Reviews 
WBNY 91.3 Buffalo, NY *2004 BAND OF THE YEAR*
Washington Post - Fire at Will
On the first two tracks of their new album, “Fire at Will,” the Bloody Hollies pass the fast-and-hard test of the garage-punk community. Wesley Doyle screeches his way through “Downtown Revolver” and “Hard-Bitten,” while his staccato, noisy guitar joins drummer Mike Argento and bassist Phill Freedenberg on a pell-mell rush. But on the third son, “Swing,” the Buffalo trio slows down from very fast to almost fast to let Doyle’s songwriting chops shine. He plays a modified rockabilly guitar lick, sings a clever pun about hanging out and hanging oneself, and tops off the catchy melody with a harmonica solo.
That ability to shift gears—not their white shirts and skinny black ties-is what separates the Bloody Hollies from the crowded field of garage-punk contenders hoping to steal some buzz from the Strokes and White Stripes. While most of those contenders play music, the Bloody Hollies play songs. Instead of an undifferentiated stream of sound, they offer punctuated phrasing that tells a story, even if the words are often lost in the strangled falsetto shouting and overworked amplifiers.
But when Doyle complains over a chiming guitar figure that the long lines and long hours of modern life raise his “Blood Pressure” or when his turns his plea of “I Need Love” into a blues-and-boogie romp, he comes through loud and clear. He proves that the Bloody Hollies can not only play fast and hard but also mid-tempo and hard.
Geoffrey Himes, The Washington Post, April 12, 2004
This from The Washington Post:
While the serious issues were discussed and debated inside the massive Austin Convention Center during the day, the nights were devoted to musicmaking all over town. Highlights included the full-throttle, cymbal-crashing punk of Buffalo's Bloody Hollies; New Orleans trumpeter Kermit Ruffin channeling Louis Armstrong and a century of Crescent City jazz; Los Angeles' Haden Triplets -- Rachel, Tanya and Petra – delivering magnificent harmonies and a chilling rendition of the Carter Family's "Single Girl, Married Girl"; more bracing punk from Noodle, an all-women band from Tokyo; an acoustic set by southern rock geniuses the Drive-By Truckers; and the smart and twangy Texas country of Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez. Joe Heim
Unlike the many garage rock revivalists who seem content to follow in the footsteps of their forebears (but with less energy and creativity), on their debut album, Fire at Will, the Bloody Hollies burn with a crazed intensity that ignites each track. “Give it all you got?” Wesley Doyle screams on “Penetrate,” and it could be the motto for the entire album. Songs like “Downtown Revolver” and “Swing”—a rockabilly-tinged, chair-kicking song about “just hangin’ around”—get right to the point with an energy that borders on apolcalypic. Along with their other Sympathy for the Record Industry compatriots and alumni, the Bloody Hollies are experts at making stripped-down and basic sound vital and exciting. Their take on garage rock is amped up with the relentlessness of punk and tempered with keen pop structures, especially on “Hard-Bitten” and “Yeah Yeah.” In fact, the first half of Fire at Will is a nearly flawless display of the Bloody Hollies’ powers; on the second half, they tweak the formula slightly, with varied results. “Tired of This Shit” captures the young, loud, and snotty vibe of classic punk perfectly, while the bluesier, slow-burning “I Need Love” is probably the closet the band will ever come to a ballad. Songs like these prove that the band doesn’t always have to be on fire to be good, but two-and-a-half minute outbursts like “Strip,” “Blood Pressure,” and “Emergency Shutdown” are where they really excel. By the time the snarly instrumental “Dogfight” finishes off the album, the Bloody Hollies have taken their listeners through a consistently exciting debut that’s a blast of instant-gratification fun.
