The ladies of indie-Americana group, Bellehouse, took to Stage 3 of Rockwood Music Hall last week in celebration of the release of their single, “Breakaway Town.” I had the pleasure of talking with the group about their performance and gained some insight on where they found those soulful harmonies that graced the NYC venue.
Americana Lady: You played one of NYC’s top spots for live music this past week at Rockwood Music Hall. Can you talk a bit about your experiences in this venue?
Jess Taylor Clinton: Rockwood is always a great place to play, and you know when you go there that you’re going to see a quality show.
Sarah Haines: For sure. We’ve played Stage 1 a bunch of times but just played for the very first time at Stage 3 on Monday. It’s this intimate little listening room downstairs below the back bar; it’s really cozy and the sound is great down there.
JTC: Yeah, we love playing stage 1 as well because of the walk-by factor–those huge windows just draw people in who just happen to be passing by. Suddenly there are in the middle of an awesome show by a band they’ve probably never heard of.
Would you say this is one of your favorite spots to play? What are some your other favorite venues as both a musician and a spectator?
JTC: Totally. The vibe is always great there. I’ve yet to find another venue I like playing so much in New York City. And all you have to do to find great new bands is look on their website and see who’s playing.
SH: Rockwood is definitely a favorite as a player and just to go hang. As far as other venues, I really like Le Poisson Rouge. They’re always doing really great stuff in all different genres–I think it’s cool that you can go there and see Colin Stetson one night and then the next night you’ll go see a classical concert.
JTC: Even though it’s tiny, I think I’ll always love Pete’s Candy Shop. As a spectator, I love Le Poisson Rouge as well and Joe’s Pub. I’m a sucker for the old school dinner club vibe.
How did it feel opening the show for Mackenzie Shiver?
SH: Mackenzie is so sweet and her music is sweet as well. You can really hear the Celtic and Scottish influences in her music; it’s really beautiful.
JTC: Yeah, she’s a total gem. A pleasure to coordinate with and to listen to.
Tell us about the upcoming single, “Breakaway Town.”
JTC: Ha, well it’s definitely one of our darker tunes. But we like that about it.
SH: Totally haunting.
JTC: Definitely. It’s a throwback to a deeply narrative kind of tune you don’t really see much of anymore. We recorded it here in Brooklyn at Excello Recording. For the EP, we decided it’d be cool to do as a duet, as opposed to the full-band version we do live. I think that Sarah and I put it down live in about two takes. It was the rewarding end of a very long day in the studio.
You can certainly hear an array of influences coming through in your music, who are some artists or groups you listen to for inspiration.
JTC: Oh man, this question! Well Joni Mitchell is definitely up there, along with Crosby, Stills and Nash, Neil Young, Gillian Welch, just to name a few.
SH: To name just a few for me, Anais Mitchell, Tom Waits, Crooked Still, Billie Holiday, Fleetwood Mac, Laura Mvula… that’s a very brief answer to a very large question…
What is Bellehouse hoping to accomplish as a band?
JTC: Ha that’s another big question!
SH: Baby steps. We’re trying to take things as they come..
JTC: Many, many things. I really believe in evolving as much as possible within a band. It’s great to be able to transcend your genre and its given expectations in an elegant way.We’re hoping to get a tour going in the next year or two, release a full length record… and see where it goes from there. And hopefully make people feel good.
SH: Cause who doesn’t want to feel good and listen to good music?
What can we except to see from the band in the near future?
JTC: Wonderful things! It’s going to be a great ride.
SH: Well we’re releasing our EP this summer–we’re in talks with a few venues right now about the release party and we should be announcing where it’s all happening in the next couple weeks.
JTC: Stay tuned!
