analog bell service.

i'm a reclusive creature. my unbelievably understanding girlfriend puts up with a lot of down time, though i think she enjoys most of it... well, some of it anyway. i prefer to stay home, smoking pot and finding either something to laugh hysterically about, or to blow my mind. i prefer to have a decent home sound system and a good screen, for which I purchase the movies I want to watch, and avoid both renting & paying ludicrous amounts at theatres. it's okay, i probably think your life's sad too... jokes!

but there are some events i will venture out from my dwelling to partake, and usually those are concerts of various musical entities. even for these i have a theoretical equation to decide which concerts i will actually attend. the band, the price, the venue, the opening band, the band's last album released, and who i may run into can all factor in the solution, but each has a separate value. one exception i occasionally make is for local bands, and occasionally it really pays off.

admittedly, the first time i ever witnessed the band analog bell service my initial reason for being there was to attempt courting an attractive female, who knew the group members as she was a local independent, music reporter. so i wasn't totally out to take in a new band, though i did trust her musical taste. i did get a little drunk and can't recall the opener's name, but i do know i enjoyed them. then five guys took the stage and, instantly judging this book by it's cover, i liked them. then they started to play, and play and play. by the time they were finished, i loved them. i didn't get anywhere with the girl, but i'm going to say it was for the best.

now, their sound isn't anything totally new, yet it is distinct & extremely thought provoking. not to mention catchy as fuck! they're also pretty decent dudes. two artist brothers, a stand-up comic, an energetic multi-instrumentalist (who was absent the first show), a talented horn musician (occasionally) and an american drummer (w/ a sweet 'fro). there is so much life & enthusiasm when they take the stage, it's infectious.

story behind the name: the band practice(d) in an upper level loft, for which there is no doorbell. as way of alerting them to your arrival the guys rigged a long string out the window, attaching it to a bell that would ring in view of the members during jams. the result not just a functioning arrival alert, but a pretty great moniker.

not only do i hope this post brings you to investigate analog bell service but to perhaps head out and experience some of the local bands in your area. get away from those terrible clubs with talentless djs and find some real musicians making music you can connect to. they deserve the support and will appreciate it immensely.