Heather Phares AMG Review
Hollies attack the material with such barroom venom cracking punk velocity that this collection of retro clang is probably too tough for the frat rock crowd. Screams and hip swiveling and a sweaty finger pointing to the prettiest girl in the room, hollering about needing love right now, and I’ll bet their mammas are shocked at how sleazy all this rock and roll has made their boys. Ken McIntyre Sleazegrinder online zine/May 2002
“Combining equal parts rockabilly, punk, surf and raw rock and roll with an overabundance of seat, the trio has been garnering huge street cred through their chaos-inspired shows.” Altercation Magazine #8 Summer 2002
Naming Rights-
Not, it’s not Buddy Holly or the Hollies playing at Charlie’s Kitchen tonight—they’re both pretty much long gone. It’s the Bloody Hollies. (Best mongrel rock name since the Brian Jonestown Massacre.) This Buffalo-based group has a singer, Wesley Doyle, who screeches like the late Bon Scott of AC/DC, and they rock out with a manic punk energy, sometimes touched by rockabilly, blues, or surf sounds. Go! Rang up former Dictators and Del Lords guitarist Scott Kempner on the West Coast and got his take on the Bloody Hollies: “They’re one of these new young bands with a lot of excess energy and stuff going on there. It’s all about songs, and they’ve got pretty good tunes and a cool name.”
Boston Globe
Though commonly referred to as another appendage of the “Garage Rock” empire, it would be much more appropriate to put The Bloody Hollies into the category of Bluesy Punk, if such a genre even exists. If not before, then it does now and this band is situated in the eye of this enjoyable hurricane. If one word had to be used to define their sound it would be “debauchery.” If there were ever a remake of Animal House, any song of theirs would fit somewhere in the soundtrack. Hell, their debut CD, Fire at Will (on the Sympathy For the Record Industry label, could be the soundtrack. Their raw, Rockabilly-tinged songs sound like the music that should be blaring out of the jukebox if you ever stumbled into a bar brawl where stools are being broken on backs and some fool is swinging on a chandelier kicking people in the head. All in good fun, mind you. While the lyrics aren’t exactly John Keats—“Something’s got to give/I’m about to throw a fit/I’m tired of this shit/Tired of this shit” is the chorus to the track “Tired of This Shit” –they don’t exactly have to be. Their straightforward words complement their point-blank sonic outbursts perfectly. Wesley Doyle is a verifiable maniac on his guitar. The sparks that fly during his rabid playing could start campfires while the feedback he produces seem capable of shattering glass as well as an uncautioned tympanum. Bassist Phill Freedenburg and drummer Mike Argento keep pace with Doyle’s chaos-like, frantic metronomes on the verge of combustion. Together, the trio hit you like a screaming morning hangover, which may sound unpleasant until you remember the amount of fun that took place to reach that state. A final word of advice for those who plan to attend their live show: Keep one eye on the chandeliers.
Jacob Richardson Cincinnati City Beat: 03/24/2004--
Sound Advice: More Concerts of Note The Bloody Hollies just might be the ticket to putting buffalo on the garage rock map. With their firery 2003 Sympathy for the Record Industry release Fire at Will, the trio rips into the rudiments of classic garage rock and injects them with a modern punk recklessness and pop temper. Songs like “Hard Bitten” and “Yeah Yeah” conform to this distorted formula, beautifully highlighting fanciful guitar work, aggressive drumming and deep screeching vocals. Saturated with rockabilly fundamentals, tunes like “Swing” and opener “Downtown Revolver” have an explosive energy to them that is downright contagious. They brilliantly alter simple, stripped down sounds into electrifying, vital songs overflowing with rock radiance and rebelliousness. “Emergency Shutdown” and “Tired of This Shit” conjure memories of the similar shrieking bellow of Dead Boys’ Stiv Bators, attacking listeners with the same rambunctious abandon. It’s not the kind of music one might expect to hear from an ex-marine and two guys from Buffalos, but then again the Bloody Hollies weren’t formed to create a revolution. In fact they got together with the sole purpose of blasting the roof off Buffalo’s infamous rocker bar the Mohawk Place. Their ability to manipulate familiar song formulas and create original works will surely help Buffalo maintain its new status as a blue-collar town with a rock-and-roll problem. Natalie Sweet, Pittsburgh Pulp March 25, 2004.
