“The wheel turns, it’s always a surprise to see what’s become fashionable and trendy again! But the Blues has to stay true to itself, it’s an emotional medium. Once you remove the emotional impact to chase some kind of successful formula then the blues is gone. It will remain relevant while it’s moving people and hitting that deep place in their hearts.”

Brian Baker: The Right Side of Blues Rock

BB & the Bullets is a New Zealand blues-rock power trio whose leader, Brian Baker (BB), conjures evocative tales with his gritty vocals, sparked by his searing guitar. He's backed by bassist Stu Duncan and drummer Brad McMillan, who complete the Bullets with a rock-steady groove and their always-on-target background vocals. The band, known for its high-voltage style and relentless gigging in New Zealand, has released its second album, Wrong Side Of The River (2026), a follow up to its acclaimed debut, 2025's High Tide, on the French Dixiefrog label. It charted in New Zealand and Australia and hit No.1 on the Roots Music Report Blues Rock Album chart. Wrong Side Of The River overflows with ten smartly crafted Baker originals plus a roaring cover of Peter Green’s classic “Oh Well.” Every track is driven hard by the fully locked-and-loaded Bullets, burnished by Baker's fiery axe and the trio's relentless groove.                                      (BB & The Bullets / Photo by Tamsyn Hansen-Hill)

Brian Baker, says: “I would say we love to explore classic blues, such as who has written a song, who has covered it and why. Many classic blues tracks are songs that have been worn smooth by a thousand voices. Although BB & The Bullets probably end up being closer to a British Blues sound because of the rock influence. But hearing that reflected back through seminal American artists like Buddy Guy and Albert King is always a revelation and an inspiration!” BB & the Bullets have loaded their energetic intensity into Wrong Side of the River to create this high-caliber blues-rock festival. Join the crowd and cheer them on!

Interview by Michael Limnios            Special Thanks: Betsie Brown (Blind Raccoon)

How has the music influenced your views of the world? What moment changed your music life the most?

I’ve been playing and living inside music since I was a child. My sister played classical piano and I think I must have listened a lot as I was growing up. So much so that when I first heard The Beatles, Stones and some unnamed blues artists (via a stack of vinyl 45’s and a mono portable record player the same sister had stashed in the back of a wardrobe), that these recordings sounded like the classical music I was then learning. It was a revelation and I knew I wanted it to be part of my life’s experience.

What does the blues mean to you? How does your hometown affect your music?

For me, the blues isn't about sorrow or sticking strictly to a textbook formula; it’s about storytelling, raw emotion, and connecting people through visceral, honest energy. It's a universal language, but the environment where you write and record gives it a specific soul and personality.

Being based in Whanganui, New Zealand, has a massive impact on our music. We record right at Nixon Street Recordings, and the local landscape naturally weaves its way into our songs. For example, the title track "Wrong Side of the River" carries a sway that feels like it bridges the Mississippi River and the Whanganui riverbank at the same time. The Awa (river) is always there, visually, emotionally and spiritually. Whanganui also brings a distinct Kiwi charm, local accent, and relaxed storytelling vibe to our sound. We even shoot our music videos locally around town—whether cruising in 'Willy's' 1934 Ford Tudor for "Midnight Rider" or strutting past the Durie Hill Elevator in "She Knows". Having those roots keeps us grounded while we play for audiences around the world.

What keeps a musician passionate over the years in rock and blues music? How did the blues shape rock and roll?

What keeps us passionate is the pure joy of playing live and the chemistry of a tight power trio. When Stu Duncan, Brad McMillan, and I get together in a room, there’s an immediate, locked-and-loaded groove where we don't need over-cluttered production—just razor-sharp guitar, driving bass, and solid drums pushing each other forward. Having the creative freedom to write new stories and experiment keeps the fire burning. I love to try to bring what I like to think of as a Tao philosophy to the bands approach. Every tiny part, from the silence, through setting up equipment, through to producing the sounds and textures is part of the whole creation. The tough bits, the easy bits, everything ends up as the whole as we try to express it.

As for how the blues shaped rock and roll, the blues is the fundamental DNA of the genre. Every great rock riff traces back to blues pioneers—from 60s British blues-rock like Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and Savoy Brown to Texas boogie like ZZ Top and Southern rock. The blues gave rock its raw conviction, electric voltage, and rhythmic pulse. In our own music, we honor those classic roots while injecting our own modern energy into the framework. We always research our covers and even our grooves. Asking ourselves; Who has done this, what was their approach, how is ours different, what can we bring to this?

