Top 10 Bellmore Blog Videos

With the end of the year near, now's the time when we're inundated with Top 10 lists. Well…here's another. The criteria for this list is the top 10 videos I made specifically for the Bellmore blog. So clips from the movie or scenes from the DVD extras don't count.

1- Ground Zero (cutting room floor) Our first day of shooting was the closing of Bellmore's Ground Zero. A lot of footage was shot that day/night and wound up being a through line in the Bellmore documentary. This is a collection of all the footage that wound up on the cutting room floor. To read the original post, click here.


2- Juke Joint 213 The Juke Joint was pivotal in nurturing the Bellmore "unscene". Hear some of Bellmore's finest wax poetic about everybody's favorite hangout. To read the original post, click here.


3- The Joe Kollar Influence Joe Kollar is one of the Godfather's of Bellmore music. To read the original post, click here.


4- Nude and Dismembered: Looking Back In Horror The Bellmore "unscene" is not just about the music, it's about all things creative – like movie making. Here's a look back at the making of the 1989 student film Nude and Dismembered. To read the original post, click here.


5.1- Through Glassy Eyes: The Life and Times of Scott Jacobs
Scott's footage was absolutely integral in piecing together the Bellmore movie. In the above video I culled down 200 unmarked tapes to 10 minutes, creating a montage of Scott's insanity. People seemed to dig it – I know I did – so I created a second 10 minute Scott video (below). YouTube had a 10 minute rule, otherwise I could've easily made it feature length. That's why number 5 in this Top 10 List has a part 1 and 2.

5.2- Through Glassy Eyes: The Life and Times of Scott Jacobs (part II) To read the original posts, click here and here.


6- Earl Pickens - "Midnight, High Noon" (in the studio) Ever wonder what it's like mixing a song in the studio? Join Earl and the boys as they wrestle a live one into submission. To read the original post, click here.


7- The Intellectuals Reunion (1998) In June of '98 The Intellectuals reunited for a 10 year reunion show at the Juke Joint. All the members of the various stages of The Intellectuals were there...except Billy Kelly. To read the original post, click here.


8- "Bellmore: The Unscene" Premiere @ The Bellmore Playhouse This blog wouldn't exist if it wasn't for this. The night of the Bellmore: The Unscene premiere was a personal victory for Jim and myself. To read the original post, click here.


9- Bellmore-A-Thon Photo Shoot Making Bellmore: The Unscene was a lot of fun, but some days were more fun than others. The day we shot the photos for the Bellmore-A-Thon posters and the Bellmore: The Unscene poster was one of those fun days. To read the original post, click here.


10- The Clayton Gallery and Outlaw Art Museum & The Hot Rod Tattoo Convention Jim Muscarella borrowed a video camera to document the 2001 Hot Rod Tattoo Convention. The night before he also covered The Clayton Gallery and Outlaw Art Museum, where Ron Bianco was showcasing some of his work. To read the original post, click here.


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ground Zero Closes (7/28/01)

A couple of months had past since Jim and I decided to make the Bellmore documentary and with Ground Zero closing – the last music venue in Bellmore – it was time to stop procrastinating and start filming.

Besides my VHS camera, we wanted to get lots of coverage so Jim called in some favors – borrowing a camera from someone and getting Matt Rubinowitz to also film. Pat Fitzpatrick came along with Matt so he helped out with production and took some still photos of the event, too. Scott Jacobs was on board from the beginning so he also shot footage that night. We had ourselves a Hi-Tide Pictures crew.


This event was pretty monumental when it comes to Bellmore's "unscene". Like I said above, Ground Zero was the last music venue in Bellmore and it was closing it's doors for good. (We were under the impression that this was going to be the last show, but actually the very last show was the following Tuesday...with the younger kids.)


It was also quite possible that this event represented the end of the Bellmore scene as we knew it – as Jim Burns warned that night (here). This was sort of true. Earlier that night Kevin Purcell declared he was leaving Not Saved (which you can also see here), so the last band standing was Eggplant Queens. The Queens continued to forge ahead strong...but not in Bellmore.


In the below clip from Bellmore: The Unscene – Bobby S., Mike Stamberg, Steve Johnson, Dave Jemmott and Matt Bianco talk about Ground Zero and it's closing...



When I pieced together Bellmore: The Unscene I used the Ground Zero event as sort of a home base...like a recurring theme. Everyone was there so I could keep going back to it and use it as a springboard to talk about the next band.


