Bo Bulawsky’s band started by chance as a reaction to the breakup of his previous outfit. He took his guitar and a friend as drummer and hit the road as the act he’d been rehearsing alone in his bedroom for years.
The result was Bo and the Locomotive, a gritty, homey and passionate take on the indie music for which Bo had discovered his love at a young age.
The St. Louis-based band will perform at The Bridge on Oct. 16.
“When I was a kid, my parents always played music,” Bulawsky says.
He started out listening to acts like Pink Floyd and Johnny Cash, then his taste shifted and took a more alternative feel. Soon he began recording music at home.
Bo and the Locomotive is described on social media as being “mid-fi bedroom pop.”
“I think that’s the foundation of my music,” he says. “(The songs), they were really raw but structured like pop songs and also really personal.”
In the past, Bulawsky played and recorded most of the parts himself. Now, Bo and the Locomotive has five members.
The band currently has an EP and a full-length album out and will be releasing a second album near the end of January 2015. It will represent the band’s first time recording in an actual studio.
“It turned out…really cool,” Bulawsky says. “I’m excited just to get it out.”
“Some people, I think, make art for themselves,” Bulawsky says. “Some people have bigger aspirations for it.”
His advice for aspiring musicians is along the same lines:
“If you like doing it then just keep doing it,” he says. “Do it and then try and get people to listen to it.”
Bo and the Locomotive is returning to Columbia after previous performances at Mojo’s and The Blue Note. The band has also toured around the country.
“As far as location, it’s rad to play in New York City,” Bulawsky says, but points out that their best shows are often in towns like Columbus, Ohio and Lawrence, Kansas.
The band is just beginning to tour again after wrapping up its album and Columbia is the first stop on a mini three-date tour.
Ultimately, “we’re just a bunch of dudes making music,” Bulawsky says.
_Bo and the Locomotive will perform with Crushed Out at 8 p.m. at The Bridge on Oct. 16._