Cosmic Americana

12 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Americana, COUNTRY: Country Rock



Details:
"There's a little of everything in their sound...and all of it has clearly been
thoughtfully absorbed and rather than just spat back out, actually interpreted..."
Clay Steakly, Performing Songwriter
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That the Bellyachers would cite X as an influence is hardly surprising. That they'd list Fleetwood Mac, as well, seems right and good. But that the same band would claim to owe an artistic debt to Queen? Well, that strikes at the heart of what makes this band different.

What they have in common with those seminal acts is bigger than style, attitude or format. It's the unique sound produced when multiple singer-songwriters come together in a single band...and the band's vision expands to encompass them all.

Though raised on the rock of the 70's and 80's -- both commercial and college radio -- all four members of The Bellyachers have a deep, abiding love of classic country as well. Their music brings those influences together with lush harmonies inventive arrangements, stellar musicianship and no small amount of pathos.

In 2002, they released Heavy in My Hands, a 12-song album produced by the band and engineer Mark Keaton at Sharkbite Studios. Featuring guest turns by David Phillips on pedal steel, Rico Bell on accordian and Shelia Schat on violin and cello, Heavy swung toward the country side of the Bellyachers' sound, merging the brooding of Neko Case with the beauty of Emmylou Harris into something both fresh and familiar.

Like the ground-breaking bands that influenced them, they've given voice to a startlingly original sound at a time when popular music is ripe and ready for more interesting songs. In a world grown weary of carbon copies, The Bellyachers are a band that is challenging to label, looking for a label to take them on.

-Laura Cavaluzzo