bands and will offer considerably more fun but less drama than the Pullman Strike of 1894, when 13 workers were killed after the rapacious railroads called in U.S. troops to break up one of the most famously violent episodes in American labor history.

Survivors of many a gig with the best punk bluegrass band anywhere, Old Man Markley, The Pullmen can also boast of the only song (I'm guessing here) about Oak View, the small town up on Highway 33 between Ventura and Ojai. The frontman was the man when it came to discussing the latest during a recent phoner.

Hey, Shane, so what's the latest with The Pullmen — are you guys rich rock stars?

You know, I'm sitting here drinking a tall can of beer, so ...

Is it good beer?

No. It's (expletive) beer. If I was drinking something like liquid diamonds, I'd be rich and famous.

Drinking a Pabst, are you?

You got it.

So how long have The Pullmen been around?

About a year now.

Where did you get the band name The Pullmen? The Pullman is a railroad car.

When we started, this guy who was a captain in the Army and just back from Iraq heard us practicing and asked what we were called, but we didn't have a name or even a bass player yet. So we asked him, "What do you think?" And he said out of nowhere, "The Pullmen," and it stuck, and it was kind of cool, too.

So what's your take on "The Western Score"? What's that one all about?

"The Western Score" was about settling a score — a collection of songs about the journey to right something that's gone wrong, but somewhere along the way, things get sort of western and mixed up. Booze, temptation and mild forms of lunacy are in there.

What's your take on the band's sound?

It's a tough one when people ask what kind of music we play, but I say it's got grit, it's got guts and there's some sense of urgency to it. When I listen to music, I listen for that type of urgency where the singer or musicians don't always play certain chords or sing certain lyrics, and there's a good chance they might just implode. That's the sort of beauty that I'm aiming at; we call it a western rock feel.

I'm guessing that you guys are the first to ever write a song about Oak View, right?

I don't know, but it's a true story.


CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The Pullmen's new CD, " The Western Score," features seven tracks, including "Oak View," "When the Rope Pulls Tight" and "Mourning Song."
I didn't hear it playing in the background when I went to the doughnut shop in Oak View a week or two ago.

Yeah, but it's going to be their anthem.

How did the song come about? Does anyone in the band live in Oak View?

No, but there was an event that happened in Oak View involving a member of my band, and just for the sanctity of keeping good relations among folks, the devil's in the details — it's in there.

Can other small towns on Highway 33 and in the Ojai Valley expect their own theme song? Will there be a Casitas Springs, a Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte or maybe a Cuyama song in the future?

I hope not, but if our lives continue on the same paths, there may be.

Scary. So are you guys from the Ojai Valley or were you just slumming in Oak View?

Ventura. Three of us were raised here and one of us is from the East Coast, a transplant — he married my sister, so it all worked out.

So you guys are Ventura High guys?

Yeah.

Lots of great local musicians from Ventura High: Raging Arb & the Redheads, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Guy Martin, Frank Barajas.

Absolutely.

What's your take on the Ventura music scene? What does it need, or is it fine the way it is?

It's funny you ask; I was thinking a lot about that earlier. I was talking to someone who was saying that Ventura is about to get sponged up just like, say, Seattle was.

That could be good or bad.

Right. Our city officials aren't in a place to guide that anywhere. The Ventura Music Week was - Ventura County Star

When I was first handed The Pullmen’s EP “The Western Score” to review I was skeptical at best about how a band could successfully convey a western thrash musical vibe to someone listening to their band.
And what I found when first listening to the band took my misguided skepticism and threw out a metaphorical window of a thirty story building never to be seen or heard from again.
This album is a must have for anyone that is into Thrash, and Western music. The fourth track of the EP entitled “Mourning Song” lyrically speaks of man that has learned a lesson about how in life hind sight is truly 20/20; conveying that message with a musical delivery reminiscent of “Against Me!” with a dash of “Johnny Cash” thrown in for a melodic kick, all the while, taking that aforementioned sound to a whole new level.
The Pullmen are currently working on a new EP that is being released later this year. Until then catch out on their musical history and check out “The Western Score.” - Big Wheel Magazine

