About this Event
About Bella's Bartok
“Live your fantasy and embrace the stranger side of life with Bella’s Bartok. A band known for raucous theatrical performances and an outspoken political message of finding hope in a world beset by cruel uncertainty. With utter joy, they seamlessly blend a rich cacophony of sound and soul into their music with influences ranging from Punk to Folk and Pop to Americana. Let your freak flag fly high, fiercely and free, throw your societal inhibitions to the wayside and seek comfort in the warm sonic embrace of Bella’s Bartok. We are the night and you are bound to boogie.” Bella’s Bartok’s newest release, Sticks and Stones, tells a story leading up to and through the Covid pandemic and the responses thus by individuals and the US government at large. The intent behind this song evolved over its lengthy writing process. The verse is the oldest part, dating melodically from late 2017 and lyrically from early 2018. It tells the tale of the dissolution of a long-standing romantic relationship, conjuring imagery of industry and failed emotional infrastructure.
Rust, rot and loss give way to the pre-chorus with the repeated call and response refrain of “We’ll work it out.” This section came about shortly before the pandemic, in November of 2019. More than a plea, the lyrics are an admonishment of despair, a reminder that hope does truly spring eternal — for both the individual and the community.
The key to this song is its chorus. Written in the deepest, darkest period of the pandemic.
Rather than wallow in misery, the lyrics confront the certain doom of Covid, the loss and utterly inept response of government in trying to contain the disease. Like any good tongue-in-cheek political commentary, existential crisis can be defanged and declawed by taking the wind out of its sails. The world keeps spinning, even through the hypocrisy of those in power. Started in the dimly lit alleyways of Great Barrington, MA, Bella’s Bartok gradually evolved from street-punk performers to an electric, interactive spectacle that has continued to entertain audiences for more than a decade. Find Bella’s Bartok on a variety of stages, at a myriad of festivals, or on the street across the continental United States. Audiences often pick up on the band’s main influences such as Goran Bregović, Frank Zappa, Mr. Bungle, System of a Down, Tom Waits and Oingo Boingo.
Floors may be broken but hearts will be mended.
About SeepeopleS
The anti-genre indie pranksters SeepeopleS have been a band for 24 years. The band, which is the brainchild of bandleader/songwriter/producer Will Bradford, has released 5 full length albums and 2 EPs on their own imprint, RascalZRecordZ. It would be an accurate statement to say that there isn't a single band on the planet that covers as much ground musically, or traverses through as many musical universes as SeepeopleS does. Musicians have long since taken notice and members of Morph*ne, Spearhead, Dave Matthews Band (Tim Reynolds), and even members of Parliament/Funkadelic are featured on previous albums. All seven records were co-produced by Will Holland (Pixies, Fall Out Boy, Dead Can Dance) As far as "hype" goes, the band was recently nominated for "Best Live Act" for the 2016 New England Music Awards. Other nominations include "Best New Artist" (Relix Magazine Awards 2007).The band has shared the stage and toured with such acts as Death Cab for Cutie, Franz Ferdinand, Cracker, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Ben Harper, Kula Shaker, Presidents of the United States and have even had Jon Fishman (Phish) join the band for a SeepeopleS set during a Bernie Sanders rally. They have been featured in Paste Magazine, Datyrotter, Pop Matters, Magnet, Exclaim, High Times, Relix. DRUM Magazine, Blue Walrus and Daytrotter, to name a short few. Their music has been used on Judging Amy (TNT), The Gates (ABC), and in feature films such as 'Canvasman,' and 'Wheels Over Paradise,' as well as on the Discovery Channel and NASCAR broadcasts. They provided most of the music for the Headcount (voting registration) documentary 'Call To Action' and have played CMJ, SXSW, as well as having played major music festivals such as Wakarusa, Trinumeral, Bear Creek, Smilefest and Allgood Music Festivals. In 2017 SeepeopleS released the "New American Dream" music video animated by Pete List (Celebrity DeathMatch / MTV, Marilyn Manson). The video would end up being nominated for "Best Video" for the Independent Music Awards in 2018, and won a Pixie award for the animator for "Best Short Video," in the same year. Also in 2018, unfortunately, Facebook and Instagram banned the video and removed the video from their platforms, sealing the band's place forever as a true underground cult favorite and confirming their role as artistic provocateurs. Currently, SeepeopleS are touring in support of their eighth studio release entitled Field Guide For Survival In This Dying World (RascalZRecordZ 2022). The album features musical contributions from Dana Colley (Morph*ne, VOM), Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), Nikki Glaspie (Beyoncé, The Nth Power), Jerome Deupree (Morph*ne) Jason Ward (Rustic Overtones), Sparxsea, Brooke Binion (theWorst), Cowboy Eddie Long (ZZ Top), Devon Colella (QUAD) and Nate Edgar (The Nth Power, John Brown's Body) to name a short few and was released in October of 2022 on RascalZ RecordZ.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Bayside Bowl, 58 Alder Street, Portland, United States
USD 15.00
