The Black Tongued Bells
Los Angeles, California, United States
Music
Press
“...one of the best bands around. The Bells make some swampy, bluesy rock and roll, as if they were bogged down in the Mississippi bayous. ” - Alyson Camus - Rock NYC
“The Black Tongued Bells clomped onto the stage...the effect was like hearing a herd of mastodons pissing in a swamp.” - Ron Garmon - Los Angeles City Beat
“Get an earful of what's called "American Swamp Music"...They've performed to rave reviews at venues all around the LA area. See what the buzz is about.” - John Sollenberger - Pasadena Weekly
"Set in depression-era Louisiana, the Bells' Swamp Opera, 'That Great and Dreadful Day', is a juke-joint style amalgam of song, hootin' and hollerin'."
- L.A. Times
Singular "American Swamp" stylists THE BLACK TONGUED BELLS perpetrate a far more subtle, but just as hazardous, brand of Spiritual Mayhem. Working a sound imbued with Deep Blues menace, soul-stirring Gospel and hopped up Rock & Roll desperation, the band's blend of musical vernacular perversion, offbeat expression and intoxicating atmospherics will definitely infect the Messaround with a flash-bang fever from which there is absolutely no recovery. Apocalyptic Revelations for Everybody!
- Jonny Whiteside, L.A. Weekly
"The ambiance created by the Bells is powerful. There quite simply is nothing like The Black Tongued Bells. Their mix of stories and beats from the swamp is the coolest evolution in L.A. in a long time." - David Knight, Chief Producer - Nemo Media Group
"With twangy, dissonant licks, equally raw vocals and gritty narratives, this is the type of music that will be warmly welcomed by the airwaves." - Ryan Hoffer, A & R - Shut Eye Records, Inc.
"One of my favorite bookings...I've featured their gritty 'swamp opera' several times. This is real entertainment blended with thought and insight." - Bob Stane, Owner/Artistic Director - Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena, CA
“The Grand Ole Echo, a regular happening featuring Americana music performed by hot local acts...Roots-Rock legends The Black Tongued Bells round out the bill in their own inventive style. ” - John Sollenberger - Pasadena Weekly
"With guitars as thick as molasses, The Bells drag their blues on the ground picking up soulful grit—then smooth it out with inviting grooves and vocal harmonies." - Nick Faigin - Harvelle's Blogspot.com
"A brilliant group of talented performers. There is nothing like them anywhere.This is a class act all the way..." - Jana Pendragon - KXLU — 88.9 FM, Los Angeles, CA
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Every tongue has a tale to tell and the Bells have got more than their share.
The Bells took their name from a Dylan Thomas poem and, in the winter of 2001, set out to create their own brand of roots music—dubbed "American Swamp". They tap everything from Roots Rock and Roll, Blues and Motown to Americana, Cajun and Gospel. Once forced to describe the Bells sound in a single sentence, Miner replied; "Imagine if the Stones came from Louisiana...they might sound like us".
The Bells are known for two distinctly different kinds of shows. The first is their Electrified Roots Rock 'n Roll Show for which they plug-in and are often joined by special guest artists. Their brand of roots music has proven to be a great fit on Blues, Rock, Americana and Country bills. They get along with everybody.
Their second show is an all acoustic "Swamp Opera" entitled; "That Great and Dreadful Day...Tall Tales from the American Swamp". A play of the musical theater variety, it employs the classic combination of storyteller and song with a cast of seven in period costume staged on a sharecroppers cabin set. Tales are told in story and song taking the audience on a journey through the Depression Era, the War Years and into the 1960s. And once the lightnin' strikes, one is hard-pressed to tell whether the tales were true, half-true, or just out 'n out lies. Sold-out performances and standing ovations continue to propel this production.
The Black Tongued Bells are:
D Miner, guitars, lead vocal
Anthony Cook, bass guitar, backing vocals
Ray Herron, drums, harmonica, squeeze box, bones, washboard, fiddle, backing vocals
Louis Cox, backing vocals, percussion
Mary Stuart, backing vocals, percussion
Links
