Back to Belly

Bio:

(From an article written by Marisol García, one of Santiago’s top music journalists, which appeared in www.chilerock.cl October 20, 1999) Two years ago they were called The Blue, but destiny gave them a name that is more illustrative of their special and peculiar history, back to belly - a reference to a “return to the womb” (or even the sleeping embrace we all know as “spoons” !) – a group that is unavoidably shaped by the notion of roots . And instead of reacting negatively to their apparent lack thereof, they have opted to assume their multinational condition as an advantage. A global citizen (Aart Beunderman - guitarist, song-writer), a US drummer (David Plumb) and 2 Chileans - vocalist Michelle Mackenzie and the bass-guitarist, Antonio Gschwender – formed this band 2 years ago in Santiago, Chile, characterised by each member’s divergent cultural outlooks. Their music unites them and their carefully crafted harmonies and originality have had a real impact on a Santiago music scene that is often only characterised by simplicity and coarseness. Like a “fusion between a bluesy-pop guitar, funky bass, jazzy voice and a rock beat (...), boundless, calmly penetrating, sometimes melancholic, aggressive or melodic”, is how back to belly define their work, moulded into the 10 songs that comprise their debut CD blue belly . They are all songs by Aart, neatly fitting his lyrics in English to finely-crafted harmonies, energised by Michelle Mackenzie’s jazz phrasing.

 

Member Since:

August 21, 2007

Members:

Vocals: Michelle Mackenzie Guitar & vocals: Aart Beunderman Bass: Antonio Gschwender Drums & Violin: David Plumb

Influences:

Velvet Underground, Hendrix, The Doors, Dylasn, Jeff Buckley, 60's soul, funk, ska, punk, Chicago Blues

Sounds Like:

Hard to describe, our music's a really ecclectic mix of lots of styles, including: pop, rock, ska, soul, funk, reggae, blues and jazz. Basically, it's a "fusion of bluesy-pop guitar, funky bass, jazzy vocals and a rock beat (...), boundless, calmly penetrating, sometimes melancholic, aggressive or melodic."

Record Label:

Unsigned