Episode 68: Magic Bullets
June 12, 2007
This week, we feature Magic Bullets, a San Francisco sextet whose debut album a CHILD but in life yet a DOCTOR in love is one of the most exciting releases we’ve encountered this year. One listen to the record indicates why the group is climbing local radio charts–they excel at catchy and dynamic songwriting, as moody and melodic instrumentals intertwine with singer Philip Benson’s unique, emotive vocals.
Although the band’s debut, a CHILD… feels like a band coming into its own. Their sound neatly straddles the line between modern and classic, leaving critics to reference groups like The Walkmen, The Wedding Present and Gang of Four while the band avoids following any one group closely. In short, it’s a great record and an exciting start for this band.
We sat down with guitarists Corey Cunningham and Ryan Lynch to discuss the new record and learned that the band’s tight songwriting has been an evolving process. While Cunningham, Lynch, and singer Benson were formerly in a different band together called The Cosmos, the new line-up and new sound of Magic Bullets presented initial challenges, particularly for chief songwriter Cunningham. As he told us, the band has found its groove and are exicted about what’s to come. Along with the chat, we’ve also included four songs from their excellent debut album.
You can catch the guys at The Independent before they embark on a West Coast tour:
Friday, July 13th
The Independent
8pm, $12 (Purchase advance tickets here!)
w/ Chow Nasty, The Heavenly States, The Loyd Family Players, Beat Red
Head on over to Magic Bullets’s MySpace page to hear more and get all the tour dates, and you can find their web site here. a CHILD but in life yet a DOCTOR in love is released on Words on Music, where you can download “Heatstroke” and “Yesterday’s Seen Better Days” and see the band’s video for the latter song. You can purchase the album from Amazon.com or on iTunes.
Thanks for listening!
[...] to listen to our feature episode on Magic [...]
[...] to listen to our feature episode on Magic [...]
[...] Magic Bullets: Podcast episode/MySpace page/web [...]
[...] to listen to our feature episode on Magic [...]
[...] to listen to our feature episode on Magic [...]
[...] or eighty stuck around for a great-but-short set from San Francisco’s Magic Bullets. As they told us in their interview, the band’s live set was noticeably more amplified than the jangly pop of their debut album. [...]
[...] to our feature episode on Magic [...]
[...] and tourmates The Ruby Suns stop by Bottom of the Hill on Friday, April 4th. Magic Bullets (Feature Podcast) headline the [...]
[...] All of these bands have made a name for themselves within and outside the local music scene in the past year or so, and The Bay Bridged has been covering many of them. Check out our podcast episode with LoveLikeFire, as well as some photos from a recent show of theirs at The Independent. Seven-member chamber pop group Here Here was recently featured on our podcast, and about a year ago we featured the Magic Bullets. [...]
[...] The Phenomenauts, Love Like Fire (Feature Podcast), Here Here (Feature Podcast), Magic Bullets (Feature Podcast), Apside, The Hundred Days, The Federalists, The Action Design and more at Shoreline Amphitheatre. [...]
[...] indie pop band The June Brides. He’ll be joined by terrific Bay Area groups Magic Bullets (Feature Podcast) and The Mantles at the Rickshaw Stop on July [...]
[...] Olehole, Magic Bullets (Feature Podcast), Master Volume and Whiting Tennis (Seattle) at The Uptown. 9pm, [...]