The Bloody Hollies “Fire at Will” (www.sympathyrecords.com). Double whammy wow! The Bloody Hollies loudly deliver a jaw-crackin’, knock-out punch with this tumultuous, out-of-control assortment of spastic sonic aggravation. It’s a blistering, hot ‘n’ heavy blend of hyperactive Nuggets-style garage rants, molten Detroit psycho-blues boogie, and primal, stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll beastliness. The vocalist scrams like an ill-tempered, demon-plagued barbarian while all three members of the band savagely attack their instruments with the utmost of animalistic enthusiasm. And an occasional outburst of fiery, wailing harmonica riffs adds a somewhat sinister and devious element of sinful swagger to the overall feel of this aurally incinerating release. Fire at Will is a tremor-inducing slice of amplified liveliness that’s as raucous and turbulent as the earth’s inner core. Absolutely brimming with unstoppable, boiling energy! Moser-Under the Volcano, May/June 2004
Buddy Holly is only an influence in terms of where the band’s name came from, but The Bloody Hollies got it’s sound from listening to The Cramps, The Ramones and Devo.
Wes Doyle, lead guitarist and lead singer for the band, said the fact that the band is from Buffalo, N.Y. helps it gain a little street cred. “Bands that come from depressing towns usually put out the best music,” Doyle said.
Sunday’s show will mark The Bloody Hollies first venture into Nebraska and Doyle admitted he didn’t know much about the Cornhusker state. “It’s one of those states in the middle…and, you know, its square,” Doyle said.
And even with a catalog of two-and three-minute songs, Doyle said it wasn’t hard to stretch the songs into a tight 50-minute set. “We try not to stay bound to the song and we figure out ways to play with the crowd to keep everyone interested.”
Interview Excerpts from the Daily Nebraskan
If you like your rock-and-roll just a little louder and a little rougher…see The Bloody Hollies. The band sounds like AC/DC minus the solos. It’s pure rock muscle combined with a total absence of flash and lead vocals with the Penticostal fury of Greg Cartwright circa 1998. “Tired of This Shit” is a teenage anthem in the making.
Chris Davis The Memphis Flyer March 18, 2004
The Bloody Hollies play noisy garage rock stripped down and basic, punctuated by the howls and screams of singer, Wesley Doyle. The trio never backs off for a second on “Fire at Will” their latest SFTRT recording, and I’m sure that live they’re even more energetic and intense. Kurt Wolgamutt Lincoln Journal Star Best Bets 3/23/04
Once again it’s time to dip into the old rock critic mailbag. Today’s massive missive comes from Monika Veronika of Throgs Neck, New York, who writes: “Dear Jeffery: After reading your Kings Of Leon review and not believing that any band could possibly be as bad as you said they were, I disregarded your warning and bought their record. Boy, was I ever wrong! If anything, the Kings of Leon are even worse that you descried them. In fact, hearing their album has traumatized me so much that I’m on the verge of ending it all. What can I do to get out of this deep depression? I’m so distraught, I don’t think I can last another 30 minutes with all these horrible songs running through my head.”
Dear Monika: If half an hour is all you have left on the parking meter of life before it expires, then I suggest you run, not walk, to your nearest record store and grab a copy of the Bloody Hollies’ Fire at Will. Why is this album the perfect pick-me-up for those dire days when time is of the essence? Simply because, despite having a full slate of 11 songs, this sonic speedball clocks in at a seriously svelte 29 minutes flat. In other words, Fire at Will is the kind of raucous rock-n-roll album that makes the Romantics, Fondas and Dishes sound like ELP, Genesis and Yes.
You can lay the blame for this screaming screechfest at the sneakered fet of Wesley Doyle, a budding musical genius with a wicked sense of humor who just might be the new Todd Rundgren of garage rock. Because not only does Doyle write all of the band’s songs (think Ron Mael on meth), he’s also their singer (think Geddy Lee on Meth);guitarist (think James Williamson on meth); harp player (think Richard “King Biscuit Boy” Newell on meth); and producer (think Steve Albini on heroin).
