Salty AF is a local Houston cover band that currently has five band members: singer Lori Lee Bulloch, guitarists Michael Brueckner and Raymond Perez, bassist (and sound engineer) Matt Vu, drummer Patrick Vu, and keyboardist Jeremy Vu. The band was initially a project by Raymond and Matt and has become a diverse band that plays genres from heavy metal, to blues, to country, to funk, to rock, to pop, and more.
“[I wanted to create band with friends and family] for the love of music and jamming till our ears bleed!” bassist Matt said.
Once you have the core of the band, all that’s left to do is find what kind of vibes each member jams to and play in venues.
“My favorite part of being a local musician is playing at all of the local venues that I would otherwise love to go to even if I wasn’t playing with the band, such as local breweries and bars,” drummer Patrick said. “Plus it’s nice to create a musical connection with people in your own city.”
Local musicians—especially as a new band—often have to compete with established cover bands that have agents, management teams, money, and names for themselves on the local music scene. Oftentimes, these established cover bands are older and have more money for gear and promotion.
“So we thought we could use humor [in our band name] to get our foot in the door then show them that we are actually super good as a band!” singer Lee Bulloch said. “We were right: it works… we’ve learned to not take ourselves too seriously in life and to have fun, and it comes through in our set and in our passion for what we do.”
The band succeeds in conveying their passion for music because they are very light-hearted people who have started music early in their life. Our salty keyboardist Jeremy—who’s also the brother of Patrick (drummer) and Matt (bassist)—is the newest member of the band yet he can still sense the chemistry of the band.
“We are a goofy bunch that are different yet similar, which is why we all get along so well,” keyboardist Jeremy said.
Because of their strong chemistry, each band member can focus more on their own personal music growth.
“What I’ve been enjoying the most is singing backing vocals and challenging myself to learn harmonies while drumming at the same time,” drummer Patrick said. “It’s definitely a lot easier to do when you have a great lead singer like Lori!”
Lori—our salty singer—is the front man and her role is to represent the band’s energy. Nonetheless, she had her own personal challenges in finding the right sound effects for her vocals.
“Being able to really hear my voice and feel more confident about pitch has been a big improvement for me, and [it] makes me a better performer,” singer Lee Bulloch said.
Not only did Lori struggle with finding the right sound and mix in order to utilise vocal dynamics and finding a good ear monitor, vocal rest has also been a big challenge for her.
“It’s a lot of strain on my vocal cords, so finding the time to rest my voice is crucial for me to be able to sing adequately,” singer Lee Bulloch said. “I still struggle with this, but continued vocal rest and vocal health help me balance this.”
Finding time for rest is especially hard when the band has multiple gigs in a row within the span of a month.
“Every musician needs to take breaks from performing from time to time, so trying to find fill-ins in those times has been challenging,” guitarist Brueckner said. “Thankfully, we’ve had some amazing musician friends and family that have stepped up, when needed, to help fill those gaps.”
Oftentimes, musicians’ family is their number one fan, and having their support is what makes the fruit of music bloom in their hands.
“[What I love about music is] being able to share the stage with my musical family,” bassist Matt said. “We all have the same purpose, we all share the same love for music. We want to play music for those who love listening to music so we can bring them joy.”
For our salty singer Lori, music was—and still is—engraved in her family since she was a child. Her father played in a successful rock band in California in the ’70s and was also a radio DJ, whilst her mum is a singer and piano player.
“It’s a huge part of the identity of my entire family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” singer Lee Bulloch said.
You don’t need to be a professional musician to like music and enjoy its complexities and melodic verses; and just because you’re a musician doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the simplicity of a piece of music.
“I also like listening to certain genres based on my mood,” bassist Matt said. “Like, if I’m pissed off or whatever, I’ll listen to heavy metal because it makes me feel better somehow. Without music, life would be so dull.”
Similarly, his salty brother believes that there’s more to music than just some soundwaves.
“Music makes everything better, it adds life and emotions which can change the tone of any scenario like in the movies,” keyboardist Jeremy said. “Music is everything to me, I can’t live without it.”
For musicians—whether you’re looking for band members or gigs—you can find other professional musicians/artists through Facebook groups that will be happy to help you out or give advice.
“My advice for a local musician is to not do it for the money!” drummer Patrick said. “All jokes aside, my advice is to make sure that you and your bandmates are not only close on a musical level, but also on a personal level. It does wonders when you love the people that you’re making the music with.”
Just like Salty AF’s laid-back and fun attitude towards life, new musicians seeking recognition shouldn’t stress too much over disappointments or failures.
“Sometimes things don’t fall in the way you would like, but that’s just life,” bassist Matt said. “Continue practicing your music, continue looking for ways to better yourself, and most of all, just have fun with it.”
Salty AF has been busy playing in bars and private events from August up until this month. If you enjoy music and a good time, you should come support them on their next gigs: Saturday 20 November at Capone’s Oven & Bar, and on Friday 13 December at Mac’s Sports -N- Bar Grill.
