The Belltower
Encyclopedia
The Belltower was an American
alternative rock
band from New York City
often associated with the shoegazing
scene, with members who later joined Luna
and Fountains of Wayne
.
and Jody Porter
in the early 1990s. They added Mark Browning, before relocating to London
in 1990, where they recorded their debut EP
Exploration Day, with Terry Bickers
acting as producer. One of the earliest American bands to be considered part of the "shoegazing" genre, in reality thet were more pop
-oriented, gaining comparisons with artists including The Cure
, The Sundays
, and Swervedriver
. The EP was named by the NME
as "single of the week". Two more singles followed before the band's only album, Popdropper, was released in 1992. Phillips and Porter returned to the United States
and recruited Adam Schlesinger
on bass, although there would only be one further release, the "Underwatertown" single in 1995, before the band split up in 1996.
Porter later performed with Fountains of Wayne, for whom Schlesinger played bass, and later formed Astrojet. Schlesinger also played with Ivy
. Phillips joined Ultrababyfat, and later Ben Lee
and Luna, after which she continued a partnership with Dean Wareham
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
often associated with the shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
scene, with members who later joined Luna
Luna (band)
Luna was a dream pop/indie pop band formed in 1991 by Dean Wareham after the breakup of Galaxie 500, with Stanley Demeski and Justin Harwood...
and Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
.
History
The band was formed by singers/guitarists Britta PhillipsBritta Phillips
Britta Phillips is an American musician, songwriter, actress and voice actor. She is best known as the singing voice of the title character of Jem and as one half of the duo Dean and Britta, with her husband Dean Wareham...
and Jody Porter
Jody Porter
Jody Porter is an American musician. He is the guitarist of Grammy Award-nominated power pop band Fountains of Wayne. The band has released four major label albums, including Welcome Interstate Managers on Virgin Records in 2003, an RIAA-certified Gold LP. The album spawned the hugely popular U.S...
in the early 1990s. They added Mark Browning, before relocating to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1990, where they recorded their debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Exploration Day, with Terry Bickers
Terry Bickers
Terry Bickers is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the rock bands The House of Love and Levitation...
acting as producer. One of the earliest American bands to be considered part of the "shoegazing" genre, in reality thet were more pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-oriented, gaining comparisons with artists including The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, The Sundays
The Sundays
The Sundays were an English alternative rock band. The band formed in the late 1980s and released three albums in the 1990s.-Career:The band's beginnings came with the meeting of Harriet Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin at university. Wheeler had played gigs with 'Cruel Shoes' an early...
, and Swervedriver
Swervedriver
Swervedriver are an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band went on hiatus in 1998 before reforming in 2008 for a world tour, which included a performance at the high-profile Coachella Festival...
. The EP was named by the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
as "single of the week". Two more singles followed before the band's only album, Popdropper, was released in 1992. Phillips and Porter returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and recruited Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger is an American songwriter, composer and record producer. He has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy , and Golden Globe Awards. He is also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award....
on bass, although there would only be one further release, the "Underwatertown" single in 1995, before the band split up in 1996.
Porter later performed with Fountains of Wayne, for whom Schlesinger played bass, and later formed Astrojet. Schlesinger also played with Ivy
Ivy (band)
Ivy is a New York City band composed of a trio of musicians, Adam Schlesinger, Dominique Durand, and Andy Chase.-Lately and Realistic:...
. Phillips joined Ultrababyfat, and later Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
and Luna, after which she continued a partnership with Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham is an American musician, who formed the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Wareham moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia, before settling in New York City in 1977. Wareham attended high school at Dalton School in New York, and then attended Harvard...
.
Members
- Jody Porter - vocals/guitar
- Britta Phillips - vocals/guitar
- Nino Dmytryszyn - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Mark Browning - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
/vocals - Adam Schlesinger - bass
Singles, EPs
- Exploration Day EP (1991) Ultimate
- Tour 7" (1991)
- "(Lost) In Hollow" (1991) Ultimate (also released as a promo in the US on east West)
- "Flight" (1992) Ultimate
- "Underwatertown" (1995) Scratchie