Chris Hess - "Blind Octopus Grey" Initial recordings with Chris Radostits began last month at the Secret Fun Spot Studio in Aurora. I have written at least twenty five new songs and most have accompanying music to boot. I truly believe I am finally at a point in my life where everything is going to come together in regards to the music. All my time spent as a DJ playing around Chicago, the years I have spent in bands, my artwork and all of the bedroom production techniques I have developed over the years are finally beginning to come together. I could not be happier with the results so far.
Please be aware that this is a very rough mix without Chris's drums and additional vocals. Never the less it should give everyone an idea of where this record is heading and what it will sound like. My intention is to make a rock n' roll record which incorporates elements of music that has always inspired me to write; like funk, jazz, folk and disco. I am and will be playing most of the instruments myself with Chris on drums. For instance on "You Are the Landfill" I am playing Wurlitzer electric piano, Mellotron, bass, acoustic and electric guitars. Rest assured that with further mixing and mastering you be able to here every instrument that was used on this song. I plan on releasing the record towards the end of June, it's just too soon to tell but you have my word I will release it. I hope you enjoy what you hear and make sure that you please come back for more updates. ----------------------------------------- Welcome Back! It has been four long years since the tube station closed its doors, our inevitable last show and the Pools of Blue demo CD. Bellsize was truly blessed to be able to play with so many fine musicians inside and outside of the group. We had a lot of support from our community, family, friends and fans, for that we are extremely grateful. Both on the stage and off of the stage Bellsize was a lesson filled experience. The Bell was originally conceived strictly as a recording project between songwriters John Mott and Chris Hess. John and I had planned on releasing merely one record and calling it quits, possibly moving on to other projects and most importantly focusing on our songwriting abilities. Consequently it became much more than we had ever imagined it would, we certainly never thought the group would grow into a seven piece ensemble. Over the course of four years John and I have continued to stretch out in our own particular genres of interest. John has been perfecting his own brand of sublime folk-pop and rock while I have been focusing on DJ gigs, dance music and bed-room production. After a couple get-togethers with John Mott, rhythm guitarist Josh Soloman and drummer Chris Radostits we decided to restart the engine. We are currently working on a proper studio album which we originally intended on releasing from our humble beginnings. But rather than this recording focusing of 'Pool' era songs we have decided to record our new material. We have stripped down the group to a four piece line-up including John Mott on vocals/ guitar, Josh Soloman on rhythm guitars, Chris Radostits on drum kit/ percussion and Chris Hess on vocals/ guitar/ bass/ synthesizer. The album is being recorded at the secret fun spot in Aurora Illinois with the working title "A Grand Prairie Massacre". There will be guest appearances by former members of the group (Nathan?) and quite possibly some new contributors as well. The album is a return to form in a way for John and I, we have been shaking off our age and relying heavily on our punk, no-wave and rock roots to make a record that reflects our beginnings as much as it does our future. We would like to hope that most of you reading this have not forgotten about us, at least not entirely. Either way interested or not, www.souljunky.com will be the official new home of Bellsize music, news, art, live updates and tube station content. By the way while were on the subject let's clear up the question of where we got the name Bellsize from. When John and I originally started the project we were using the name 'Munk Davis' which quite frankly made a lot of people think we were a jazz duo. At the same time I had started recording some songs under the alias Belsize Music. We needed a name, I offered and John thought it was catchy, I suppose it is. Belsize was a reference to the underground tube station 'Belsize Park' that an obscure 70's folk singer used while living in London's Mayfair area. I suppose that spelling of the name had too much of a literal reference to a specific place that none of us could really speak to. So we Americanized the name, hence the spelling Bellsize. Welcome back and a big thank you to everyone for all the memories, lord willing there are more. Double the horns! Sincerely, ----------------------------------------- What up? Keep on Keepin On!
