Band: Bel Air
From: Brooklyn, NY
Sound: sparse and melodic, rooted in folk, country, and rock but not fully defined by any one category of American music
Similar Artists: Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Jenny Lewis, Wilco, The Band
Listen Now: “Looking Up”

Bel Air isn’t trying to be all things to all people, they’re just simply being themselves. But given the band’s penchant for drifting from one form of American music into another and back again, they often succeed where others have failed. That is, they hit upon many of the foundations of American music on their debut album Pole to Pole - country, blues, pop, rock, and folk - with disarming ease; and, as a result, are handily inching towards pleasing fans of each of these divergently related genres all at once.

Originally pieced together as a side project of the Brooklyn garage rock band Breakup Breakdown, Bel Air’s three founding members (Allie Langerak, Jeffrey Mensch, and Wyatt Tuzo, all former members of Breakup Breakdown) decided for a very honest and natural musical approach to this next band. Something that would better touch upon the music they loved to listen to when listening to music for the most basic reasons. As a result, the trio took songs written by Langerak and Mensch and recorded them in the band’s Greenpoint practice before ever playing a live show. The arrangements are intentionally sparse, allowing each instrument plenty of space in which to stretch out and reveal the subtle, spare beauty of Bel Air. On tracks such as “Looking Up” and “Sometimes”, Allie’s sweet, warm voice delivers a touch of melancholia that perfectly balances Mensch’s ’60s tinged folk-rock that shows up on “This City (pt. 2)” and “The Last Thing”. When she’s singing, think Dido channeled through Emmylou Harris. When he’s singing, think the country side of Jerry Garcia mixed with the pop-sensibility of Ray Davies. All of this plays out in front of an undeniably disciplined rhythm section and clear understanding of the value of that ’space between the notes’. The surgically effective guest slide guitar work by Mike “Slomo” Brenner (Magnolia Electric Company, Marah) rounds out a very fine band and provides yet another understated highlight. Bel Air’s music is, perhaps, best defined as a combination of the sounds/roots of country (Americana for short) and the heady/dreamy personality of shoegaze. Belt buckle-gaze perhaps?

In advance of Bel Air playing The Big Brooklyn Pig Roast and Harvest Hoedown on Oct. 10th (EAR FARM’s 3rd Anniversary Party, also featuring Motel Motel and The Jones Street Boys), we caught up with the band via email for a brief interview. Which Johnny is the “best Johnny”? How long before Bel Air sells out and goes “New Nashville”? You’ll find the answers to these questions, and many more, below…

EF: To start, can you describe your sound to us? Or, more importantly, let’s talk about the term “alt-country”… I’ve seen you referred to as that in a few places. What is “alt-country” exactly? Do you agree with that label?

Bel Air: We have country elements in our music, for sure. We also have some darker and dreamier elements and some folk-y elements. Alt-country, as far as I know, was just a way in the ’90s to lump bands that mixed some punk, rock, and country into their music. Labels tossed the “alt” in to convince people that it would sell. After all, anything “alternative” was selling like crazy back then. Now the word seems to be “Americana”, so bands that throw influences like The Band or CCR or Dylan into the mix can now all be included in one huge genre.

People like having a quick phrase to describe a band, so whatever people want to call us is fine by us. “Alt-country”, “Americana”, “indie country”, “alt-freak-country-indie americana-rock-sludge”… whatever. This first record is definitely on the country side, and most of the arrangements are pretty spare and basic by design. We have some new songs that are stretching out into some different territory with more electric guitar involved. Maybe next year we’ll be called something else, which is also fine by us.

EF: Can you tell me how Breakup Breakdown came together? And then, what led you from that band to country music and Bel Air?

Jeff: James Sparber (the singer in Breakup Breakdown) and I moved to NYC together in 2000 after my half-assed attempt of going to college in Boston. We played in a few bands together and in 2004 we recruited Allie into our band, The Break-Up (later Breakup Breakdown). I had worked with Allie at an office job and knew she had gone to school for music, so despite being in a country band at the time, she agreed to join our kinda loud raucous rock band and sing harmonies and play organ. We toured a lot, and it seemed like the late night drives always ended up with Allie and I sitting in the front (everyone else passed out in the back) listening to Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris or The Band and talking music. We played a few little shows here and there doing covers and talked about doing our own thing. Later, Wyatt joined Breakup Breakdown and then played a show with Allie & I doing our own songs and it seemed to work pretty well so we started recording what was to be a side project. Needless to say, by last winter, it had become our main focus and it felt like the right thing to do was start recording our own songs.

Allie: It was a move away from the superficial kind of rock to something that meant more. We wanted to play the type of music that we actually listen to… we always had the same taste in music and it was mostly country stuff.

EF: Is Bel Air a band that could have existed 5 years ago in New York? Do you think tastes in the indie-music world have widened enough to be more accepting of country as a “respectable genre”?

Bel Air: 5 years ago the “scene” was certainly more geared to loud garage-y rock. But, we probably could have existed. There has always been an underground country scene in New York - particularly in Brooklyn. It’s a little more mainstream now so tastes have widened a little. “Country” is less of a dirty word now but tastes haven’t widened enough to accept the New Nashville sound; and they shouldn’t, ’cause that stuff is crap.

EF: Where is everyone in the band from originally? Is country music something you guys grew up listening to?

Bel Air: We’re from the North East except our drummer, Drew, is from Alabama. Jeff is from Connecticut, Wyatt’s from Baltimore, Allie’s from Rochester, NY and Matt is from Larchmont.