Doyle also knows enough to have a killer rhythm section behind him: skin slammer Mike “Dario” Argento and bass brutalizer Phill Fredenberg. Sure they dress like Ed Norton in Fight Club, but that’s just the point, Monika: after listening to this album you’ll be too weak to pick up that razor blade, climb over that bridge railing or heft that revolver. Tyler Durden says: Every album is a postponed suicide. The Kings of Leon notwithstanding, you might as well live. Jeffrey Morgan Detroit Metro Times 12/31/2003
The Bloody Hollies’ lead bleeder Wesley wails and screams like his pants are on fire with head catchin’. Yet somehow the band comes off confident and cool. Gone are the waves of psychobilly slap-back insanity of their first disc,”Got It Where It Counts”, replaced with a tight more controlled audio tantrum on Fire at Will. This album marks the trio’s graduation from GaragePop Records to the odd rockin’ Sympathy For The Record Industry label (thanks to their own moxy, talent and an endorsement by now-label mates Mr. Airplane Man). And is that wah-wah I hear? Harmonica? Man, these Buffalo boys are branching out fo’ shore. The Bloody Hollies are cross-eyed crazy, frenetic, and wild in the extreme. None of their six feet ever seem to be on the stage at the same time.
Frank DeBlase Rochester City Newspaper-Oct. 1, 2003
WNY musicians make presence felt at Texas festival.
Nashville is known as Music City, but musicians, industry types and hardcore music lovers know Austin, Texas is the genuine article.
Thousands of them flock to Austin every March for the annual South by Southwest Music Conference. They come for the beer, the barbeque, the camaraderie, the networking possibilities. But mostly, they come for the music. If you want to know what’s happening now—and what’s going to be happening pretty damn soon—y’all gotta be there.
The word from a few folks who were there paints a rosy picture for Buffalo artists.
Punk trio the Bloody Hollies made an impact, earning a positive notice from the Washington Post, which praised the band’s “full-throttle, cymbal-crashing punk.” The Hollies, already a favorite staple of the local diet, have been touring the Northeast…Marty Boratin, talent buyer and promoter for Mohawk Place and longtime “SXSW” attendee, caught the Hollies’ set. “They made an impression in front of people from all over the world, and there’s really only one place you can do that—Austin during SXSW. Sympathy for the Record Industry Records (the Hollies’ label) put on a showcase and it’s a pretty big deal for garage rock fans. “They really brought down the house at this thing. The Hollies have always done well locally, but it was really nice to see them getting the opportunity to play in front of this type of crowd.”……Buffalo musicians made quite an impact at the most significant industry conference in the country…..”There is no question that this was a big year for Buffalo”…”There seemed to be a real Buffalo presence”. Jeff Miers: Sound Check, The Buffalo News, April 2, 2004
The Bloody Hollies would've fit right in at December's AC/DC tribute at the 31st Street Pub. In fact, they could have passed their own songs off as lost AC/DC classics, especially "Downtown Revolver," the opening track on last year's raucous "Fire at Will." Ed Masley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
If you’re still sulking from the Buddy Holly Rock Hall tribute/wake a few weeks ago, check into the Beachland Ballroom for the Bloody Hollies. The Buffalo band is yet another in the long line of the Sympathy For The Record Industry garage-punk players. If there’s a problem with that label’s slew of tasty rock noise, it’s that bands like this could get lost in the shuffle.
Their latest sympathy release, Fire at Will blasts out a mighty mix of Devil Dogs-styled gutterbilly, slapped upright by AC/DC lockstep rhythm & screech and an electrocution-in-process desperation that rivals Clevo’s own Chargers. Also, they have a knack for pulling off surprising clipped rhythms (“Emergency Shutdown,” “Swing”). The lads themselves look like an even nerdier version of the Knack. They’re just past puberty, too, which adds a few bleeps to the rock-and-roll EKG machine. Eric Davidson Clevescene February 11, 2004
The Bloody Hollies ask the musical question: What if Buddy Holly were in a punk band? All three musicians are dressed in white shirt and skinny black ties. They may be the nerdiest looking bunch, but they never for a moment stopped cranking out blasting punk music. And they were always in motion, using every square inch of the large stage and then some.
