The Bobby Lees (Photo by John Swab)
Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, Henry Rollins — these are just a few of the punk icons who have shown support for the Woodstock, New York-based band The Bobby Lees. The Bobby Lees bared their teeth — and their souls — on their new album, Bellevue, in 2022.
Now The Bobby Lees perform at DC9 on Tuesday, April 11.
Sam Quartin (vocals, guitar), Macky Bowman (drums), Nick Casa (guitar), and Kendall Wind (bass) make music that is punk in spirit and soul — unfettered and resolutely honest. It’s the kind of aural exorcism any listener can tap into, something that struck a chord with Rollins who brought them to Ipecac Recordings, where Mike Patton and Greg Werckman signed them.
In 2021, the fledgling outfit decamped to Sputnik Sound in Nashville to record Bellevue, their Ipecac Recordings’ debut album, live in the studio with producer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, The Raconteurs).
With their intelligent and thoughtful songwriting, The Bobby Lees follow their instincts as musicians and friends, working together to create the songs that would eventually form Bellevue. The sound is gritty, minimalist and visceral, each song is an ode to the misfits. “We wrote it while all of this crazy (pandemic) stuff was going on and I think it helped make us more open and vulnerable. We’re taking risks and doing weirder things musically than we have in the past,” Sam said.
Tracks like “Hollywood Junkyard” and “Dig Your Hips”, which were teased on the Hollywood Junkyard EP, illuminate the reckless and raw spirit of the album.
Watch the official music video for “Dig Your Hips” by The Bobby Lees on YouTube:
As feverish and nihilistic as the music can at times seem, there’s always a glimmer of hope at the core of each song. “I named the album Bellevue because when I listen back, I hear someone going through that stuff, who is now able to laugh about it and have fun re-telling the stories,” Sam said. “It’s a reminder for me that the most painful and intense things I go through end up being the most rewarding creatively.”
When asked what she hopes the response to Bellevue will be, she replies: “When I hear something I like or connect to, I feel less alone and I get some hope to keep going. It gets me out of my own story. My only hope would be that maybe this record does that for someone else.”
The Bobby Lees
W/ Teen Mortgage, Thee Deluxe
DC9
Tuesday, April 11
Doors @ 7:30pm
$15/$18
All ages