Bell Hollow were a

post-punk revival Post-punk revival (also known as indie rock revival) is a Music genre, subgenre or movement of indie rock that emerged in the early 2000s as a stripped-down and back-to-basics version of Guitar-rock, guitar rock inspired by the original sounds a ...

band based in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, composed of Nick Niles (vocals/keyboards/guitar), Greg Fasolino (guitar), Christopher Bollman (bass) and Todd Karasik (drums). The band's music was often categorized as a blend of atmospheric 1980s

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

and

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

, and also encompassed elements of

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop) is a subgenre of indie rock, indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion (music), distortion and effects, a ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie an ...

and new wave. The band's primary influences included

the Chameleons The Chameleons are an English rock band formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in 1981. The band's classic line-up consisted of bassist and vocalist Mark Burgess (now known as Vox), guitarists Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding, and drummer Jo ...

the Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

the Comsat Angels The Comsat Angels were an English post-punk band from Sheffield, England, initially active from 1978 to 1995. Their music has been described as "abstract pop songs with sparse instrumentation, many of which were bleak and filled with some form ...

Slowdive Slowdive (stylized in lowercase) are an English people, English rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 1989. The band consists of Neil Halstead (vocals, guitars), Rachel Goswell (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Christian Savill (guitars) ...

, the Sound and

Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch (singer), Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freita ...

. Said ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' journalist Basim Usmani: "A lot of revival bands rely on a caricaturized impression of the decade they're apeing. That's why post-punk revival bands can leave me frustrated. They're a cliff notes version of a life-altering text. Bell Hollow is the next chapter in that text." The band's songs and live show won over several publications, including ''

The Big Takeover ''The Big Takeover'' is a bi-annual music magazine published in New York City since May 1980 by critic Jack Rabid. History Establishment Jack Rabid and Dave Stein began publishing ''The Big Takeover'' in May 1980 as a fanzine dedicated to New ...

'' (who said, "It's rare to find new music so heavy and yet so heavenly and light at the same time"), '' The Deli'', UK music journalist

Mick Mercer Mick Mercer (born Michael Mercer, 19 July 1957) is a journalist and author best known for his books, photos and reviews of the goth and punk scenes. Life and work Mercer is primarily a writer focused on the Gothic rock scene that emerged fro ...

and ''

New York Press ''New York Press'' was a free alternative weekly in New York City, which was published from 1988 to 2011. The ''Press'' strove to create a rivalry with the ''Village Voice''. ''Press'' editors claimed to have tried to hire away writer Nat Hento ...

'' (who said, "Experience pays off with Bell Hollow, as the band brings a childish genre into adulthood"). ''Anti-Mag'' interviewed the band and proclaimed, "Beautifully delayed guitars reminiscent of a certain Mr. Smith, shining drums really caught my ear, and a heavenly voice radiated from the stage. I had found my childhood again." Bell Hollow were interviewed on several New York radio stations, including East Village Radio and BreakThru Radio, playing live on the latter, as well as Detroit podcast ''Most People Are DJs''. Over the course of their three-year public career, Bell Hollow performed with

New Model Army The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 t ...

, Bush Tetras, Soundpool, Robbers on High Street,

the Prids The Prids are an American post-punk/indie rock band based in Portland, Oregon, led by former couple David Frederickson and Mistina La Fave. AllMusic described them as specializing in "a moody form of indie rock influenced by '80s college radio ...

Longwave In radio, longwave (also spelled long wave or long-wave and commonly abbreviated LW) is the part of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave (MW) broadcasting band. The term is historic, dati ...

the Kominas The Kominas are a punk rock band formed in 2005 by two Pakistani-Americans from Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the li ...

, Stellarscope,

Lene Lovich Lili-Marlene Premilovich (born March 30, 1949), known professionally as Lene Lovich ( ), is an American-British singer. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Sin ...

Entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

, Frank the Baptist and Bunnydrums, among others.

History

Bell Hollow was formed in 2003 by Fasolino and Bollman, both members of influential 1980s New York City outfit the Naked and the Dead, who had briefly reunited during 2002. They soon added drummer Hayden Millsteed (also a member of

Lubricated Goat Lubricated Goat are an Australian noise rock band which originally formed in 1986 by multi-instrumentalist Stu Spasm. They achieved brief notoriety in November 1988 for appearing nude on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC TV program ' ...

). In 2005, singer Niles joined the band, filling out the sound and solidifying their direction. An initial four-song eponymous demo quickly garnered them local and European media attention. Freshly signed to Five03 records in spring 2006, the band recorded their first EP, ''Sons of the Burgess Shale'', which was issued that October. Said

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Jo-Ann Greene: "If any reminder was needed of the incestuous relationship between post-punk, early new wave, goth, and later, shoegazers and dream poppers, Bell Hollow's ''Sons of the Burgess Shale'' EP provided a crucial primer. In the space of four songs, the band zapped the zeitgeist of heady days between punk's final funeral pyre and the phoenix-like rise to success from its ashes of the

New Romantic New Romantic was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New Romantic mo ...

s". Tom Murphy of

Westword ''Westword'' is a free digital and print media publication based in Denver, Colorado. ''Westword'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

said, "While so many latter-day post-punk bands fall all over themselves trying to mimic the more danceable moments of a

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

record, Bell Hollow chooses to embrace atmosphere and mood". In late 2006, Karasik (formerly of New York

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

band My Favorite, and also a member of

the Secret History ''The Secret History'' is the first novel by the American author Donna Tartt, published by Alfred A. Knopf in September 1992. A campus novel, it tells the story of a closely knit group of six Classics students at Hampden College, a small, eli ...

