BulletBoys are back with their 11th studio album, and seventh since reforming in 1998 after a short hiatus. The band that is best known for the monster hit singles and videos for Smooth Up In Ya, and For the Love of Money, from their platinum-selling 1988 abut album, has endured the usual challenges and roller coast ride in the fickle world of the music industry, but has never lost its enthusiasm or creative impetus.
The new record, From Out of the Skies, was released March 23 worldwide on Frontiers Music SRL, and has garnered a host of acclaimed reviews and critical accolades both domestically in the United States and abroad.
From Out of the Skies is a raucous, rockin’ melodic, edgy and often raw album that is part love letter to Los Angeles and part anthem for those who still believe that a little bit of rebelliousness can still go a long way in life.
“We painted with such broad strokes on this record. The album is basically dedicated to underdogs who never seem to win. This record is also dedicated to the city I grew up in, Los Angeles. There is a lot of lyrical content talking about images of the city or the people of the city or what I perceive are images and reflections of growing up here. It’s a way of me thanking and giving back to the community that made me who I am today,” said vocalist/guitarist/songwriter and sole remaining founding member of BulletBoys, Marq Torien.
Torien believes The BulletBoys are in the midst of a renaissance, a period of artistic reinvention and revitalization that is demonstrated by the fearless and passionate way he and core bandmates Nick Rozz (guitars) and bassist Chad MacDonald have approached the creation of the songs and vibe for From Out of the Skies. The lineup is rounded out by brand new drummer Anthony Biuso.
“Myself, Chad and Nick have been together for almost nine years and I think the reinvention has gone amazingly, starting with the Rocked and Ripped album [2011} through our last one Elefante and now with From Out of the Skies. So, it’s been a process of about eight or nine years, but we’re all very happy with how we’re evolving. We’re bringing back a lot of that southern California swagger, it’s got a raw energy to it like punk rock. I actually coined a phrase ‘punk and roll chic’ to describe the BulletBoys new direction, which is drawing from all facets of my musical background and skills as well as that of the other musicians in the band,” he explained.
“As an artist and musician, I don’t think the process of change and reinvention ever ends – lyrically, sonically and poetically things keep changing for the better. And that’s the way it should be. There is no fear on this record. We took risks, and I think that’s what shines the most is the feeling of not having fear in the creative process and being able to branch out musically and give our fans, friends and family something new for the eyes and something new for the ears.”
Torien said one significant aspect of the development of the BulletBoys is that for the first time, he garnered executive production credits on an album, stepping up to work alongside noted producer Rick Parker and engineer Luke Tierny.
“I still feel like I am a musical sponge, always absorbing all the knowledge that I can get my hands on. I just use what I have from the experiences of the past and add it to what I am learning every day. This is the first record in my career that I have ever been executive producer of, so it was a very scary thing. When you pull on those executive producer pants all of a sudden its, ‘uh oh, this is serious,’” he said.
“I was very fortunate that the band was very, very loving and accepting of me doing that for all of us and had confidence that I could take this album to another place, and I would say, put us on the road for another adventure. Elefante did so well for us, charting in the top five on CMJ Rock Radio charts and we, collectively, wanted to outdo that record. We wanted to go to a different place. The three of us, myself, Nick and Chad, we found strength in each other.
“You know, there’s always a lot of people on social media who have their opinions about this and that and the other thing, but we wanted to not worry about those opinions and simply concern ourselves with whether we loved the record and loved what we were putting out. And that’s so important, especially these days when there are so many brilliant, amazing bands out there, new and old. You have to take your game to another level to be relevant.”
The BulletBoys burst onto the scene with their hugely successful self-titled debut album, which came out during the high watermark of the so-called ‘hair metal’ era in 1988. But back then, and especially today, Torien eschewed the label, never feeling that the music of the BulletBoys was of the same ilk as the Poisons and Cinderellas of the world. Follow up albums Freakshow in 1991 and Za-Za in 1993 continued the bands trend towards the bluesier side of hard rock, but the band was still caught up in the seismic shift in the industry caused by the onset of grunge, and were relegated to their next few releases coming out on smaller, indy labels – as did most of their 1980s contemporaries. But the music and the mission has remained the same, according to Torien.
“Back when we first started, I never wanted The BulletBoys to be known as a sex-focused, cock rock band forever. And that was one of the main problems with the band was being thrown into this hair band thing. We weren’t that; we were just a rock and roll band – a straight up hard rock band. Listen even back then, I would rather be touching people’s hearts and souls than touching people’s nether regions with our music,” he said, with a chuckle.
“We have always been authentic and even back when we were signed to Warner Brothers for our first three albums, we still had a lot of freedom to do what we wanted. And that continues to this day. I am not always looking over my shoulder to find out what other people are doing. We walk to the beat of our own drum and BulletBoys have always basically done that. We are not into following the leader. We are not into trying to live in the past. We are into the new and the now.”
Besides the excitement over the material itself, Torien said being able to record at The Foo Fighters 606 Studios added even more frisson and energy into the sessions.
“A very good friend of mine, a publicist by the name of Nancy Sayle, invited me to do something for the Rock Against MS project. They were going to do a vinyl record and we all had to write a song the night before we went into the studio and go in and cut it. And it was taking place at 606. Well, that’s what I did. I wrote a song before we went into the studio, then worked it out with the guys in the band and went in and cut it and that was the first time I was in 606,” he said.
“And Dave Grohl actually picked out the running order of the songs for the album and he apparently just loved our song so much that he picked it to be the first one on the vinyl. So that’s where he heard what we were doing and what was going on with us. I never had the opportunity to meet David Grohl in person until we went into the studio to record this album, but he had some great stories to tell us. We live in the same area of the valley so we kind of go the same routes and those kinds of things. It was so cool to talk to him, he is such an amazing and lovely man and I have nothing but thanks and love for him, because he gave me and the guys in the band an amazing opportunity record on what I consider to be the hallowed ground of 606.
“Dave had heard that we were doing something risky musically and he just loved it and the fact that this little band from SoCal called the BulletBoys was able to record at 606 was an amazing honour for us and having someone from a different genre of music and someone of that stature being champions of my band is just a complete blessing. You can’t ask for anything more.”
As well, Torien was also thrilled to have a guest vocal performance on the album’s first single D-Evil by Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal.
“Jesse and I had an instant bond when we met, and he did an outstanding job collaborating on the song with his vocals a welcome contribution,” he said in a press release.
Long-time fans of The BulletBoys should have a similarly instant bond to the new music and new vitality of From Out of the Skies. And fans who perhaps have lost track of the band over the years would be well advised to check out the new album. It sees a band at the height of its creative confidence and songwriting skills releasing material that is passionate, melodic, memorable and a whole lotta fun.
BulletBoys will do a stint in Australia in early May before returning to North America for shows beginning May 11 in Illinois. Canadian fans will have a chance to see the band May 23 at the Brass Monkey in Ottawa, and May 24 at The Rockpile in Toronto.
For more information, visit http://www.bulletboysofficial.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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