Sunday, February 15, 2009

RIP Bell Hollow

The bittersweet melodies and stirring soundscapes of Bell Hollow will no longer haunt the stages of New York City. With great regret I pass along news of the band's demise, which was officially announced yesterday - an ironic yet fitting day for breakups.

I first discovered Bell Hollow in 2005 when guitarist Greg Fasolino contacted me at the launch of my Big Takeover Shadowtime blog. After he shared some early Bell Hollow demos, I was completely hooked, and the love affair began. My first glimpse was a show at The Delancey in early 2006, and from there Bell Hollow only seemed to get better and better - not only because the performances and music became more varied and intense, but also because the bands they shared the stage with did so as well. It was through Bell Hollow that I was introduced to other great music from Blacklist, The Opposite Sex, Bunnydrums, Cruel Black Dove, and Entertainment.

In 2007, with a new lineup, Bell Hollow released a stunning full-length, Foxgloves, for which I was lucky enough to craft the press release. In 2008, the band put out five great (and free!) downloadable remixes on RCRD LBL, which are part of the eight song Foxgloves Extras digital EP, now out on Five03 Records. There may also be a posthumous release in 2009, so keep your fingers crossed. For now, you can watch a video here, and purchase their music on iTunes or Amazon.













In no way can I possibly emphasize or encapsulate in this short post what Bell Hollow has meant to me personally, and what the band has meant to so many others who had the intimate pleasure of seeing and hearing them live. I will miss Bell Hollow's contributions to New York City's dark rock scene, and I will miss racking my brain for yet another new adjective to describe their inimitable sound. RIP BH.