Bayou Bullets: an edgy sound straight outta Baton Rouge

By: Kent B. - MSTv Contributor

"It was a dark and rain spent night, with a damp chill to cut to the soul.." Yes, we realize this is a cliche opening to several atmospheric novels, or short stories. But, in this case the description is true regarding our first meet with local band, Bayou Bullets, at the Atomic Pop Shop on Government street.

With the rain and cold present, our initial meeting at the shop's makeshift stage area, was slightly delayed. But once we arrived, we were pleased to meet this cool quartet of musicians who seemed laid back and eager to socialize. But, before we could begin our interview, these guys did the unexpected: they jammed for us first.

And quite a jam it was; though it was impromptu. Perhaps it was just a sound check, or maybe it was a way for the group to showcase their sound. Either way, we didn't care because the sound was awesome as they wailed away.

The four piece group comprised of BJ Davidson on drums, Conner Graham on rhythm guitar, Ian Babin on the bass and Ashton Proctor on lead guitar surely meant to keep our initial banter short -- and then they began to just wail on a classic sounding swamp pop riff called, "Kiss & Tell."

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As the jam died down, Bayou Bullets presented their sound as powerful, well rehearsed and most of all seemingly deceptive of a band that's only been around a little over a year.  Yet as the interview went underway, and the group let spill their varied inspirations, the reasoning for their sound became more clear. The group were a virtual hodgepodge of musical interests, which channeled through their performance

Pulling styles from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Chicago, Cannibal Corpse and even Bruce Springsteen, Bayou Bullets seeks to retain the power and allure of the classic rock sound and bring it to the tech-driven and more electronic art tastes of today's Millennials.  And given the varied path of today's musical landscape, that would seem to be a lofty goal.

However, with more young adults embracing the more unified sound and messages of the classic rock era, perhaps excellent bands like Bayou Bullets can make their mark on today's musical horizon.

And yet, everyone has to start somewhere.  We found this laid-back quartet to be cool, friendly, talented and straight up gamers. And from this simple meeting at the Atomic Pop Shop,  we can only say that they made a lasting mark on us.  Check them out for yourself and we're sure you'll feel the same.

That plus they sound really good!!!

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