Bulkhead

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Hailing from the forbidding streets of Boston, Bulkhead carved their own niche during its existence from 1987 'til 1994. What began as a somewhat experimental four piece whose early sound owed as much to a "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" approach to musical composition as it did lack of songwriting prowess, gradually developed into an outfit that one Boston scribe claimed to be the missing link between Mission of Burma and the Pixies.
Upon graduating from Boston College in May 1987, Tom Devaney and Pete Ryan began toying with Wire covers and various original pieces at a godforsaken flophouse on Commonwealth Ave. Soon enough, the two decided they wanted to form a band, which they did originally under the moniker Led Bulkhead. Stuart Wamsley was the only person to respond to a "bass player wanted" ad and Doug Ross joined them soon after at a serendipitous meeting at a shameful dive in Cleveland Circle.
With no prior music experience, singer Pete Ryan, slowly grew from an awkward ranting lunatic on stage to a confident ranting lunatic on stage who wrote some rather nifty lyrics.
Tom's solos and volume increased in direct proportion over the years to the length of his hair.
Stuart was the nicest fellah in the band. Which was quite ironic for a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army
Doug, the first of two drummers, was easily the coolest person in the group. He even smoked Kools. In fact, Doug survived on a daily intake of nicotine and caffeine which would paralyze a medium sized yak. But, when he was on, Bulkhead could impress. Even in the early days. But sometimes he was on...too much nicotine and caffeine.
The band rehearsed three times a week in a basement in Brighton. Asbestos flakes fell like snow during particularly loud moments and on one occasion, a less than erudite neighbor stumbled drunkenly into the space through the street entrance bulkhead (yes, bulkhead) to tell the band how much he "awnahd" musicians. It was from his incoherent urgings the early song “Haywiyah” got its title.
It was in this setting and on a dusty four track that the band recorded their first radio tape “Zooks”, a rambling stream of consciousness piece de resistence featuring “lyrics” Pete culled from one of his “special” students for whom he was responsible. The radio tape of the song earned the band a fair amount of airplay on WZBC during the fall and winter of 1987-88. Station listeners during that time were treated to such nuggets as “don’t forget the keys to wagon number three”, “my back hurts” and “go home right now”.
In retrospect, Bulkhead's first show was a rather stark portent of things to come. The band was set to play its first show in early December 1987 at the lovely Chet's Last Call in North Station. The band and about 3 vanloads of friends trekked out to the venue only to find the club's security gates locked and nary a light on. The club had been closed due to non-payment of rent or something along those lines and no one bothered to tell the band not to show up.
Bulkhead finally played their first show at the old Green Street Station in January 1988, which in the first year of the band’s existence was the only place that would book them.
In the spring of 1988, the band ventured into an actual semi-professional recording studio (albeit with a producer who had a drawer full of weed strategically located next to the mixing board) and laid down 5 songs. The tape culled from the sessions showcased a band with no lack of ideas who tried to fit all of them into every song. When the bands first radio cassette (yes, cassette) was released later that summer, the local scribes couldn’t get enough of that snapping Bulkhead sound. “Nice try, they suck”, exclaimed The Noise, “Monotonous” screamed The Beat. Things could only get better…
More to come
Here's a video of Bulkhead performing a cover of Roxy Music's Virginia Plain at the illustrious Channel (RIP) in winter 1991.