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Re-acquaint yourself with Bullets and Octane with vocalist Gene Louis acting as tour guide:
What are the origins of Bullets And Octane, how long have you been playing together?
Bullets And Octane started in 1999 roughly and as many bands; different lineups, different versions of it, and different chapters if you will. Different circles of musicians contributing along the way.
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Bullets And Octane?
Sometimes it’s difficult to describe the band from the inside, so going off of years of input from people, I would say that the band is a dose of anthemic high-energy rock ‘n’ roll sprinkled in with bits of punk, rock, and chaos. Always a great time at the shows before, after, and during, hanging out and influencing and sharing life experiences with everyone.
What’s a typical Bullets and Octane show like?
The last show we played was a hoot. We always like messing with each other on stage, and we always like to try to change up the set by introducing a new song or two to see how it flows within the set and how the crowd reacts to the new material. The best part is always the interaction at the merch table after burning the stage down. Lol.
The new music scene is bursting at the seams at the minute with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out to build a name for themselves?
It is definitely super exciting to see so many new, talented musicians and bands, artists coming out onto the scene with fresh new ideas, fresh new teenage energy, etc. I have found that staying in your lane, staying good at what you do, and just honing your craft along the way…putting together the best songs possible one song at a time, taking a deep breath, and digging your heels in, staying the course even as things change stylistically within popular music…it’s always the best idea to do what you do with consistency unapologetically.
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
Bullets And Octane has just released another new single called “Space, Lord Symphony” I advise people to check out the Bullets And Octane, YouTube channel to check out all the latest music videos released in 2023 and 2024.
In terms of a similar audience, which band out there at the minute do you feel Bullets And Octane would be best suited to open for?
Going back a few years, looking at the touring cycles for Bullets, some of our best tours were with Social Distortion, Stone Sour, and of course, Avenged Sevenfold. I feel like the young rock ‘n’ roll fans really dig and relate to what Bullets does. Specifically, the fans of Avenged Sevenfold seem to dig the energy and aesthetic live. We have consistently brought to the table tour after tour.
Excluding yourself, which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
We have been a fan of seeing a lot of female bands come up in the last few years it’s great to see new fresh blood and fresh perspectives, and there is a band called Xtine and the Reckless Hearts that are killing it right now they’re going to be at Rebellion first and I think they have a great shot at doing awesome things in the upcoming years. Keep an eye out.
What are your first musical memories?
The individual origins of the band started back in St. Louis Missouri in the 90s and there was a melting pot of so many different types of interesting music to choose from and be inspired by. It has been known that St. Louis has amazing, jazz music, along with some of the most interesting punk rock, and rock ‘n’ roll bands, that most likely never got to see the light of day because of their obscurity and originality, such as a band called NIL8, if you haven’t heard of them, go check them out especially an album called ‘Doug’.
And what lightbulb moment made you say “I want to do that”?
I think the driving force began in childhood around that time. There was MTV Headbangers Ball, Matt Penfield with 120 minutes, these different shows that would showcase interesting and upcoming artist and bands, and just watching the influence that it had on young impressionable minds inspiring young people to express themselves through music and video. I think I can speak for a lot of my generation by saying that a lot of these shows on MTV opened up a lot of our eyes to the possibilities of self-expression through art and music.
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
I think one of the last gigs some of the band members checked out, was a band called The Nova Twins, a fresh new take on free, spirited punk, rock, mixed with digital production. A new twist on a traditional style of music.
What current social issue are you particularly passionate about?
Bullets And Octane has never really been a voice based off of political social issues by any means. But sometimes you can’t help but notice that our rights as human beings are in question these days and that is a little concerning everyone should have the freedom to be themselves with no question.
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
I would say what was an indirect influence on the band would be early Brian Setzer Orchestra. Some of the accent hits that the band does are super inspiring. So I would say that might be surprising to most.
What would be your album of last year?
I was excited with the sonic qualities of the band Turnstile, there was a lot of throwback to old skateboard, VHS, tape punk rock from the 80s and early 90s along with some of the new stuff that came out like Rage Against the Machine influences, definitely has a nostalgic yet fresh feel to it.
What does 2024 hold for Bullets And Octane?
With the fresh start of 2024, we are looking forward to releasing new singles and music videos throughout the year. Wrapping it up most likely with a full-length album followed up with touring and supporting the new songs and album. Be on the lookout for a new Bullets And Octane album by the end of 2024.
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
As far as social media, we are stepping up our game, and being more interactive, finding clever new ways to showcase our music, our personalities and the humor all of the above is important. These days social media allows that platform to not only discover but to push the envelope with how to dress up and present all things Bullets. Check out our Bullets And Octane official Instagram and TikTok.
Bullets And Octane Linktree HERE
