MUSIC
Member Since: 6/14/2004
Band Website: bellhollow.com
Band Members:
Christopher Bollman (bass)
Greg Fasolino (guitar)
Todd Karasik (drums)
Nick Niles (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
Hillary Johnson (live keyboards)
Photo by Oskar Landi
BIOGRAPHY
Bell Hollow make bittersweet dream pop, singing songs both melodic and mysterious.
Formed in 2003 by bassist Christopher Bollman and guitarist Greg Fasolino, the Brooklyn-based quartet were inspired by the atmospheric British rock of the Eighties and related genres like shoegaze, new wave, and indie-rock, building on authentic experience as members of old-school NYC post-punk bands like The Naked and the Dead and The Children's Zoo. When frontman Nick Niles (originally from Sacramento, CA) came aboard in 2005, the unique Bell Hollow sound was finally realized.
Impressive reviews for the band's shimmering songs led to their signing with new NYC indie label five03 Records, who released Bell Hollow's first official EP, Sons of the Burgess Shale in October 2006. Shortly thereafter, drummer Todd Karasik (formerly with indie-pop cult heroes My Favorite) replaced original member Hayden Millsteed.
Bell Hollow recorded their debut full-length Foxgloves (again with producer/engineer Hillary Johnson, also the band's live synth player), at Water Music in Hoboken, NJ in summer 2007. The 10-song album (including "Copper Crayon," "Eyes Like Planets," "Jamais Vu," and "Our Water Burden") was released in November 2007, debuting at 166 on the CMJ charts.
Bell Hollow recently completed their first series of tours (including Detroit, Washington, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Toledo, Raleigh, Atlanta, and Athens, GA); opened for artists such as New Model Army, Longwave, Bunnydrums, Ether Aura, Lene Lovich, and The Prids; and plan further touring throughout 2008. Look for them in your town soon.
[ GIGOGRAPHY ]
Bell Hollow on other websites:
Influences:
The Chameleons, Cocteau Twins, The Smiths, The Cure, Radiohead, Echo and the Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, Suede, The Comsat Angels, The Sound, Joy Division, Slowdive, Jeff Buckley, For Against, Sonic Youth, Lush, The Teardrop Explodes, U2, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Björk, The Church, Kraftwerk, The Verve, New Order, David Sylvian, My Bloody Valentine, Cranes, Magazine, Sad Lovers and Giants, Lowlife, The Psychedelic Furs,
Stereolab, David Bowie, Portishead, Red Temple Spirits,
Kitchens of Distinction, Pixies, PJ Harvey, Pink Floyd,
Roxy Music, Bauhaus, Television, Blur, Claude Debussy,
Catherine Wheel, The Associates, Julian Cope, The Fall,
Kate Bush, Modern Eon, Dead Can Dance, The Beatles,
Adam and the Ants, Brian Eno, Gene, The Tear Garden,
Sugarcubes, Pulp, Gary Numan, Gang of Four, Iggy Pop,
The Smashing Pumpkins, Can, Virgin Prunes, Placebo,
Love and Rockets, Ivy, The The, Savage Republic, Pylon,
Talk Talk, Japan, Belle and Sebastian, The Stone Roses, Mazzy Star, A Flock of Seagulls, Maurice Ravel, R.E.M., Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, Killing Joke, The Passions, Jane's Addiction, Morrissey, T.Rex, Public Image Ltd,
Throwing Muses, Sigur Ros, Chet Baker, Tones on Tail, The Sundays, Robin Guthrie, UK Decay, Orange Juice, Tom Waits, Department S, Breathless, Spiritualized,
Chapterhouse, Xymox, New Model Army, Arvo Pärt,
Buzzcocks, Abecedarians, Wall of Voodoo, Pale Saints, The Go-Betweens, Bronski Beat, Angelo Badalamenti
Sounds Like:
The Chameleons, The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, Interpol, The Cure, Editors, The Comsat Angels, Wire, Slowdive, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Sound, For Against, U2,
Lowlife, Sad Lovers and Giants, The Prids, Magazine, Radiohead, Kitchens of Distinction, Cranes, Joy Division, Calla, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Thrushes,
Longwave, Depeche Mode, The Church, Modern Eon, David Sylvian, Mahogany, The Verve, Lush, New Order,
Blacklist, Gene, British Sea Power, Morrissey, Coldplay, My Bloody Valentine, Jeff Buckley, Catherine Wheel, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Doves, Asobi Seksu, Xymox, Daysleepers, The Associates, Breathless, Japan, Autolux,
The Teardrop Explodes, Pulp, Talk Talk, Tears for Fears,
Blonde Redhead, Pixies, Elbow, Ether Aura, Pale Saints
PRESS
"Bell Hollow has one foot in the past and one foot in the present, and the result is a captivating album that is nostalgic, but isn't a cheap revival calculated to capitalize on the success of the new breed of 80s influenced alternative bands. With equal doses of 1982 and 2008, mixed with smart songwriting and terrific musicianship, Foxgloves is essential listening."
- Chris Gerard ("The DC Scene," NBC4.com )
"The emotional scope of the album is wonderfully, cinematically sombre and left me feeling I was being pulled into its own private world. Anyone taking the time to lose themselves in this beautiful record will find themselves enjoying it on the first listen, thinking about it after the second and adding it to their list of classics soon thereafter."
- Will Joines ( SonicFrontiers.net )
"Give it a few spins and you'll fall under its gentle spell. This is a band that will surely astound us, given the time and patience to endure."
- Mike Pearlstein ( The Big Takeover )
"Bell Hollow are like a divine musical exam made fun, as they earn a doctorate each several times over on a trim album exuding melodic character."
- Mick Mercer ("Mick's Daily Journal," MickMercer.com , UK)
"Blindingly beautiful morose atmospheres... The music is magnificent, the melodies powerful, while the moods are impossible to shake long after the final note is played. A mesmerizing album that will haunt listeners for years to come."
- Jo-Ann Greene ( All Music Guide )
[ FULL PRESS ARCHIVE ]
Record Label: five03 Records, RCRD LBL
Type of Label: Indie