... Here it is, the highly anticipated Top 20 records of 2004. You have our apologies for it's lack of 'rock' listings but rock has been kinda sucking lately. In other news; recording has begun on Hess and Radostit's new album. A new record full of soul, funk, jazz and whatever else they can come up with. Armed with a brand new 18 track digital recorder and a butt load of mics this album will be a home grown affair. Bellsize, Time Bomb Taxi and PL alumnis are to be making appearances. SJ will as always keep you posted on all the details and any live dates. Never the less have a wonderful holiday and the very best wishes for all of you in the new year. May the funk be with you all! 20. Madvillain - Madvillainy 2004(Stones Throw) Curtis I recently had the opportunity to watch a DVD I had bought for one of my uncles titled "BBC presents; The Old Grey Whistle Test". It was a music program that ran on British television from 1971 to 1987. The show had consisted of hip live performances swiftly followed up with an interview segment. The BBC filled the DVD with about twenty-eight incredible performances along with a few great interviews. One of the performances that really struck me was Curtis Mayfield's "We gotta have Peace". According to the host he had come on the show to promote the now legendary blacksploitation soundtrack "Super Fly". Interestingly enough he decided to perform a non-album track. The band had their amps turned down low and they kicked just as hard as any rock band while using some of the most dynamic interplay I have ever heard. "We gotta have Peace" is a desperate plea to give peace a chance and use means of self-empowerment to over come the shortcomings of bureaucracy and the injustice of our modern world. So many have taught these same ideals and unjustly died for them without a remaining testament of their work. Mr. Mayfield is most certainly an exception. Why don't we hear songs like this anymore? Has our wonderful world become so devoid of problems that all people can come up with is "Oops, I did it again" and so on? I strongly beg to differ. Hopefully Curtis will continue to be a source of inspiration to us all. From the dejection that is the Chicago Housing Authority to the top of the R&B charts. Curtis was to become one of the world's most talented songwriters and political voices. Born to a large family June 3, 1942, in Chicago he enjoyed a childhood filled with music. At seven years old he was prodigiously singing gospel in and around the Cabrini Green community. A local group, The Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers, whose lineup included a few of his cousins and a future Impressions member, Jerry Butler, significantly influenced him. Inspired by his mother, who passed her love of poetry on to her son during his early teens, he began developing his songwriting knack. A self-taught guitarist at sixteen, Curtis joined a group named The Roosters with Jerry Butler in 1957. Curtis wrote and composed all of the group's music. Not but six months later they met a fellow named Ed Thomas who would later on rename the group The Impressions and eventually become the group's manager. The Impressions hit the charts only a year later with "For Your Precious Love" and Curtis Mayfield's professional career had just begun. Curtis had also played guitar in Butler's touring band and gave Jerry his first R&B chart-topper in 1960 with "He Will Break Your Heart." Saving money from his work with Butler, Mayfield took The Impressions to NYC to cut a demo, the result was a record contract with ABC Records that lasted until 1968. The group had produced a run of more than 18 charted singles that positioned the band as one of the most popular R&B acts of the '60s. Tunes like "It's All Right" and "Woman's Got Soul" were Mayfield-penned and "We're A Winner" (released January of '68) quickly became a declaration of pride for African-Americans fighting for civil rights in the tumultuous decade. In addition to his work with The Impressions, Curtis wrote and produced songs for many record labels including Okeh, VeeJay, and Windy-C Records. Curtis had also established himself as a hit-maker for other Chicago-based acts including Major Lance, Walt Jackson, Jan Bradley and many more. Two years later, he launched Curtom Records along with distribution through Buddha, and a new chapter in Curtis's career began. Artists on the Curtom label included one of my favorites the amazing Ms. Linda Clifford, the fabulous Jones Girls and soul legend Donnie Hathaway. Curtis decided to begin a solo career in early 1970. Critical praise was followed swiftly by an instant reaction from record buyers who held close Mayfield's message of social consciousness in lyrics set against the most urban form of R&B, funk. After taking to the road for select performances, Curtis recorded a live album at New York's Bitter End followed up with a second solo studio LP titled "Roots" in the summer of '71. Curtis's "Roots" LP is by and far one my favorite records of all time for the track "Move on Up" alone. While in New York, Curtis was approached by screenwriter Phillip Fenty and producer Sig Shore with the script of Superfly. They invited Curtis to score and perform the soundtrack for the film, which proved to be one of the most successful black action movies and soundtracks in history. It went on to sell well over a million copies and it had received four Grammy nominations. More than 20 years after it's release many still consider it to be one of contemporary music's most significant recordings. By now, established as a hit-maker in his own right, Curtis continued to record all the while expanding his activities to include production work with Gladys Knight, the queen of soul Aretha Franklin and the now legendary Staple Singers of Chicago. He also continued to maintain creative supervision for Curtom Records, which had expanded and switched to Warner for major distribution. Curtom's deal with Warner would end in 1978 but Curtis achieved further solo chart honors through out the end of the seventies and well into the eighties. He continued to contribute to movie soundtracks, reunited The Impressions, briefly resurrected his Curtom label and toured Europe extensively. Unfortunately in the August of 1990 a life changing tragedy struck. While performing at an outdoor concert in