Bull Rush Bay Tells All

A few weeks ago I sat down with Bull Rush Bay, a North Country-based rock band comprised of St. Lawrence University sophomore Cole Siebels ’26 and SUNY Potsdam first-year Ally Carvel on bass and vocals, Paul Smith’s College senior Tanner Pignone on guitar, and drummer Noble Baker. The band has been performing in the area for five years and recently played the first KSLU concert of the Spring semester. This is their story: 

To begin, I know this has not always been the same line-up since the beginning. How did Bull Rush Bay begin originally? 

Ally: It was initially just Tanner and my older brother, [Jake Carvel]. They kinda just started playing music in our garage and eventually, it turned into this. 

So, how did the other members become involved? 

Cole: I saw a video of the two of them performing on Instagram and thought, “I want to be cool like that.” I knew who Tanner was but I didn’t talk to him much, which was the case with everyone [in the band]… So, I reached out to Jake and he invited me over to see what I could do on guitar. The next thing I knew, I was showing up to every practice. 

Tanner: Noble came around the same time after [Ally auditioned first for drums]. 

Ally: That’s right! I was the drummer for a bit because they couldn’t find anyone else, and I was the kid sister, but I didn’t practice so they kicked me out. 

Noble: At the time, I was one of the few people in our hometown of Gouverneur who knew how to play the drum kit. A lot of people knew percussive instruments, but it was mostly just mallets or snare drums… At the time, I would be in three or four [bands], some with Tanner or Cole, but none of them went anywhere. Tanner contacted me, asking if I wanted to join [Bull Rush Bay]. I showed up and saw the actual set, but I didn’t think it was going anywhere. Now, here we are, many years later. 

How many years has it been? 

Cole: We formed officially in 2019. Then, Ally joined in 2022. 

Noble: Ally joined the day we recorded our first album. The day before, Ally’s brother, our singer, quit the band for personal reasons.  

Tanner: Finger Lakes Community College was where we recorded those songs. They’ve got a million-dollar studio down there, but those recordings have been lost since. 

Noble: And then we recorded again [at FLCC] but those didn’t turn out well. Then, again with someone we hired. Those are the tracks we have out now.  

Where is Jake now? 

Ally: He’s still a big supporter of the band and comes to our gigs when he can.  

Cole: He gave us his blessing to perform all the songs he wrote and performed on. 

And how many songs of his do you still perform? 

Ally: Almost all of our originals, he had at least something to do with them. 

Cole: He wrote “Eggs (With Everything),” [our most recent single]. So, we give full credit to him for that release… You can trace all the roots back to him. “Eggs” is definitely the oldest song that we play in our current setlist. We just released the alternate version of “Eggs” as a single [available on all streaming platforms]. 

When did you start performing together? 

Cole: Our first paid gig was in July 2022 at The Nauti Moose bar in Lake Bonaparte. 

Noble: When the band was just Jake and Tanner, the band name was “Jumbo Shrimp.” Then, it was “Not Jumbo Shrimp.” Then, it was “The Band Formerly Known As Jumbo Shrimp.” “Bull Rush Bay” came from the place where we had our first [unofficial] gig at Cole’s family’s summer home. 

Tanner: At the Nauti Moose, we got introduced as “Bill Rush Bay.” 

Cole: Yeah, we’ve been called it all. “Bill Rush Bay,” “Bull Rush Gay,” “Bull Rush Bay Band.” I don’t know how it took us so long to get “Bull Rush Gay.” Honestly, we kinda own it now as an alternate name. Through their connections with Finger Lakes, that’s where we began our attempts at recording… Still my best memories that I have with the band are from those recording sessions. Even though it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it, those attempts that we made at recording have got us a lot farther than we ever imagined. 

You recently released your first full-length EP, “Sister Islands” last November. What was that process like? 

Noble: Personally, I have always wanted to say “I have made this.” I put time into music which has been something so influential to me… It feels tangible to me. 

Tanner: It’s been a great help getting gigs too, [telling venues] that we have something out there besides our Instagram for people to listen to. It’s nice. 

Do you have any major plans for this year? 

Cole: We don’t have any major tour plans for the Summer, but we are traveling downstate. We’re talking to some people who we could potentially be opening for in the Buffalo, [New York] area. Hopefully, we’re going to be playing around the Lake Placid area, too… We’re still growing… in the sense of our own abilities and creativity.