Andrew Belle

When I was about 6 or 7 years old I had a friend in the apartment below who was a few years older than me. She had high heels, make up, and music - music that my mom would not let me listen to. Still I couldn’t resist the cassette tapes of Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson that my friend was willing to lend me. So every once in a while I would sneak down, borrow the tape, then listen to it quietly in my room. My mom was always very cautious about the music I listened to which is probably a good thing but it didn’t quiet my desire to hear the pop music of the day. I had this trip down memory lane after reading about this week’s artist, Andrew Belle. Andrew Belle is another Brite Revolution find from their new/emerging section.

After reading about Belle I discovered we had a similar history with music. When Belle was young his parents wouldn’t let him listen to the radio or secular music until he was in high school. In Junior High he would secretly record music off the radio and then listen to it quietly in his room. His first album was by the Counting Crows – one that had been out for several years but that time spent secretly listening to that music set the foundation for his career in music.

“Not that I think of myself now as important to music as Adam Duritz or the Counting Crows have been, nor do I even dare to compare myself to such talent, but thinking back on my earliest experiences with music, there is no doubt that those quiet moments spent alone in my bedroom shaped my desires and passions and gave me the hope to make my small mark on this world, one song at a time.”
-Andrew Belle

Belle is a 25-year-old singer/songwriter from Chicago who is also residing in Nashville. His EP All Those Pretty Lights was released last fall and his full length album, The Ladder, will be released January 2010. You can download his EP for free or be a good human being and pay something. Click here to download. He has a duet with Katie Herzig, who was featured here a while back, which is the first track on our playlist. The last track “My Oldest Friend” is a demo and shows off his Coldplay sound. Belle has probably been my favorite find on Brite Revolution next to Joy Williams.

Hope you enjoyed reading about Andrew Belle and hearing his music. For more information check out his webpage and myspace.

http://www.andrewbelle.com/

http://www.myspace.com/andrewbelle

*** All photos of Belle are by www.dartphotographie.net