Brooklyn, high winds dislocated a lighting rig, causing a row of lights to fall on him. The damage to his spine left Curtis a Quadriplegic. The prolific artist moved to Atlanta with his wife and family. He would continue to write some of the finest soul music ever heard. Curtis recorded his last album in 1996 titled "New World Order" and the critics loved it. You know why? Simply put it was his uncanny ability to write engaging music. Of course his trademark guitar work was sorely missed but the lyrics were still top notch. "Whenever life pulls you down, you just get back up and hold your ground... Let's get back to living again." Most of us know that there is simply no one single human experience. As we grow older we begin to understand that diversity is one of the most important qualities of life. Curtis Mayfield is one of the very few whose astounding gifts, for more than three decades, have spoken to every color of skin, every method of continuation and every type of civilization. He addressed social problems of the everyday and the ever after with positive reinforcement for all. The fact remains. We have just as many problems in America now as we did in the 1960's and 70's if not more. We as a nation have improved modestly in regards to civil rights but we are far from a decided success. Our country has been infected with massive joblessness and a certain sense of growing desperation. We have an utter lack of trust regarding the inner workings of corporations and the same goes for our politicians. Never to forget an ever-escalating war that is in no way improving the livelihood of our most impoverished citizens here at home or our young serving abroad. Sadly I have very little interest in Iraq but I in no way blame the Iraqi people for feeling disgusted and betrayed once again by overtly obvious corporate interests. That said, why is it so many Americans listen to blatant lies only to accept them as truths? Whether political, social or artistic, why? Why do performers such as Britney Spears exist? Is it escapism? Maybe complacency? Might we as Americans have a distinct sense of rout? Whether we are discussing the President of The United States of Britney Spears, evident pandering has never been a human quality. There are real issues that need to be addressed in this country and I believe a good percentage of our artists feel intimidated by the weight of Washington's religious right. I believe at this moment in time freedom of speech holds very little weight. Why do we need freedom of speech when corporate decisions dictate what is aired on our radio and TV stations? Where is our "Curtis" of the 21st century? Realistically speaking I can't change much about this country's absolutely poor taste in music simply because our system does not allow it. Personally I can create music that makes people think but who will hear without all that money from the majors to pay for play. Listening to the music on the radio today its ultimately disheartening in its entire semblance. I listen to the radio occasionally and more than half of it is nothing more than garbage. Music is a truly special gift given to those who have been chosen by a higher sense of power. Do Brit and Christina truly have this gift? It would seem that most of today's pop stars only focus is how much their bank accounts will grow. Obviously not all of our music has to be serious and trying. It is after all absolutely normal to let it all hang out and want to have a good time every once in awhile, though let us never forget that time will never be on our side. So why waste it listen to bad music. If we don't complain about the lack of quality in music programming corporations like Clear Channel will have another meeting to discuss what we'll want to hear next. If we remain comfortable and question nothing even in the most clearly unmerited business, we my friends are most certainly the fools. Change is a scary thing brothers and sisters and even more so to cowards and bigots. Keep on Pushin! Christopher M. Hess Got Vinyl I am a proud record collector and one of what I believe to be many in the greater Chicago-land area. I have been collecting records almost all of my life and suffice to say it is a deeply gratifying experience. Nothing really quite measures up to a new slab of wax. Though nothing, is this too strong a claim? The amazing thing about records is that they are the complete package. The liner notes, artwork, lyrics and most importantly the music all play their part. To see the art at the same scale as it was imagined by the designer and presented to the label for approval is far better than seeing it in it's inferior compact disc form. Also unlike compact discs, you can actually read lyrics without a magnifying glass on the inner sleeves of LPs and occasionally you get a preface written by someone close to the band. The first record I ever bought was Duran Duran's "Seven and The Ragged Tiger" on 12" vinyl. I know it's horrible but hell at least I'm not lying to you. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the record it happens to have the coolest nineteen-eighty's brit-pop group displayed on the front cover looking about as homoerotic as they possibly can. The hit song off of the record was titled "The Reflex" of which I also for some reason own the 45 with "Save a Prayer" on the flip. What is this reflex song really all about, possibly a lonely child waiting in the park? Hmm... the world may never know or even care for that matter. Fortunately poor choices in records can be the best rediscoveries later on down the road. In fact I pulled DD's "Seven..." out about a year ago when I was having some friends over and we couldn't get enough of it. We continued to dig out one eighties hit after another and we actually had a sing along going to the instrumental edit of Human Leagues "Don't you want me baby?" How wrong is that? My collection once was comprised of mostly eighty's pop and hip-hop records, you'd find some swing, hard-bop, free jazz, rock and soul recordings which at one point in time belonged to my parents and a couple new wave 12"s that my sister didn't want any longer, nothing much at all to write home about. Even so inherited records can take you years to get through and listen to. So don't ever take them for granted because they'll bite you in the ass eventually.