“It proves that contemporary New Zealand blues-rock (Kiwi Blues) can stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the global stage with its own distinct energy and conviction. As for the upcoming tour, our biggest expectation is to take this high-energy live show directly to the fans, share these stories face-to-face, and celebrate the music together on the road.” (Brian Baker / Photo by Leonie Moreland)

We notice that the blues is constantly evolving auditorily and blending with new genres, without ever losing its traditional identity. What drives this balance, and what do you think the next step in its evolution will be?

The balance is driven by respecting the core emotional truth of the blues while staying open-minded in the studio. If you keep the rhythm section locked and the storytelling sincere, you can branch out into different musical colors without losing the genre's soul. And always, always, connecting with the emotion.

On Wrong Side Of The River, we stretched our palette by weaving in softer, jazz-tinged tones on "Wild Honey" and even pairing rap-meets-rock-blues hooks with cheeky visuals on "She Knows". At the same time, we anchored the record with a raw, muscular cover of Peter Green’s "Oh Well" to pay homage to the tradition. I think the next step in the evolution of blues-rock is taking those classic influences—Texas boogie, British blues, and Southern rock—and letting artists from all corners of the globe infuse them with their own local stories, accents, and cross-genre curveballs. I love to sound and textures of Middle eastern music, how good would a blues tinged collaboration be?!!

On your debut album, High Tide, you had a mix of your own compositions and classic blues covers. However, for Wrong Side Of The River, you chose to rely almost entirely on 10 of your own original songs. What pushed you to trust your own creative songwriting so heavily this time around, and what stories did you want to tell through tracks like the title song or "The Buddha Song"?

Our 2025 debut High Tide gave us a great foundation and international momentum, but coming back to Whanganui, I felt inspired to focus almost entirely on original material. Out of 11 tracks on Wrong Side Of The River, 10 are original compositions, alongside our cover of Peter Green's "Oh Well". We felt confident in our identity as a trio and wanted to deliver a deeply personal collection of songs.

The stories on this record cover a wide emotional spectrum. The title track, "Wrong Side of the River", is a slow, passionate anthem about unreachable love and navigating different lives, using the metaphor of a river dividing two people. On the other hand, "The Buddha Song" takes a more thoughtful and political direction, anchored by the message that "hatred is never conquered by hatred, but is overthrown by love alone". Whether writing about relationship crossroads in "Get A Little Real" or dark fate in "Midnight Rider", I wanted each track to carry a genuine, relatable story.I also simply love to write songs, I’m writing constantly, it’s something I’m very passionate about.

The album was recorded, mixed, and produced by you at your own studio, Nixon Street Recordings. Reviews mention that you managed to maintain the raw, live energy of a power trio (guitar, bass, drums), while simultaneously expanding your sound with touches ranging from jazz to rap influences. How did you balance your role as a musician with that of a producer to achieve this result?

Balancing the roles of musician and producer comes down to discipline in the studio. Having our own space at Nixon Street Recordings in Whanganui gave us the time to tweak arrangements, but as a producer, my main rule was to keep things airy, spacious, and uncluttered. I wanted to capture the live, visceral energy that Stu, Brad, and I create on stage without burying it under unnecessary overdubs. I try to balance to intrinsic sound of the band with what we know works for our audiences alongside expressing the songs in the best way. Always a juggle, never an easy road.

To expand our sound, we let the instrumentation breathe—using multi-part backing harmonies, deep bass lines, and crisp percussion to give genre twists room to work. That allowed us to incorporate softer jazz pirouettes on "Wild Honey" or playful rap-style cadences on "She Knows"while keeping the core identity strictly focused on the raw power of guitar, bass, and drums. Mastering the record with David Briggs at Production Workshop in Melbourne added that final layer of punch and clarity.

“What keeps us passionate is the pure joy of playing live and the chemistry of a tight power trio. When Stu Duncan, Brad McMillan, and I get together in a room, there’s an immediate, locked-and-loaded groove where we don't need over-cluttered production—just razor-sharp guitar, driving bass, and solid drums pushing each other forward.” (BB & The Bullets / Photo by Tamsyn Hansen-Hill)

You started out as a "local band from Whanganui," but now you are signed with European labels and the new album has global distribution across Europe, America, and Australia. How does it feel to see the contemporary New Zealand blues-rock scene (Kiwi Blues) gaining such a strong voice abroad, and what are your expectations for your upcoming tour?

It’s an incredible feeling to see our music resonate internationally. Going from Whanganui to signing with Overton Music, teaming up with Blind Raccoon in the US, and previously working with Dixiefrogin France has opened so many doors. Seeing Wrong Side Of The River hit No. 1 on the Roots Music Report Blues Rock Album Chart, Blues Album Chart, and Australia Album Chart—alongside glowing reviews from NZ, the US, Switzerland, France, and Belgium—is hugely rewarding for all three of us.

