HEE HEE

In response to "We're playing a pig roast on Oct. 10th" from my last post, my mom wondered if we're playing the pig, the apple or the roaster.

I'm going to go with the pig.

I almost used another of my mom's jokes in my last 8MS article in response to the Janet Jackson costume. I almost said she "looked like ten pounds of mud in a five pound bag". I should have used that as, clearly, my mom is funny.

8MS

Hey!

My new 8MS article for September is up:


eightmillionstories.com

Enjoy!

P.S. We're playing a pig roast on Oct. 10th.

NEW PICS

Hey Y'all,

We had some new pics taken by our good friend Sheri Barclay. Here's one. This is pre-photoshop and uncensored. The version on our myspace page has the NYC skyline and bridge photoshopped out. Heehee.


Bel Air

MORE REVIEWS OF POLE TO POLE!!

I thought I'd share some more reviews that have come in for our album Pole to Pole!

From Americana UK:

Breath of fresh air from Brooklyn

Primarily a trio of songwriters from Brooklyn, Bel Air present two poles of a countrified rock band and a more folky introspective aspect, at times depending on the writer and singer of the respective song. Whichever style comes out on top depends, I suppose, on one’s personal preference but at least they are evenly balanced with some quality writing and playing present throughout. Allison Langerak is the folk chanteuse. Cool, vulnerable and very listenable, she has a posse of songs that range from the good time vibe feeling of “Looking Up” (that belies the song’s message of a wearied resignation to the difficulties of accomplishing just about anything to the excellent “Sometimes” which could have graced a Sandy Denny album. In a similar vein is “Don’t Hold out for Me.” where Ms. Langerack sounds vulnerable and strained over a song reminiscent of The Continental Drifters or The Cowboy Junkies.

Jeff Mensch supplies the majority of the remaining songs. Opener “Used to Believe” evokes The Jayhawks while “This City, pt. 2” harks back to Garcia’s Workingman’s Dead” (with a mention of Uncle John’s Band among other Dead allusions). The pedal steel here (played by Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner who guests on several other songs) is excellent. Mensch also purveys a restrained folkier style as displayed on the song “Goodnight.”

The writing trio is completed by Wyatt Tuzo who provides an untitled instrumental and the closer, “Street fair” both featuring strong acoustic guitar figures. Brenner adorns the latter with some wistful
playing.

Overall a strong debut with some standout songs and one looks forward to hearing more from them.

From Twangville:

For years, it seemed as though it was the louder, more rocking bands that garnered the majority of attention and buzz from indie-kids and the music media in general (see: grunge, or the recent “garage-rock” revival with the Strokes, or even the alleged “reinvention” of rock by Radiohead, Beck and/or The White Stripes, etc…). With that said, in recent times we are seeing a shift in the wave of notoriety away from the many rearrangements of rock’s past to some of the quieter, sensitive and even brooding bands of today. Bands such as Iron & Wine, Swell Season, Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver are some absolutely shining examples of acts that throw lyrics that read like classic literature, aching melodies, soft harmonies and relatively sparse arrangements and production into a pot and whip up some pretty amazing concoctions that seem to usher in a new form of Folk that most silver-haired folkies are likely not ready for.

Bel Air, from Brooklyn also bring much of the “Neo-Folk” vibe to the table with their debut CD, Pole to Pole and even expand the formula with a rootsy swagger. The album features lead vocals that seamlessly alternate between Jeffrey Mensch and Allie Langerak. Most of the cuts posses quiet and sometimes fragile arrangements of acoustic guitar and soft percussion. Even the occasional sax and violin creep gently in to lend the disc a sense of diversity that your typical Folk (neo, freak, or any other kind of “folk”) record may not have. Similar to Iron & Wine and the others I mentioned before, Bel Air isn’t looking to make a specific type of album as far as category or genre is concerned. Their influences range from Indie to Brit-Pop and those are all evident here.

With most albums that feature multiple lead singers, I tend to find myself leaning in a specific direction towards a favorite side (sorry Patterson, I seem to dig more of Cooley’s DBT stuff). In the case of Pole to Pole, I find myself favoring the tracks where the Mensch has lead duties, even though I tend to prefer the more rustic, almost Dido-like vocals of Langerak. Hopefully you get the notion that this is a solid and even disc, and it doesn’t suffer from the inconsistent, up and down nature of many discs that feature the dual vocal lead.

Tracks such as “Used to Believe” and “This City, Pt. 2″ both contain elements fo folk and pop and even veer into “Alt-Country” territory without feeling contrived or cliched. The production of Pole to Pole proves to be as valuable of an instrument as the acoustic guitar on the disc. The relatively clean, yet raw vibe of the disc truly does provide the listener with the feeling of listening in on a group of talented friends hanging out with some guitars, a stocked cooler and perhaps even a recording machine that just happens to be running in order to document the proceedings. By Kelly Dearmore


From Fire Drills:

Fire Drill:
Brooklyn just keeps overflowing with its musical talent and the debut from Bel Air continues the rush. Pole To Pole is rooted in the Americana sound which offers a combination of male/female lead vocals and multi-layered harmonies that balance the musically solid album. The record also features slide guitarist Mike Brenner (Marah, Magnolia Electric Company) on several tracks which rounds out its alt-country flavor while building on several members indie rock backgrounds. The cohesiveness of the group and strong collaboration of ideas ultimately creates an enjoyable debut which is perfect for any time of the day listening.

Key Track: "Looking Up"

Band With Similar Fire: Whiskeytown