The Southern California punk revival band
Pulley was formed upon vocalist Scott Radinsky's departure from
Ten Foot Pole, brought about by that band's desire for a singer with a full-time focus on music (Radinsky is also a major-league relief pitcher and has played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, among others).
Pulley's initial lineup included drummer
Jordan Burns (also ex-
Ten Foot Pole), who was in the pre-
Ten Foot Pole band Scared Straight with Radinsky and also gigs with
Strung Out; guitarist
Jim Cherry, formerly the bassist of
Strung Out; guitarist Mike Harder, who served a brief stint in Scared Straight; and bassist Matt Riddle, formerly of
Face to Face.
Pulley's debut,
Esteem Driven Engine, was released in 1996 by Epitaph; Riddle joined
No Use for a Name full-time afterward and was replaced by
Tyler Rebbe. Follow-up
60 Cycle Hum appeared in 1997, and their eponymous third album in 1999.
Cherry exited
Pulley's lineup before the guys began work on fall 2001's
Together Again for the First Time. (Sadly, he passed away as the result of a lifelong heart condition the following summer.) As their first album without producer
Ryan Greene behind the controls,
Matters -- produced instead by
Matt Hyde (
Slayer,
No Doubt) -- followed in April 2004. By this time, the band comprised Radinsky, Harder,
Rebbe, drummer
Tony Palermo, and guitarist Jim Blowers. ~ Steve Huey