I must to admit; I cherish my parent's
records the most of all. For instance, I have inherited
Blood, Sweat and
Tears'
first
LP, which
always sounds hip and the beautiful. I also have the
soundtrack to the MGM movie "Paris Blues" which gets better
with every listen. To this very day I continue to delve
into the work of artists
that my parents brought to my attention. I suppose almost
everyone's musical taste is influenced by they're parents
and siblings
to some degree. Many years later I would happen upon the Bronx with my Dad by accident as we were trying to get to Boston. I thought to myself, is this it? This looks like the south side of Chicago. Sadly hip-hop's Mecca was and continues to be an extremely impoverished urban area. So many years later I've kept one mental note in my head regarding the now infamous Bronx borough, if you are ever in need of directions from a toothless hooker the Bronx might be the place to start. I tend to believe that there are certain moments in life where one's perspective is completely changed and an individual sees everything different from there on out. I was in gym class when I heard a wall full of girls singing De La Soul's "Me, Myself and I" in nineteen-eighty nine. I had never heard anything like it before. The rhymes were so fluid and it sounded just as fresh with a bunch of girls rhyming as it did when I bought the 12". For the first time I along with so many others would bear witness to the golden age of this art form known as hip-hop. Producer Prince Paul had finally set the standard for proper sampling techniques. The sampler and sampling itself was about to change the face of music forever. All of the sudden almost every other record coming out at the time had samples embedded into the music. From independent rock groups to hip-hop stars in the making to avant-garde performance artists. Everyone had access to one and almost everyone wanted to use one. The Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds" comes to mind as well as Big Audio Dynamite's entire catalogue and lest we forget Vanilla's classic "Ice, Ice Baby". Results were always mixed and sampling etiquette was always question. In fact hip-hop legend Grandmaster Flash and New York post-punk band Liquid Liquid's record labels both went bankrupt in court over the now famous track "White Lines". Technically there should not have been a huge court battle over this Flash's use of the sample. The end result was essentially Liquid Liquid's song "Cavern" with rapping over it. In the end Flash's label Sugarhill should have paid the band just as they did with their own in-house groups. But sampling was a new frontier and the waters had yet to be tested. Thanks in part to publishing rights artists are now required to acknowledge all sources from which they may have sampled a song for use in their own compositions. Many collectors have made "holy-grail" lists and some records can now be priced at over three hundred bucks a pop sometimes more. In the end the original artists benefit from returning record sales regardless of royalty payments. Obviously along with the advent of the sampler came "crate digging" or more likely the art of finding rare records at any cost necessary. This was done to find the breaks or what hip-hop producers commonly refer to as the breakbeat. The break would normally consist of a one to four measure digitally recorded snippet of the drum track in a song, which in turn could then be looped and act as a virtual DJ or a drummer. The break was and remains the backbone of any great hip-hop track. Some of the names credited on albums for samples were so unfamiliar to me for instance, The Left Rev. Eugene McDaniel, Cymande, Dee Felice Trio, The 24 Carat Black and Roy Ayers. On the other hand some samples are so painfully familiar (i.e. Rick James, Joe Cocker, Sly Stone, JB and Bowie) that I can't believe I missed the funky break in the first place. I have spent years in search of records that have been sampled and the reason is simple. If someone took the time to listen to the whole LP only to sample a few measures it's a sure bet that the record is at the very least worthy of a listen. So needless to say I keep myself very busy looking for hip-hop's never ending references and further exploring my parent's many eclectic tastes. By and far some of my favorite record shopping experiences have been all about finding a record with a great cover. You read that correctly, sometimes I merely gauge whether I'll purchase a record based solely on the artwork. You should be warned that the results oscillate wildly. Ultimately the record's art almost always influences my decision. For instance on one occasion I was looking for a dub record for my fiancé and I came across a King Tubby LP. Regardless of reissue status I bought it because it has this natty dread on the cover puffing on a huge hookah and it is a diamond in the rough. Another great record I remember picking up for it's artwork was producer/ composer David Axelrod's "Songs of Innocence", what with it's psychedelic design on the cover and the more than obvious William Blake reference implied in the title, it seemed interesting enough. It has now become one of my very favorite records. Beyond all else the most important reason we record collectors buy albums in the first place is to hear the music and if we like it we buy more of the artist's work. In doing so we happen to support the artists and the labels that gave them an opportunity to record. The end result of such actions may very well be a successful career for the band or artist you dig. Occasionally labels will blossom and yield even more wonderful music. Having individuals purchase music seems an almost crucial element for success in the music business and sadly this form of musical acquisition seems to be disappearing a bit with the approach of our digital age. I'm guilty of downloading free-bees myself but I find it a great to sample the artist's work. For that reason alone I am very thank full for the inter-net.
Fortunately for us
vinyl aficionados the labels are still busy reissuing
titles and stocking
shelves. We can't
download "the complete
package" and we will continue
to need the specialty shops as
much as they need us. I am firmly convinced that records are still by far the best audio format hands down. The sound quality seems richer than CD and MPEG formats. Unfortunately some of these kids coming up now haven't even experienced vinyl at all. Their parent's have done away with the turntable altogether in favor of the inferior industry standard the CD player. Their heads are filled with ADD meds and images of Media players dance in their heads. So the question remains, should we save them? I'm going to give them a little credit here and say eventually they will discover the truth as people my age pass down the format of the Gods. Got vinyl. |