Allie: I grew up listening to a lot of Neil Young. Also, stuff like Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. My love of country comes from those preliminary sources. I like a lot of different types of music but I always come back to that type of stuff.

Wyatt: My dad listened to mostly classical and country when I was young. Honestly, I think I always identified more with the classical.

Jeff: My dad was pretty into folk music, so there was alot of Dylan, Joan Baez, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Beatles played around my house. He did (and still does) love Willie Nelson, but that was as country as it got in my house. I worked in a record store in high school where my boss really turned me on to the early ’70s Stones, Neil Young, Gram Parsons, The Byrds, early Dead, etc. Like Allie, I love a lot of different kinds of music, but always find myself going back to that stuff. I don’t consider any of that “real country”, so I suppose if we are a country band… I’m just a big poser.

EF: Who are some of your major influences, country or otherwise?

Allie: Neko Case, Townes Van Zandt, The Sundays.

Wyatt: Califone, (Meddle era) Pink Floyd, Songs:Ohia.

Jeff: Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies.

EF: How are the song-writing duties in the band handled?

Bel Air: For our first album we each came in with songs that were already written and arranged. Now we are collaborating in the song writing more. One of us will come in with a basic idea, then we’ll all work on it together. The new songs are really starting to reflect the energy of our live set… we are all very excited about them.

EF: What’s it like to be a band playing the kind of music you play in NYC? Are fans receptive? How does it compare to playing with Breakup Breakdown?

Bel Air: Our audiences have been really receptive. They come to our shows to hear music, not just to make the scene. I guess Breakup Breakdown played to the Sparks crowd and Bel Air has more of a whiskey and beer contingent, which suits us well.

EF: Do you have a favorite venue to play in NYC that the indie-rock set may not be familiar with?

Bel Air: The Lakeside Lounge is great place to play. Not only is it a really comfortable, warm and inviting place, but bands drink for free! It may be the only place in New York that still does that. Spike Hill in Brooklyn is also a fun venue. The room sounds great and the people there are really nice. Neither one of these places charges a cover, which is great for us and our fans.

EF: Pistol duel… who wins? Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday or Sarah Palin?

Bel Air: We’re not violent people, but we would not be that upset if a fictional character from a movie managed to injure Sarah Palin. Somehow the Republicans would spin that in their favor, so maybe we’ll let them destroy themselves (they’re doing a good job of it).

We’re fans of Kilmer based on his performance in Real Genius alone… talk about genius!!!

EF: Tell me about Pole to Pole. Where did you record it and who produced/engineered it? How long had you guys been playing the songs on it before recording the record? Did any of the songs pre-date Bel Air?

Bel Air: Wyatt recorded Pole to Pole. It pretty much started as a side effort during the final days of Breakup Breakdown. One day we just decided to address this project more seriously. The songs were there, but a lot of the arrangement happened as we were recording. There are actually a good deal of parts which found their way to the cutting room floor… Instruments and sections that never made it into the final mixes. We wanted it to have an easy going feel, so a lot of it just came about naturally with the three of us working stuff out in our practice space and recording it.

EF: How about record labels… Are you looking for a record label or did your experience with Cordless taint the notion for you guys for the time being? Are record labels even necessary at this point?

Bel Air: They’re not all like Cordless, right? Just kidding. It would be great to have some support and wider distribution. If a label were interested in what we have going on, we would be thrilled, but we wouldn’t go about it the same as we did in the past. We would have to have mutual respect.

EF: Johnny Cash, Johnny Marr, or Johnny Rockets?

Allie: Johnny Cash

Wyatt: Johnny Marr

Jeff: This one kills me… I love Johnny Cash but Johnny Marr is one of my all-time guitar heroes, and I’m still a huge Smiths fan. How’s that for a cop-out? Johnny Rockets is the site of the least fulfilling hung-over meal I’ve ever had. Let’s just say I’m not a fan.

EF: Speaking of Johnny Rockets, let’s talk about food. Do you enjoy BBQ at all? What are some favorite restaurants in New York? Ever been to a pig pickin’ before??

Bel Air: Yay! Food questions! Oddly enough, the only one in our band that has never been to a pig pickin’ before is Wyatt, our resident vegetarian. The rest of us are BBQ lovers though. We made a point on past tours to hit up the best BBQ places in Nashville, Memphis, the Carolinas and Texas. Wyatt packed a lunch.

In New York we love Dumont, Blue Ribbon Sushi and Max. We always end up having band meetings at Mugs Ale House. Not sure how that became a tradition. Probably the cheap beer and food.

EF: What are your plans for the future? Regional/national tour? CMJ? Are you already on to new songs now that Pole to Pole is finished?

Bel Air: We’re playing CMJ - Friday, October 24th at 8 at Spike Hill. We are just now shopping for studios to record some new material in and we are planning to release an EP or 7″ within a few months and hopefully another full length not too far behind. Also, we are looking to do a tour in the spring, likely to coincide with SXSW.
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Listen:
“Looking Up”
“This City (pt.2)”

See Bel Air Live:
10 Oct – Brooklyn, NY @ The Yard for The Big Brooklyn Pig Roast and Harvest Hoedown (EAR FARM 3rd Anniversary Party!)
24 Oct - Brooklyn, NY @ Spike Hill (CMJ)

Buy Bel Air’s LP Pole to Pole HERE.

Read Bel Air’s blog or visit Bel Air on MySpace.
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See the list of bands recently featured as EAR FARM’s Band of the Week HERE.