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 Shake your branches, oh Magical
Rock and Roll Tree so we can harvest and feast upon your nuts
and berries- learn, hallucinate, and get sick on your expansive
past ...once again (who isn't a glutton for punishment in the
world of Rock and Roll? Ask Keith Richards!). Now is a time when
we recap the days of old through a generation of "Retro-nators",
who are trying too hard to play the part and discard the passion.
They may tout their evening costumes of pomade, motorcycle boots
and denim, but they return to their daytime grind of wearing
Gap clothes, tasseled loafers and imbibing in gourmet coffee.
Well, I'll tell you, it's easy to be Fonzie at night but it takes
balls of steel to be James Dean all day long. The Bellfuries
aren't just sampling nuts and berries; they are on the lawn digging
for the roots.
Let's gather all the Rock-A- Billy bands, tie them up and
have them listen to The Bellfuries. The 'Furies aren't a band
whose only function is to play a charged up, abrasive "rock-a-billy"
and get off on an upright bass with a flame job, a guy standing
erect beating the tubs and a singer barking into a harp microphone.
Let's trash that illusion. It's Pop Finesse. Yes, an approach
to performing which remains in certain nooks and crannies of
The Ryman Auditorium and old jukeboxes top heavy with 45's from
the 50's pop era. It's the same Pop Finesse which Gene
Vincent, Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and others pick pocketed from
Hank Williams after he died.
On Just Plain Lonesome, Joey Simeone shows that when he
was young he had to sing for his supper. His voice pulls the
listener through the song by the short hairs and applies a melodic
weave. On the title track, there is a prominent slap and tickle
bass line whereupon Simeone croons, "I shouldn't have drank,
shouldna listened to Hank". Proof is in the pudding! Simeone
is licking his lips and banging the bowl for more! Wet your whistle
on "Wasted on Him'". Good Lord! This song is a chart
toppin' boppin' classic and a lost soundtrack gem to American
Graffiti. The Bellfuries apply the chug and steam to "Hey,
Mr. Locomotive'", as this tune catches you in the caboose
and then kicks your hobo ass off the rail. The 'Furies are definitely
a bare bones stripped down musical trio applying the essentials
to every note and word played.
Just Plain Lonesome, catches the attention and raises
the listener's anticipation for the future of the Bellfuries.
Bless them for throwing us back to the time when the Magical
Rock and Roll Tree was still a sapling. You too can sample this
harvest by visiting the Bellfuries web site at www.thebellfuries.com.
Contact Chris Krolczyk at krolczyk-at-rockzilla.net
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