It proves that contemporary New Zealand blues-rock (Kiwi Blues) can stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the global stage with its own distinct energy and conviction. As for the upcoming tour, our biggest expectation is to take this high-energy live show directly to the fans, share these stories face-to-face, and celebrate the music together on the road.

How do you describe band’s sound and songbook? When and how did the idea of band ‘BB & The Bullets’ come about?

The band’s sound is deliberately created as a raw three piece blues act. I love the sound and approach of Hendrix, SRV, Cream, Led Zeppelin, many more... A three piece is stripped back, raw, music like this is music at it’s essential, and easier to make unexpected twists and turns live. I’m attracted to the Zen nature of the experience where every small action is a vital part of a larger picture.

Songbook wise...well I would say we love to explore classic blues, such as who has written a song, who has covered it and why. Many classic blues tracks are songs that have been worn smooth by a thousand voices. Although BB & The Bullets probably end up being closer to a British Blues sound because of the rock influence. But hearing that reflected back through seminal American artists like Buddy Guy and Albert King is always a revelation and an inspiration!

The band was started in June 2024 after I moved to Whanganui and built the recording studio. The scene is pretty tight here and I first met Brad (the drummer) at a friends birthday party. I contacted Stu to play bass in a live band for the Whanganui Songwriters performance I was the Musical Director for. It was pretty obvious that we clicked so one thing led to another!

“I miss that there seemed to be more opportunities in the past for bands and artists to learn their trade through live performances and also to develop their sound with the help of record labels who were more supportive of new acts. I think it’s important that acts and labels can be allowed to take risks - this is the way new ground is forged.” (Photo: BB & The Bullets, a New Zealand blues rock act)

Are there any specific memories or highlights of your career that you would like to tell us about?!

Working with Split End’s Eddie Rayner was and still is a game changer for me. I had been writing and recording for some time but it was working with Eddie in our band called The Makers that I really learned the craft of making great recordings. His experience of working with Geoff Emerick and Paul McCartney taught me those fabulous Abbey Rd/Beatles techniques and having Hugh Padgham mix our first album just bought it all home. Sitting in the studio with Hugh, mixing and discussing his work with Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Sting, The Police, XTC was an absolute top shelf experience for me.

Make an account of the case of the blues in New Zealand and Australia. Why do you think that NZ and Aussie Blues Scene continues to generate such a devoted following?

I think that you have to be dedicated to the Blues to be a follower in Australia and New Zealand because it’s not native to the country. It strikes at such a very deep part of the human psyche and for those that respond, and get it, it sticks. The blues becomes a feeling and an experience that is hard to ignore. It’s support by Blues Clubs and Societies help keep it alive and bring on new artists.

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I miss that there seemed to be more opportunities in the past for bands and artists to learn their trade through live performances and also to develop their sound with the help of record labels who were more supportive of new acts. I think it’s important that acts and labels can be allowed to take risks - this is the way new ground is forged.

I think there’s a lot to be hopeful for in the future. The internet, platforms like Spotify etc. have given independent artists a platform where their music can be heard and discovered. Home recording tech advances are amazing too, meaning that artists can produce their own music without too great an expense. Of course both these things have their flip side. Some of these new platforms make billions while paying emerging artists very little, in some ways, that’s no a change from how the music industry has always been - The Beatles were initially on a penny a record royalty rate! Plus artists working alone in an insular situation can miss out on the interaction and experience that working with a group of people can bring to a music project.

“The band’s sound is deliberately created as a raw three piece blues act. I love the sound and approach of Hendrix, SRV, Cream, Led Zeppelin, many more... A three piece is stripped back, raw, music like this is music at it’s essential, and easier to make unexpected twists and turns live. I’m attracted to the Zen nature of the experience where every small action is a vital part of a larger picture.” (Brian Baker of BB & The Bullets, a blues band based in Whanganui, New Zealand / Photo by Jack Michalski)

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

Everybody and every song has their own journey. Don’t dismiss an idea that might not fit your frame of reference right now. Sometimes a flash of insight and inspiration can come from the strangest places. Flexibility is key, there is no absolute correct path, approach or outcome.

How can a band/musician truly turn the blues into a commercial and popular genre of music for the today's audience?

The wheel turns, it’s always a surprise to see what’s become fashionable and trendy again! But the Blues has to stay true to itself, it’s an emotional medium. Once you remove the emotional impact to chase some kind of successful formula then the blues is gone. It will remain relevant while it’s moving people and hitting that deep place in their hearts.

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues? What is the role of music in today’s society?

It has so many roles that I don’t feel qualified to talk about. I can only talk about how my body responds when I hear it and feel it. It’s uplifting, consoling and confronting, all at the same time. It those ways it will always have a vital role at the heart of any music, in my opinion.

BB & The Bullets - Home

(BB & The Bullets / Photo by Tamsyn Hansen-Hill)