The Bells
Wednsday 3/18/98, The Bottleneck Lawrence, KS
review written - 3/19/98What can I say? I love Chris' songs. The man simply writes the most perfect pop songs to my ears and mind. I'm probably one of the worst persons to ask for a completely honest and unbiased review, but here it is anyways ...
Great set by The Bells. Unfortunately, they weren't the headlining band, "Panel Donor" took that honor. There wasn't much crowd for The Bells, but it filled up a bit more for Panel Donor. The first band was "Vosotros". I'd say Vosotros (4 piece - 2 girls on bass and vocals/guitar, 2 guys on vocals/guitar and drums) has a Sonic Youth type experimental pop sound. Panel Donor (4 piece - 4 guys, 1 on vocals/guitar/bass, 1 on vocals/guitar, 1 on guitar/bass and 1 on drums) sounds like a noisy Pavement (thanks to David F. for the perfect description). I suppose both bands do what they do well, but it wasn't my thing.
The Bells. 40 minute set, they went on at 11:40 and ended at 12:20. Chris changed clothes for the set, from turtleneck and dress coat to funky tight shirt and blue jeans. Chris on vocals/acoustic guitar/ harmonica, 1 guy on bass, Mark Henning (of Panel Donor) on guitar/ backing vocals and 1 girl on drums. They played songs from the new album (in no particular order): The Fortune II, Mississippi Palisades, My East is Your West, No More Changing of the Guard, Island Head, Caravan, The Ultimate Seaside Companion, and 1 still yet to be released song, Magnificent Wing. They sounded great, really great and they rocked. Not a lush, laid back performance, but an all out pop rock show. Mark did an excellent job on guitar and backing vocals, the drummer and bass player were both really solid, and Chris has never played/sounded better (I think that of the 5 times I've seen him so far, Chris and this band sounded the best) ...
As always, Chris altered the timing, how he sings, and the arrangements of several of the songs. Some were slowed down, some were given more of a rock edge (Island Head), some had extended instrumental sections, etc. Mark Henning played slide guitar on 1 song, giving it a different feel. Chris played harmonica on a few songs and guitar on all. It all sounded great. I can't help but feel that this is indeed the real deal. This is music by artists who do it for the sake of the music ...
I never really got a chance to talk to Chris, he was always on the move or surrounded by band members. I hung out with David Forsythe (who drove over 4 hours to see the show ... that's devotion!) and Chris walked by us once and I said "hey Chris ... thanks for coming to Kansas" to which he replied "my pleasure" as he smiled and walked on by ...
Merchandise: Bells t-shirts ($12) - bright red with "The Bells" in white on the front underneath a pic of the shell with Japanese descriptions (the pic that's also on the cd) and "The Ultimate Seaside Companion" also in white (cursive) on the back at the top. The Ultimate Seaside Companion cd ($12?) ... or $20 for both, what a deal!
Thanks to: The Bells, David Forsythe, and Kimberly for helping to convince Chris to play the Lawrence/K.C. area ...
Recommendation: Go see the show(s)!!!
The Bells at HitIt! Records
The Bells 1998 Tour page
The Chris Connelly Homepage
The Chris Connelly Discography