Hurricane Bells: The little band that could

Steve Schiltz- Hurricane Bells

New Moon fans-- keep a listening ear open while watching Bella driving her truck to school, and again at the first glimpse of Edward Cullen on the big screen, and you can’t miss the throaty sonance of “Monsters” performed by the band Hurricane Bells.

But “band” is such a strong word, considering that the song and entire album attached to the name Hurricane Bells was created by one man, on his Mac laptop, in his unobtrusive New York basement.

Over the period of about 18 months, Steve Schiltz, leader of the better recognized band, Longwave, started piecing together about 20 songs- songs he enjoyed but didn’t quite fit the vibe of his group. Those songs whittled down to 13 or 14, and there Monsters lay, in the pile of misfits.

Until June, that is.

Truth be told, Steve is still in a state of shock. “My manager asked me for a few songs that were exclusive. I didn't want to get my heart broken, so I asked not to be told what the songs were for,” recalls Steve. “They called a month later and wanted an edit- they wanted the intro longer. I was still in the dark about it. A couple of days later I was still in my basement studio doing these little edits for something that may be on the big screen somewhere. In the end, I never got a formal introduction- it was just announced.”

Just announced that his little diddy, “Monsters” would, indeed become a monster overnight, being used in New Moon and featured on the skyrocketing soundtrack.

“They sent me the clip- it's apparently the first song in the movie,” says Steve, clueless as to the frenzy that becomes a die-hard Twilighter of any age or genre. “At the beginning, when Bella gets a camera for her birthday, she goes to school and takes pictures. The song plays when she's driving to school, and the first time Edward shows up, it's playing when he walks toward her.”

Steve’s initial edit of lengthening the introduction was needed to meld in with Edward’s lengthy stride towards Bella in the scene.

Interesting to note is that the entire song is performed solely by Steve. “Everything you hear is me. I wrote the song. I recorded a test track of guitar, sung it and went to the studio to play the drums, then I redid the guitar, which was recorded in my bedroom. I did the bass and then layered and dubbed it all together,” he said. “Essentially it was just messing around until you get something you like...”

Though a normal reaction of a Twilight fan is to dig inside each released piece of anything Twilight-related and pick it apart, deciphering code and hieroglyphics to determine the intricacies and deepened meanings behind the morsels until a deeply veined reasoning for the song choice is established.

But yeah, really, this song just plays with words, and the result is absolutely endearing.

“I think I had the first line on my couch in New York, just playing around with the lyrics ‘situation is critical.’ It wasn’t' specifically about anything, so I just painted a picture of what that ‘situation’ was about.”

Hurricane Bells - Monsters - From "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" from Hurricane Bells on Vimeo.

With a song poised to become an overnight sensation, Steve suddenly found himself scrambling to name his new “band,” which two months ago, was nonexistent.

“I was goofing off on the internet and just put these words together. Turns out that hurricane bells were heavy stone bells hung out by the sea. They only made a noise during a late night storm.” The name was dark and deep, perfect for what Steve was looking for, and, *poof* Hurricane Bells was born.

The Twilight storm has most definitely reared its head. Steve says that when he first entered the words hurricane bells, only six total items showed up on Google. Now, a tidalwave of hits appears, all related to his new-found band name fame.

After having received several offers, Steve, aka Hurricane Bells, is releasing his collection of songs in a debut album titled Tonight is the Ghost digitally on November 10, 2009 via Vagrant Records.

About the record, his publicist says:

Tonight Is The Ghost is a moody, gorgeous mix of somber undercurrents and chiming guitars bathed in echo and reverb. Running the musical gamut from hauntingly melancholic ("This Year", "Tenterhooks") to driving, guitar-jangling pop ("This Is A Test", "Darkness Is So Deep") to mournful, lovely atmospheric ballads ("I Can't Remember", "Tonight I'm Going To Be Like A Shooting Star"), the songs are all linked by a distinctive late-night feel that threads a certain ease and soulfulness throughout the album.

Track listing for Tonight Is The Ghost:

1. This Year
2. This Is A Test
3. I Can't Remember
4. Tonight I'm Going To Be Like A Shooting Star
5. Darkness Is So Deep
6. Crocodile
7. Freezing Rain
8. The Winters In New York
9. The Cold Has Killed Us
10. Tenterhooks

Thus, it appears that Summit has gone the long mile in finding a truly “indie” set to plunk inside New Moon, and fans have only mere weeks to wait to hear the result. Steve feels the anxiety himself.

“I hope lots of people will like Hurricane Bells,” he says. “It's like the little record that could.”

What do you think of "Monsters" on the New Moon soundtrack? Do your kids rock out to the simple, melodic tune (like mine do every day)? With Steve’s revelation about the meaning behind “where the sun don’t shine,” even kids can enjoy the song with a whole new outlook and sense of whimsy.
_____________________________________________________

Stay in the know with your kids; sign up to receive all of my latest updates:

Subscribe ♦ Facebook ♦ MySpace ♦ Twitter

Have questions or concerns about you or your child's love for Twilight? Feel free to e-mail me!