Bone And Bell

I was expecting her in that blue makeup she has in her pictures.

Bone And Bell caught me with the chilling sweetness of "Flying, Falling, Crawling". That song is straight out of Twin Peaks. And the song is so minimal; voice and a ukulele, and your every day is veiled in some mystery, and sadness. It's on her free ep L*O*O*M. I looked her up after seeing her scheduled for Schubas. Then they featured her on NPR. The very song that hooked me is playing on the radio and they interview her, Heather Smith of B & B. I missed the Schubas show, but I saw her last Wednesday 2 March at Quenchers. After NPR I thought there would be more people. I felt a greater urgency to see her live, to see her first. Before I feel crowded out by so many trendy assholes, I want to see her first. Well, at least that's what the id urges with. And for once it worked well enough to arrive at Quenchers on time. Something I did not know until the show was that Ms Heather is also in a psychedelic rock band, Seek Dark, Seek Flesh. I was a fan of Bone And Bell well before walking into Quenchers. Still not knowing a lot about the band, but in wonder of what little I did, I jumped at the chance to see it live in such a small venue. And there was a lot I did not know until after that show, like how absolutely new the band is. Q's was I think the third or fourth show. Heather seemed to know everyone in the room, all but me. Once Bone And Bell started, the room filled some more. Under the B&B moniker Ms Heather plays the ukulele and keyboard. For some songs including "Flying, Falling, Crawling" there were two backing singers. And with these instruments a foggy mystery world is delicately woven. The uke' brings you back to your innocence, while Heather's haunting voice uses that to draw you into the mist, and deeper meaning. This is something other artists that I have featured here do effectively and deserve mention with B&B, like Eliza Rickman with her toy piano, and Uni And Her Ukulele. They know how to keep your attention with the humblest of instruments, and make them sound, cool. So Ms Heather played the sweet and otherworldly "Flying, Falling, Crawling" second to last. I've gone on about the song as if it's the only one, but it's not. It's a faerie world Bone & Bell sing about, and I think this is an artist that can tell a lot about the culture we inhabit. Ms Heather Smith is someone to watch.

Zig