When I was first handed The Pullmen’s EP “The Western Score” to review I was skeptical at best about how a band could successfully convey a western thrash musical vibe to someone listening to their band.
And what I found when first listening to the band took my misguided skepticism and threw out a metaphorical window of a thirty story building never to be seen or heard from again.
This album is a must have for anyone that is into Thrash, and Western music. The fourth track of the EP entitled “Mourning Song” lyrically speaks of man that has learned a lesson about how in life hind sight is truly 20/20; conveying that message with a musical delivery reminiscent of “Against Me!” with a dash of “Johnny Cash” thrown in for a melodic kick, all the while, taking that aforementioned sound to a whole new level.
The Pullmen are currently working on a new EP that is being released later this year. Until then catch out on their musical history and check out “The Western Score.” - Big Wheel Magazine

The Western Score: CDEP
From the first few notes of “Ponderosa (Prelude),” images of Southwestern red rock formations began to form in my mind’s eye; even a coyote howled in the distance. Yeah, it’s like that. Taking it further than folk punk, these boys out of Ventura, CA have blazed a trail straight into cowboy punk. If The Man with No Name played the guitar and spoke more than a few choice words, he would’ve rocked this shit. Almost Southern gothic, “Dear Ramirez,” starts off like a Leonard Cohen track, with Shane’s vocals dipping into a sultry baritone as guitar chords plod along slow and methodical, a crashing cymbal punctuating like an exclamation point. “When the Rope Pulls Tight” turns things up by throwing Heather Rae of Rumbleweed and Moonshine Boys into the mix for a knee slappin’ duet. More please. Recommended. –Kristen K (Self-Released, thepullmen.com) - Razorcake

The Western Score: CDEP
From the first few notes of “Ponderosa (Prelude),” images of Southwestern red rock formations began to form in my mind’s eye; even a coyote howled in the distance. Yeah, it’s like that. Taking it further than folk punk, these boys out of Ventura, CA have blazed a trail straight into cowboy punk. If The Man with No Name played the guitar and spoke more than a few choice words, he would’ve rocked this shit. Almost Southern gothic, “Dear Ramirez,” starts off like a Leonard Cohen track, with Shane’s vocals dipping into a sultry baritone as guitar chords plod along slow and methodical, a crashing cymbal punctuating like an exclamation point. “When the Rope Pulls Tight” turns things up by throwing Heather Rae of Rumbleweed and Moonshine Boys into the mix for a knee slappin’ duet. More please. Recommended. –Kristen K (Self-Released, thepullmen.com) - Razorcake

Seemingly able to open for any band in any genre, The Pullmen scored some sweet slots in 2012 sharing the stage with everyone from legendary skate punks Pennywise to surfer-turned-acoustic crooner Donovan Frankenreiter. The band also released two excellent videos — one for apparel manufacturer Sanuk — and did the local festival circuit. The Pullmen’s second release, an EP, is currently being mastered and it will present a more polished, but no less gritty, sound. The band plans some regional touring this year and has a couple of other pokers in the fire. Stay tuned. - VCReporter

Seemingly able to open for any band in any genre, The Pullmen scored some sweet slots in 2012 sharing the stage with everyone from legendary skate punks Pennywise to surfer-turned-acoustic crooner Donovan Frankenreiter. The band also released two excellent videos — one for apparel manufacturer Sanuk — and did the local festival circuit. The Pullmen’s second release, an EP, is currently being mastered and it will present a more polished, but no less gritty, sound. The band plans some regional touring this year and has a couple of other pokers in the fire. Stay tuned. - VCReporter

The Western Score
In the era of the short attention span, the concept record is a rarity. To attempt such a feat on a debut release, and make the first track instrumental, is a bold move. But that’s in part what makes this record great: the abject insanity of it. A tightly wound assemblage of seven manic songs tells the story of a tortured man driven to madness by love. (Or is it the other way around?) The sound is roots rock at a galloping pace interspersed with pretty melodies and vocals that could pass for primal scream therapy. The Western Score is like one long peel-out from a desert roadhouse at sundown, the driver hopped up on power chords and heartache. When it’s over, you can’t adequately describe what happened, but you’re pretty sure you’ll never be the same. - VCReporter

The Western Score
In the era of the short attention span, the concept record is a rarity. To attempt such a feat on a debut release, and make the first track instrumental, is a bold move. But that’s in part what makes this record great: the abject insanity of it. A tightly wound assemblage of seven manic songs tells the story of a tortured man driven to madness by love. (Or is it the other way around?) The sound is roots rock at a galloping pace interspersed with pretty melodies and vocals that could pass for primal scream therapy. The Western Score is like one long peel-out from a desert roadhouse at sundown, the driver hopped up on power chords and heartache. When it’s over, you can’t adequately describe what happened, but you’re pretty sure you’ll never be the same. - VCReporter