Band of the Week: Bully in the Hallway

For a young band one of the more challenging aspects of the music industry can be the waiting process. You write songs that you feel represent you as a band, and begin to play your songs in front of modest audiences. The crowd seems to enjoy themselves and then they start to build. The stages get larger and the crowds continue to grow, but you may continue to play those first songs for months, even years, before entering the studio. It's a process, and a long one but for a few select bands it can be a tremendous journey.

Chicago's Bully in the Hallway formed in 2006 and have been entertaining crowds for the last three years. Now in 2009 everything seems to be finally falling into place. Matthew Kennedy (Guitar, Vocals), Billy Kenefick (Guitar, Vocals), Matthew Jannotta (Drums), Aaron Levinsky (Bass), and John Matthew Simon (Vocals) have made their way into the studio to record their Apples & Sunshine EP at Phantom Manor with their pal Mike Lust (Lustre King, Tight Phantomz, Sybris, Mannequin Men, Sarge, Sweep the Leg Johnny), and they are also working on a music video. On top of all that folks across the country are finally starting to take notice.

Recently, John Matthew Simon and Billy Kenefick of Bully in the Hallway were kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert(OA): For some reason your band name makes me want to watch Freaks & Geeks. Why Bully in the Hallway, and would you be the bully or the one being bullied?
John Matthew Simon (JS): Haha… I’ve never watched that show, but I have only heard good things…. We get this question quite often… the name came from our pal Walter J. Liveharder. Bill and I searched for group names everything from Gun Butter, The Chameleons, Text Attack, Square One… but bully in the hallway just felt right. And over time it has gained more meaning to us, representing our inner Chicagoans. I would have to say the one being bullied... We don't advocate violence and are all sweethearts.

OA: As far as I can tell you have not made an official release yet. Are you recording, have you recorded, basically when can we expect a Bully album or ep?
JS: We recorded our ‘L’ p “Apples & Sunshine” Feb-Nov of last year with Mike Lust at his lovely Phantom Manor which was a blast. We are working on finalizing everything and getting it right shooting for an early May release. We’re itching to get it out there. Especially since we have written some new songs that we’re looking to get on record soon.
Billy Kenefick (BK): Yea despite the bad PR that the big record labels get in the 'indie' world, its times like now that I wish we could hand our masters off to someone who could say "OK, your cd's will be ready in ___ days!" And yes, I agree with Simon. We are all sick of our old songs on the album and I hope to record our new ones; when playing live we share a mutual disgust for anything except new material. KIDDING.

OA: I've heard great things about your live show, what can fans expect?
JS: They should expect a rabble-rousing good time. We like our shows to be exhilarating… lots of movement. Loud and lovable… Yet never the same. We like shaking up our song catalog; putting together a memorable set that leaves you dancing.
BK: Who’s talking about our shows?

OA: I read that you are making a music video. What song did you choose? Who is making the video and what is the general premise?
JS: Yeah… We’ve been working on a video for our song “Steal the Wind; It’s Free” with our good buddy Victor Grigas. The theme is very fitting to the economic dilemma/agenda of right now. The song is about change…We wrote it in 2007, it deals with the general melee of the first decade of this century.
BK: There are some behind the scenes photos on our blog.

OA: What are you thoughts on the Chicago scene as a whole? Are bands and venue generally friendly or have you had a harder time?
JS: Everyone has been great to us, we wouldn’t trade it in for the likes of Brooklyn or Portland, and they’re both wonderful music scenes. The Chicago scene is very much like a Chicago Dog, it’s got everything, except ketchup, the musical form of ketchup being pompous attitudes… Everyone is extremely friendly and helpful, but it’s all about building a report with the venues and bands which we have been working hard at. We’ve realized that to become a scene staple you have to become a mechanized part of the inner workings. Embracement and respect come with hard work. That’s why we’re whistling.

OA: What's next for Bully in the Hallway?
JS: What’s next… labeldom, touring, lots of albums, and musical, as well as cultural exploration. Our casual takeover of the world.

Bonus Questions:
OA: If you could down to coffee with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be?
JS: My ideal coffee shop pals would be Nietzsche, Picasso, Kurt Cobain, T.S. Elliot, and Kafka. If I had to pick one, it’d be Picasso.
BK: Lennon or Irvine Welsh

OA: What was the last great book you have read?
JS: The last great book I read was Nelson Algren’s Chicago: City on the Make. I try to reread it at least once a year.
BK: This 800 page Beatles biography. I just won a bonus question on a bar-video game thing b/c I knew the original title of “Yesterday” was in fact “Scrambled Eggs”.

Listen to: Chicago (mp3)

For more information on Bully in the Hallway please visit their website.