Georgia-born and Brooklyn-based songwriter Caitlin Marie Bell grew up around a lot of folk, country and Americana music. “I remember early trips to the Grand Ole Opry, where I was completely spellbound by the music of Dolly Parton, Hank Williams and Tammy Wynette,” she reminisces to Myspace.
Bell studied opera at Oberlin Conservatory, and after college studied West African music in Seattle. Afterward, she moved to New York and got heavily involved in the folk music scene in the West Village. Each of these stages influenced her music in some way, she says. “My writing primarily derives from American folk and country music, with heavy influence on the lyrics. My guitar playing style, which is a lot of finger-picking, is inspired by stringed instrumental melodies in west African music and American blues music, and I wouldn’t be able to do any of these things without the technique and musical understanding that I received from Oberlin.”
In BELL The Band, Bell explores all these influences backed by Gab Bowler on bass, Harper James on guitar and Jared Saltiel on drums. (Their self-titled debut came out last month.) She talks to us about her love for “Achy Breaky Heart,” Sam Cooke and Dawes. Hop to the next page to read the full interview.
Hometown: Snellville, GA
Homebase: New York City
How did you get together with your band to start playing music?
I met the rest of the band playing around the music scene in New York City. We all came together through friends of friends and various songwriting clubs. I wanted to form a band to expand on the songs that I had been writing as a solo singer/songwriter for a few years.
Did you grow up in a musical household?
I am the only musician in my family, with the exception of, I think, a great grandfather who was a classical pianist. I was drawn to music from an early age. Some of my early memories include listening to “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John and the entire My Girl 2 soundtrack on repeat. I asked my parents for piano lessons after attending a Billy Ray Cyrus concert, and that was that!
Is Billy Ray a big musical influence?
As much as I still love “Achy Breaky Heart,” I’d like to think my musical influences have matured a bit since childhood. I love the music of Sibylle Baier, Mississippi John Hurt, Townes Van Zandt, Leonard Cohen and Sam Cooke, to name a few.
Describe your music to someone who's never heard you before.
I think that our music is subtle and understated with an emphasis on the lyrics. I aim to keep the music clean and delicate with unexpected surprises trickled in. It is centered around Americana folk and blues traditions, while working in modern sounds and textures when appropriate.
Why are you called BELL the Band?
For one, it is my last name, but it is also somewhat of a play on words. To “bell a cat” means to agree or attempt to perform an impossibly difficult task. Additionally, to bell an animal such as a cow or a goat, means to tie a bell around its neck so you are always able to locate the animal.
Who would you love to collaborate with?
Great question! Dawes, Norah Jones, The Barr Brothers, Gillian Welch — y’all out there?
What do you do for fun?
I love to paint, draw and make short hand-made stop-motion videos. Anything where I am able to be creative and use my hands keeps me happy. I’ve also been going to a lot of protests and community events lately. It’s important to me, especially in times of turmoil and division, that we are involved in community activism to strengthen our bonds amongst our neighbors.
What's the craziest band story for you guys so far?
My bandmates Jared Saltiel (drummer) and Gab Bowler (bass player) recently discovered through a message on social media that they used to have playdates together as small children. They both grew up and went their separate ways only to end up in our band together many years later. It was only recently (two years after we had all been playing together) that they made the realization. Playdates to bandmates!
Why is your EP eponymous? What themes were you working on when making it?
We decided to make the EP self-titled because we feel like these five songs best represent the foundation for who we are as a band, and also opens the door for development as we move forward. Thematically, I was focused on the contrasts between hope and hopelessness, confusion and understanding, love and hate, togetherness and solitude.
Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?
This is very embarrassing but I was a heartbroken teen and I wrote a terrible song about how I was devoted to waiting around until this guy was ready to love me. Really glad I didn’t wait around…
What did Myspace ever do for you as a musician?
Myspace was one of the first ways that I was able to discover unsigned bands and underground music. I would stay up on the computer all through the night listening to Myspace artists and stress about which song would automatically play when someone would visit my profile page.
For more profiles on up-and-coming artists, visit our Artist of the Day page.
from Myspace - Editorial http://ift.tt/2k4HKqI
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