“Ashes,” The Belle Brigade’s New Single and Video, Now Out
Video for “Ashes,” Lensed By The Kolton Brothers. Premiered on “Entertainment Weekly”
The Belle Brigade Previews New Songs from Upcoming Album During February Residency at The Echo in Los Angeles
“The sound of a record nerd’s dream come to messy, muscular life.” ~ Mikael Wood, The Los Angeles Times
The video for “Ashes,” The Belle Brigade’s first single from their upcoming March 25 release, Just Because, has premiered at “Entertainment Weekly.” The clip, which was directed by the Kolton Brothers, can be seen here.
“For this video we wanted more of a visual concept than a storyline, where the colors and the images create a feeling, rather than a story adding another emotional dimension to the song. We were excited by the idea of animation, but also wanted to be in it. The video by the Kolton Brothers is a great bridge between all these things,” says Ethan Gruska, who co-founded The Belle Brigade with his sister Barbara.
“We had a lot of fun, shooting every twisted facial expression we could make in front of the green screen,” recalls Barbara Gruska. “I think The Kolton Brothers spent seventeen hundred thousand hours editing and rendering it? Is that right? Yeah, that was the number. And we just got to reap the benefits!”
The Belle Brigade will be previewing songs from the new album Just Because during a February residency at The Echo in Los Angeles, CA, performing each Tuesday (February 4, 11, 18, 25). The L.A.-based siblings will be joined on stage by bassist Keith Karman, who has played with them previously, and John Wood (The Black Keys) on keyboards. Barbara and Ethan penned 10 songs for Just Because, writing some together and others independently. Recorded with engineer/co-producer Shawn Everett, the music is artfully arranged, with enticing melodies and pop harmonies, fueled by the interplay of driving rhythms between Barbara’s drums and Ethan’s guitars. Bram Inscore and Blake Mills, who also performed on The Belle Brigade’s debut, joined them in the studio and the band once again enlisted the legendary Bob Ludwig to master the album.
Ethan has recorded as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for many Los Angeles-based artists and Barbara is a sought-after drummer who has played with Fiona Apple, Jenny Lewis, Benji Hughes and many others. The Belle Brigade’s 2011 self-titled debut, co-produced with Matthew Wilder, was hailed by PASTE as one of the best albums of the year. Ann Powers, writing for the Los Angeles Times, took note of the “memorable voices and considerable charisma within songs that gleam with hooks and pour over with earnest emotion.”
Appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “Conan” followed the album’s release and The Belle Brigade’s compelling live performances led to tours with such artists as Dawes, Blitzen Trapper, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and k.d. lang. They contributed songs to the Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1 soundtrack and their cover of Bob Dylan’s “No Time To Think,” which appeared on the Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International, was voted in the top 10 songs of 2012 by Time Magazine.
“Ashes” is available now on iTunes. The single is from The Belle Brigade’s new album, Just Because, which will be released on March 25 by ATO Records. Fans who pre-order the album on iTunes will instantly receive a download of “Ashes.” Just Because can also be pre-ordered here.
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