Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen
Even in the current age of internet hype-induced popularity, it’s pretty uncommon for an indie band to find a following as fast as Bully has—especially here in Milwaukee, a city more resistant to hype than most. The Nashville four-piece released their debut album, Feels Like, in 2015 and sold out their first-ever Wisconsin gig less than a year later. Even after the show began, dedicated fans unable to score tickets waited outside of the Cactus Club, braving the cold, damp weather to hear just a little bit of the band’s blistering set.
On Saturday, Jan. 20, Bully will be making their long-awaited return to the Cactus Club after a nearly two-year long absence. Following the release of their second album (and plenty of local, left-of-the-dial airplay), the band had a hunch their victory lap show would sell quickly. They encouraged Milwaukee fans to purchase tickets early to snag a spot at the 200-person venue. Not long after their initial plea, Bully announced the show was sold out more than a month in advance.
It’s safe to say Bully is cherished in Milwaukee—at least more so than many of their indie-rock contemporaries. Perhaps local listeners take a liking to Bully because they find a kindred spirit in frontwoman Alicia Bognanno. Though the band calls Nashville home, Bognanno was raised in Minneapolis. Deeply engrained, Midwestern angst is hard to outgrow, and that unique brand of bleakness was memorialized by Paul Westerberg—another Minnesotan with a Milwaukee cult following.
Bognanno cites The Replacements’ mastermind as a major influence on her own work and says she isn’t surprised Bully has so many fans in cities like Milwaukee. “The Midwest is definitely one of our best markets, and that always makes me really proud and happy,” she says. “I grew up in Minnesota, but I also spent a lot of time in Chicago and Wisconsin.”
Bognanno’s time in Chicago was spent under the watchful eye of recording legend Steve Albini. After graduating college with an audio engineering degree, she landed an internship at the Albini-led Electrical Audio studio. Along with being Bully’s lead singer, primary songwriter and guitarist, Bognanno is also the band’s producer and recording engineer. She says her hands-on experience as a sound engineer has been a crucial part of crafting Bully’s signature sound, both inside and outside the studio.
In October, Bully released their sophomore album, Losing on seminal Seattle label Sub Pop. Between releasing their first and second record, the band played live almost nonstop for 18 months. Bognanno says the band’s seemingly endless touring schedule helped her, guitarist Clayton Parker and bassist Reece Lazarus learn what they each wanted musically, especially regarding their follow-up album. “I wanted to take some more time with Losing, slow things down and make a more mature record,” she explains. “Everything on Feels Like felt so boring to me when I sat down to write the second record.”
Even though Bully’s sound is almost always compared to grunge pioneers like Nirvana, the Pixies and Belly, Bognanno’s lyrics are often more emotion-drenched than her early-’90s predecessors. “It’s just natural for me to write more personal lyrics,” Bognanno explains. “When I first started writing, I was a little timid when writing about such personal topics, but I got over it pretty quickly.” Writing about intimate issues like depression, toxic relationships and masturbation acts as a weapon of empowerment for Bognanno. “[Music] is a tool to work out whatever is going on in my head,” she says. “It actually feels really good to be able to go up on stage, sing about stuff that matters to me and just scream it out.”
Bully’s rapid rise to rock stardom has given the band an opportunity to employ their platform for social and political causes. “With how the political climate has been over the last year, the conversation is totally unavoidable,” says Bognanno. “We try and figure out ways we can help out and spread awareness, if possible.” In May 2016, the band released a track for the anti-Trump compilation Our First 100 Days back in May, and they often use their shows as fundraisers for organizations like Planned Parenthood.
So it comes as no surprise that Bognanno and company have a substantial fanbase in Milwaukee. It makes perfect sense that a hardworking, passionate and political city would adore a band with the same traits. At their current rate, Bully will be selling out Miller Park by 2022.
Bully headline the Cactus Club on Saturday, Jan. 20 with Milwaukee’s Sundial Mottos at 9 p.m.
