'THE THINGS I WANNA SAY.' After 25 years of playing and releasing music in Eau Claire, The Jim Pullman Band has seen a lot of changes in the local music scene. As Pullman releases his latest four-track EP, Snake Babe, he reflects on the friends and talented musicians which have shaped him both personally and professionally.

On March 6, long-time Chippewa Valley artist Jim Pullman released Snake Babe with his group, The Jim Pullman Band.

A follow-up to the pandemic-birthed full length record Go On Boldly, released in 2021, Snake Babe sees The Jim Pullman Band returning to their good-time-havin’ rock n’ roll roots across the four-song EP.

“In 2021, we had to make kind of a solo record, we did what we could with the situation,” Pullman said. “Now that I had these new songs, I just didn’t really know what they were. I have this band called The Rattlenecks, but I didn’t know if they were Rattleneck songs — so I just called Joe.”

Chippewa Vallians may be familiar with drummer “Joe” – Joseph Gunderson – a long-time collaborator of Pullman's and a member of other area acts.

“I just really, really liked these guitar parts that I had, so I just called Joe and asked if he wanted to get together and see if anything would shake loose,” Pullman said.

“We had so much fun, and it just felt like home base,” he continued. “I thought, I need to do these with my guys in the Pullman band.”

From there, calls were made to the rest of the members of the band to see if they would like to get together again and record. Luckily for Pullman, everyone had the same answer: “Absolutely.”

“It was such a fun trip working on these songs,” Pullman recalled. “Starting out, it was just going to be a single – and we made an EP out of it.”

Once the band was assembled it was time to get in the studio. Jim knew he wanted to work with his old friend, Will Wall (FM Down), in his studio The Bread Factory.

Album cover for Snake Babe by Jim Pullman, pictured. (Submitted image)

“For some reason we had never worked together on a recording, but everything he’s churned out of his space down there just sounds so good and in your face,” Jim said.

“I always thought if I ever wanted to make a rock and roll record, that’s my guy,” he noted.

Throughout Snake Babe listeners can expect a classic rock sound with in-your-face guitar licks that force you to pay attention, steady drums and bass and sparkling piano as the cherry on top.

The piano – courtesy of Paul Brandt of Eau Claire – shines on the second track, “A Warm Bath for Cold Bones.”

“(Paul) always adds this complete other melody that you didn’t really see happening in the song, but it’s always so tasteful,” Jim said. “He’s just a perfect guy to have in the studio.”

New listeners and loyal fans alike got their first taste of Pullman’s latest songs live at the 45th annual Decadent Cabaret, held at The Brickhouse Pub & Grub (2233 Birch St., Eau Claire).

This year’s performance was hardly the band’s first rodeo with the annual music celebration, Pullman said. The 45th Decadent Cabaret also marked a milestone of Pullman's – 25 years of The Jim Pullman Band.

“When I first started playing it was like ‘oh my gosh we get to play Decadent!’ Now we’ve done so many over the years,” Pullman said. “It’s just amazing that this thing exists in a community of our size, and it’s so well attended.

“It’s such a deep tradition of the music culture around here,” he said.

After 25 years of playing and releasing music in Eau Claire, The Jim Pullman Band has seen a lot of change, from local venues opening and closing and different bands coming and going. 

“I feel like I’m just scratching the surface... we gotta make some more music together.”

jim pullman

singer-songwriter, the jim pullman band

Yet, the Chippewa Valley remains a special place for music, he said.

“I (have) made so many great friends making music in this town, so many wild characters; some of the people you meet playing music, it’s like a movie script,” Pullman said.

Whether you write songs, release an EP – or a full-length album – the memories and feelings of creation will always be part of you, he continued. Sometimes, like Pullman, you may even wonder if local listeners will like your art.

Over the past 25 years of making music in Eau Claire, Pullman has found folks are “so accepting and appreciative of each other's art around here.”

And fear not! Snake Babe is not the end of The Jim Pullman Band. Looking ahead, following the latest Decadent Cabaret, Pullman hopes to further support the EP release with more local shows (and, potentially, collaborate more with Wall).

Your next chance to see The Jim Pullman Band live is at 6:30pm on Saturday, May 2, at The Stones Throw (304 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire). 

“Working with Will, we had such a great time making this record and we found that we’re so like-minded. We had the same ideas of where the song should go,” Pullman said. “I told him, I feel like I’m just scratching the surface... we gotta make some more music together.”

The Jim Pullman Band most recently performed at the 45th iteration of Decadent Cabaret at The Brickhouse Pub & Grub (2233 Birch St., Eau Claire). It was not just the anniversary of the annual music event, but a mark of 25 years with The Jim Pullman Band.

Snake Babe by Jim Pullman is available to listen on Bandcamp and streaming platforms. Purchase the physical EP in Eau Claire at The Local Store (205 N. Dewey St.), Revival Records (128 S. Barstow St.) and Abraxas Wax (320 Graham Ave., Suite 102).