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http://www.senbaltimore.com/music/music_reviews/local_cd_reviews/building-it.shtmlBuilding It: DC's Bellman Barker
"I like to forget why I'm doing things and just do them," claims Bellman Barker bassist, Thomas Hunt, "It's not like that baseball movie." So, a future reference for aspiring bands: in the way on intent, being a musician is very much unlike Field of Dreams.
For one, it's not a formulaic process. Hunt, Aaron Estes, John Matingy, and Mike Buspamante (new comer Steve Dennis now plays keys) recorded their 6-song EP, Anise & Anisette in Columbia Heights with digital tracking, one mic, fairly typical computer speakers, and a lot of Mexican food. However, toting a CD iced with smiley 60's pop undertones and a bouncy sincerity makes drawing a crowd a tad easier than digging a baseball diamond. Making a "conscious decision to never stop moving," the year-old band earned the sweet right to play, this past weekend, on the Black Cat's Main Stage (U St., DC), with local indie's Pash and Jukebox the Ghost. Their live sound varies from the recorded one in the way that buying a really good drink at a bar differs from mixing a really good drink in your kitchen; it's all about atmosphere. On stage, Bellman Barker skips from jogging, high spirited tunes to skank-able dance-around refrains, throwing in bells and maracas for good measure. Following a cheerful, gapless set, all five band mates end their portion of the evening with the stamping "Two Bees", exiting the stage, in front of a sold out room.
DC's local indie pop scene is a bit scattered and it's refreshing to find a band wading through it, constantly evolving their sound. "We're tearing apart the arrangements, and getting our fingernails underneath them… making them more interesting," says Hunt. Even if they're playing just to play, Bellman Barker started building a music career from scratch and are well on their way towards home plate.
"I like to forget why I'm doing things and just do them," claims Bellman Barker bassist, Thomas Hunt, "It's not like that baseball movie." So, a future reference for aspiring bands: in the way on intent, being a musician is very much unlike Field of Dreams.
For one, it's not a formulaic process. Hunt, Aaron Estes, John Matingy, and Mike Buspamante (new comer Steve Dennis now plays keys) recorded their 6-song EP, Anise & Anisette in Columbia Heights with digital tracking, one mic, fairly typical computer speakers, and a lot of Mexican food. However, toting a CD iced with smiley 60's pop undertones and a bouncy sincerity makes drawing a crowd a tad easier than digging a baseball diamond. Making a "conscious decision to never stop moving," the year-old band earned the sweet right to play, this past weekend, on the Black Cat's Main Stage (U St., DC), with local indie's Pash and Jukebox the Ghost. Their live sound varies from the recorded one in the way that buying a really good drink at a bar differs from mixing a really good drink in your kitchen; it's all about atmosphere. On stage, Bellman Barker skips from jogging, high spirited tunes to skank-able dance-around refrains, throwing in bells and maracas for good measure. Following a cheerful, gapless set, all five band mates end their portion of the evening with the stamping "Two Bees", exiting the stage, in front of a sold out room.
DC's local indie pop scene is a bit scattered and it's refreshing to find a band wading through it, constantly evolving their sound. "We're tearing apart the arrangements, and getting our fingernails underneath them… making them more interesting," says Hunt. Even if they're playing just to play, Bellman Barker started building a music career from scratch and are well on their way towards home plate.