Guitarist Wesley Doyle, playing a red Telecaster, sang with the harshest of screaming vocals, while the bass player thrashed about on the floor. Their drummer pounds the skins so hard it’s a wonder he didn’t punch a hole in the drum.
Doyle picks up a harmonica and, tossing the microphone over a roof girder, scales the amplifiers, jamming on the harp. Jumping onto the girder, he clambers over the scaffolding, touching high voltage lights and amplifiers, grabbing loose support rods and sending the organizers into a panic, dust falling on the audience, snoring in and out of the harmonica while the bass and drum keep the beat going the whole time. Finishing, he tosses the mic, loops around the girder like a trapeze artist, and crashes into the drum kit, toms and cymbals flying everywhere. Allen Sayl Jam Rag (Detroit) 5/30/04
Get ready to get fired up ‘cause the Bloody Hollies are on the A & F site and ready to break your wimpy computer speakers. On the verge of braking strings, stick, and vocal chords, the Bloody Hollies aren’t afraid to get angry and let rock and roll fly. Our featured track, “Swing,” doesn’t necessarily swing…it smashes. So if you’re looking to tick off your parents crank up the volume and start downloading “Swing.”
Abercrombie & Fitch website
Skyscraper Magazine Review
The Bloody Hollies
Fire at Will - Sympathy for the Record Industry
What if AC/DC's Bon Scott fronted a garage rock band influenced by The Stooges, The Cramps, and The Sonics? You'd get something like this raging Buffalo, New York trio. Unlike most garage rock regurgitaters, screaming singer Wesley Doyle (who also adds guitar and blues-wailing harmonica), drummer Mike Argento and bassist Phill Freedenburg don't simply follow what others have already done. Fire At Will reels with punkified energy, but is tempered with an acute pop acumen, particularly on amped up pieces such as DIY "Hard Bitten" ("I don't need no fuckin' student loan") and gnarly "Yeah Yeah." Under three minute flare-up "Blood Pressure," rockabilly stompers "Swing" and "Downtown Revolver," and punkish "Strip" provide and almost perfect encapsulation of The Bloody Hollies' less-is-more style. Young, loud and snotty never sounded so rousing. Talking about youthful attitude, "Tired of This Shit" is a fervent anthem for anyone who's ever been tied down to a dead end job, while trying to deal with a money-depleting girlfriend. But don't think these guys don't have feelings. Soft-shell scorcher "i Need Love" actually approaches earnest romance ("Come home and hold me tight/ I promise I won't bite"). Looking for a half hour of ass-shaking diversion? Find it here.
-Doug Simpson
Skyscraper Magazine
Summer Issue of Pop Culture Press
THE BLOODY HOLLIES
Sympathy For The Record Industry
Too punk for the Stray Cats, too rockabilly for Social Distortion, somehow the Bloody Hollies manage to slide right into the sweet spot in between. Melodic like their namesakes, drummer Mike Argetnto and bass player Phill (yes, two "l"s please) Freedenberg make three rythm sections worth of racket, allowing guitarist Wesley Doyle to pull out all the stops. Churning power chords, blasting feedback riffs, wailing on harp or screaming down the track like a runaway train, Doyle and company flip the switch and don't stop for thirty minutes. You want to know if songs named "Blood Pressure" and "Emergency Shutdown" are energetic? All you have to know is that the band is lockjaw-tight and that Doyle sings like someone poured gasoline on an open wound and lit it on fire (and i mean that in a good way!) Oh, did i mention that Doyle produced the record, wrote all but one song, and designed the artwork? Buy it and fire it up. Damn!
-Bill Holmes