) replaced Millsteed. Their first performance with the new lineup was at the annual Winterfest arts festival at the Crane Arts Building in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, promoted by InLiquid, who said, "The Bunnydrums were good, but Bell Hollow, in retrospect, stole the show". The band recorded their first full-length record, ''Foxgloves'', at Water Music in Hoboken during June 2007, with producer/engineer Hillary Johnson at the helm. Guest musicians on the album included Joshua Strawn of

Blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

playing acoustic guitar on the track "Eyes Like Planets", and Andrea Vaughn of My Favorite, performing backing vocals on "Getting On in Years." ''Foxgloves'' was released by Five03 in November 2007, to considerable acclaim. AllMusic called it "a mesmerizing album that will haunt listeners for years to come". The album made No. 18 on the list of "Best Rock, Electronic, & Folk Albums of the 2000s, Pt. 1" on ''CultureCatch'', whose Steve Holtje said, "There were lots of acts looking to the early '80s for inspiration, but few managed to do such a good job of drawing on that era's iconic sonic aspects without actually sounding like they were imitating particular bands". Johnson soon became the band's live keyboard player (and eventually, manager). Bell Hollow toured the Southeast and Midwest during 2008, including concerts in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, Buffalo and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. NBC 4 in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

previewed the tour, with Chris Gerard saying, "''Foxgloves'' was clearly a labor of love - the songs are exquisitely crafted and expertly performed, and they all have real feeling and drive...producing a record that appeals both to die-hard post-punk aficionados still pining for that rare Chameleons 45 that they lost in their parents basement 25 years ago, as well as a new generation of fans who are under the delusion that

the Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...

' kinetic new-wave sound is original". In the summer of 2008, Bell Hollow signed with online music purveyors RCRD LBL, releasing five free remixes from Project Jenny, Project Jan;

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

producer/remixer Phofo;

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

remixer Halo33; Cruel Black Dove; and Peter Du Charme (aka Master Cylinder, of "Jung at Heart" fame). The five remixes were packaged with three outtakes as a digital-only EP, ''Foxgloves Extras'', released by Five03 in December 2008. Vocalist Niles departed in December 2008, and in February 2009, Bell Hollow formally announced its dissolution, citing his departure as the reason. Fasolino resurfaced with project the Harrow, who released an eponymous EP in 2013 and the ''Silhouettes'' album in 2015. Karasik formed the Chandler Estate with Vaughn and other former My Favorite members, releasing the ''Infrastructure'' EP in 2016.

In popular culture

"Copper Crayon (Project Jenny, Project Jan Remix)" was featured in the "Dating" episode of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

television series ''

Kath & Kim ''Kath & Kim'' (also written as ''Kath and Kim'') is an Australian sitcom originally airing in the prime-time slot on ABC Television from 2002 to 2005 and subsequently on the Seven Network in 2007 and 2022. The show was produced by Riley and T ...

'', which aired on November 6, 2008.

Members

*Christopher Bollman - bass (2003-2008) *Greg Fasolino - guitar (2003-2008) *Hayden Millsteed - drums (2003-2006) *Nick Niles - vocals, keyboards, guitar (2005-2008) *Todd Karasik - drums (2006-2008)

Discography

Studio albums

*''Foxgloves'' CD (2007, Five03 Records)

EPs

*''Bell Hollow'' demo CDR (2005, self-released) *''Sons of the Burgess Shale'' CD (2006, Five03 Records) *''Foxgloves Extras'' digital (2008, Five03 Records)

Singles

*"Copper Crayon (Project Jenny, Project Jan Remix)" digital (2008, RCRD LBL) *"Eyes Like Planets (Halo 33 Remix)" digital (2008, RCRD LBL) *"Getting On in Years (Phofo Remix)" digital (2008, RCRD LBL) *"Lowlights (Cruel Black Dove Remix)" digital (2008, RCRD LBL) *"The Bottle Tree (Peter Du Charme Remix)" digital (2008, RCRD LBL) *"Jamais Vu (The Harrow Remix)" digital (2009, The Harrow)

Compilation appearances

*"Contact" (

The Prids The Prids are an American post-punk/indie rock band based in Portland, Oregon, led by former couple David Frederickson and Mistina La Fave. AllMusic described them as specializing in "a moody form of indie rock influenced by '80s college radio ...

cover) on ''Dots to Connect: The Music of the Prids'' digital (2009, Five03 Records) *"The Bottle Tree" on ''Gothic Compilation 43'' CD (2009, Bat Believer/Audioglobe)

References

External links

Bell Hollow official website

Bell Hollow on YouTube
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 2003 Alternative rock groups from New York (state)