The Bells Are Finally Ringing

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Irish Voice Entertainment

The Bells Are Finally Ringing

May 23, 2008

By Mike Farragher

BELL X1 is intent on breaking America, and it would appear as though they are succeeding. They just released a fantastic alt-rock CD, Flock, which is easily one of the coolest offerings this columnist has heard all year.

Their single, “Natalie,” has become an indie/college rock hit, and they have nabbed a number of high profile guest spots on places like Late Night with David Letterman over the last few months. They are coming back to New York for their biggest gig yet at Irving Plaza on June 4, where they will join forces with Gemma Hayes to create one of the hottest Irish tickets of the Big Apple summer concert season.

Over on their home turf, it is a whole different scene. New releases are greeted with open arms by the Irish record buying community, with multi-platinum status and 10,000 seat venues selling out in a flash.

America has been a slow but satisfying build. During a recent tour, they played to a few hundred people at a clip and made a little headway on influential radio shows like Nic Harcourt’s essential KCRW in L.A. and World Café in Philadelphia.

With a weakening dollar against the euro and the prospect of driving from gig to gig in a smelly van deterring most bands from coming overseas to break America, Bell X1 are completely energized by the experience.

“I relish the challenge of it, getting back to basics, playing small clubs, driving ourselves around in a van,” says singer Paul Noonan in an exclusive interview with the Irish Voice.

“I feel we deliver when we play live, and give people the kind of rush that other bands have given us as fans of music. It’s a very satisfying thing, and we’re seeing things build as the venues get bigger.”

The band includes Brian Crosby, Dave Geraghty, Noonan and Dominic Phillips. They got their start in 1991. Back then, a little known singer named Damien Rice was in the band.

According to the band’s press release, they played covers at weddings before landing a right Sunday night residency in the Kildrought Lounge in Celbridge, Co. Kildare.

Rice left the band right as Manna, their debut EP was released. Their career picked up steam as they landed supporting gigs for visiting Americans like Elliot Smith and Bon Jovi, and the released their first proper album, Neither Am I, in the summer/autumn of 1999.

During off times, they provide session musician talents to the likes of Gemma Hayes and Mundy, allowing them to network with fellow stars in the making and tighten what is now a tight knit artistic singer-songwriter community in Ireland.

Music in Mouth was released by the band in 2003. It was rewarded not only with double platinum sales status, the record made its way into many TV series, from Teachers to The OC.

If you haven’t checked out Bell X1 yet, you are missing out on one of the best alt-rock albums to come out of our homeland in many a moon. I spoke with Noonan about the making of Flock and their upcoming tour. Here’s how it went.

How would you describe the Bell X1 sound to someone who has never heard of the band?

Like the dawn in Goa, with hints of vanilla and jasmine.

Okay . . . what is the most common misconception or unfair criticism that critics have about the band?

That we broke the sound barrier. We didn’t break anything man, it just fell off the table!

What was the greatest thing about making Flock? The worst?

The first three weeks of playing together, finding the songs. We had moments of pure intuition, when we’d reach a place we’d all guided each other to, without saying anything. These are the moments I live for.

The worst thing? No bad thing, really. Maybe the going back to the drawing board with a few songs, but that’s all part of the process.

What do you think of the Irish music scene at the moment? Any one inspiring you?

Yea, I like some of the new music made in Ireland, sure. People like Cathy Davey, Jape and Gemma Hayes.

I know you have a famous alum in Damien Rice. Are you still in touch? Does having him in the historical tapestry of the band prove a help or a hindrance?

Yes, we’re sporadically in touch. It’s been both a help and a hindrance I think.

I understand why it’s a point of interest in the States, as he’s well known and we’re not, and we’re not re-inventing the wheel as a group of boys playing drums and keyboards and guitars. The downside is I feel we’re sometimes portrayed as his cast-offs, which pisses me off.

“Rocky Takes a Lover” is a really cool premise to a song. It’s almost like a playful argument between two lovers. Did I get that right? How did the song come about?

Rocky was a homeless man who slept in and around a street I lived on in Dublin for a few years. He was a gentleman when sober, articulate and quite aware of how dysfunctional his life had become.

But when drunk he was a raging ball of anger. He once smashed in our front window because we were playing music too loud. Anyway, one morning I looked out my window to see him asleep in one of his usual spots, and lying there with him was a lady friend. The song is an imagining of a conversation they might have had that morning.

The house is on fire and you have to run back in and get your favorite CD. What’s in your hand?

Well, it would have to be identified by its dental records, as it would be melted to my charred, skeletal hand, such would be my indecision in such a moment. Time, The Revelator by Gillian Welch, maybe.

Friends are coming over for dinner tonight and you have to hide the most embarrassing CD in your collection. What’s in your hand?

I’ll stand over all of my CDs, with God as my witness. Oh wait, there’s The Best of Tight Fit.

What can people expect from the live show?

Dudes playing drums and guitars and keyboards. Oh, and singing too. At the same time. It’s gonna be, how do you say, awesome!

BellX1 and Gemma Hayes will play Irving Plaza in New York on June 4 at 8 p.m. For more information, log onto bellx1.com.

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