BELT

BELT, the quirky five-piece rock ensemble from Staten Island, is ready to hit the road and take the country by storm.

Originally just a two-man act, BELT started when Terrence B, Hellbent on being an actor, grabbed some clothes and his guitar and left South Portland, Maine for New York City. He Landed in the borough of Staten Island and took up residence in a bed & breakfast. Eating nothing but PB&J sandwiches, coffee and V8 for six months, he wrote songs and honed his guitar skills while sending out head shots.

After landing a featured extra spot on "All My Children," and appearing in a short film called "Chicken," the acting jobs came slowly, so as a means of keeping his theatrical skills sharp, Terrence began performing some of his stranger and more dramatic material at open mics around Manhattan.

Working in a restaurant, Terrence met Paul Munoz, a singer from Long Beach California. After many drunken afternoons of playing pass the guitar, they realized their voices were a perfect blend. Paul decided he wanted to be a part of the project and the two became roommates.
Calling themselves BELT, Terrence and Paul hit the N.Y. singer-songwriter circuit at venues like the Bitter End, CBGB's and the Sidewalk Café. They quickly gained attention for their strange melodies, haunting harmonics, sly lyrics and often eccentric subject matter.

They were spotted at a showcase at the Bitter End by Stefanie Seskin and Marco Accattatis, who had just finished building a recording studio in their Jersey City home. Deciding it would be a fun project (not to mention a good test for the equipment,) they offered to record BELT's debut album on the new label they were ready to start, Check Other Records.

Between January and May of 2004, BELT met once a week at "Concussion Studios," and with help from Accattatis on Bass and drummer, Jack Gourdine, they arranged and recorded, "Dead Come Back."

Seskin Engineered and mixed the project, even lending her woodwind and percussion skills to some of the tracks. The finished album was then mastered by Marco.
At this point drummer, Shawn Quirk, a friend of Terrence since childhood, convinced his best friend, Ryan MacDonald(bass), that they should move to N.Y. for the summer to be part of the project. Terrence, knowing they would eventually need a band to truly realize his vision, had already been pleading with them to leave home.

So, after an adventurous truck drive and two short days of rehearsal, BELT the quartet hit the stage at the Orange Bear.

Convinced that this band had something unique, Quirk and MacDonald pulled the final ace from their sleeve and invited guitarist, Mike Bell, to jam with BELT in N.Y. The three already had a history of playing together and an unbeatable chemistry.

Thus, BELT the five-piece was born: heavy metal rhythm section; Trey-esque, jammy lead guitar; and a folk-punk nucleus, complete with intricate vocal harmonies.

Summer 2004 was spent rehearsing relentlessly and playing out often. BELT, The full band was received with open arms by their already growing army of loyal fans.

Finally on SEPT. 17th, "Dead Come Back" was released to the eager public. Now the band is on a mission to rock the rest of the world, one small town at a time.