Below is a bunch of Ground Zero footage (and a few interviews) that wound up on the cutting room floor. Lots of cool stuff I just couldn't use. There's also short clips from the other bands that played that night: The Clap, Dead End Cruisers, Hidden Agenda, and Jones Crusher. (Jones Crusher – a.k.a. The Crusher – had ties with the Bellmore "unscene". Gerry from Not Saved went on to play bass with them, and Jim Conaboy played drums for a while and recorded Deliver Us From Emo with them. The Crusher also played at the Bellmore: The Unscene screening at CB's Gallery.)



Here's a few Not Saved songs that weren't in the movie (cameras missed the first two songs). And even though their set was plagued with mic problems, it was a great performance...

"Iron Fist" (Motörhead cover)


"Insomnia"


"Tormented"


"The Line No Man Wants To Cross"


***SPOILER ALERT*** By now you should all know how the Ground Zero event ends. But just in case you don't, I won't go and blow it for you in words...but it's the kind of thing documentary film makers live for. Unfortunately, it was at the expense of a friend. Instead, watch the below clip from Bellmore: The Unscene. In it: Eggplant Queens take the stage...Jim Burns talks about EQ...Mike Stamberg, Steve Johnson and Bobby S. talk about the show's progression...then the "bottle incident"...and Bobby, Matt Bianco, Mike Walch, Daveman, Steve, Ron Bianco and Joe Kollar talk about the aftermath and the future...



***SPOILER ALERT*** How apropos is it that the "bottle incident" happened just after Eqqplant Queens played the song "Bottle"? You just can't plan that sort of awesomeness.

Here's a few Eggplant Queens songs that weren't in the movie...

"Mud Muscle"


"Ass Rape Song"


"Disco Queen"


Okay, I know this next one was in the movie but I uploaded it to YouTube back in 2006 and it's uncut – lots of cool stuff happens during it...

"Rock Out"


Here's audio of Not Saved and Eggplant Queens (courtesy of Brian Gressler)...

[DOWNLOAD] Not Saved & Eggplant Queens @ Ground Zero, Bellmore NY (7/28/01)

Not Saved
01- 1,000 Thorns
02- Flat Earth
03- Ruby
04- Iron Fist
05- Insomnia
06- Tormented
07- Abacus
08- The Line No Man Wants To Cross

Eggplant Queens
09- Mud Muscle
10- Ass Rape Song
11- Disco Queen
12- Rock Out
13- Bottle

And here's some more photos from the night...



*Blogger only lets you tag (or Label) up to 200 characters so I had to leave a few names out. They are: Tammie Cohen Bianco, Dave Deluca, Earl Pickens, Jimbo, myself and Hi-Tide Pictures.

Not Saved & ambibat @ Ground Zero (5/26/01)

In May of 2001 Jim invited my band to play Ground Zero with Not Saved. I thought it would be cool to introduce the ambibat sound to the people of Bellmore. I'm not sure how well it went over, though...judging by the amount of chatter during the mellow parts.

Scott Jacobs was there with his video camera (of course) and shot a good deal of it. No Not Saved...unfortunately. I cut it down to roughly 10 minutes because YouTube has a silly 10 minute rule...



ambibat
Frank Fusco - guitar, electronics
Chris Altenhoff - bass, electronics
Doug Walker - arp odyssey
Blaise Siwula - saxophone

Eggplant Queens "Rotting Decay" @ Ground Zero (5/21/01)

Only got one song from this show...

"Rotting Decay"

Footage courtesy of Scott Jacobs.

Loved and Hated @ Ground Zero (4/21/01)

Jim Collette formed Loved and Hated during his time in Agnostic Front...continued it after his time in Agnostic Front...put it on hold while doing time...and picked it back up as if no time passed at all.

Here's Loved and Hated at Bellmore's Ground Zero...

"Victim"


"Fucked Up"


"Underground"


"???"


The video in this next one gets messed up a little. It starts with "C'mon Everybody", then cuts to "Loved and Hated" – with guest appearance by Mike Walsh. And in the middle of "Loved and Hated", there's a quick shot of a random rowboat in a pond before cutting back to the song...then the end of the song gets cut off. How does Scott manage to do that?...a boat? (I kid with you Scott...seriously...without your footage all this would be lost forever. Thanks again.)

"C'mon Everybody" (cut) & "Loved and Hated" (cut)



I usually like to share the band's music in these profiles but if they sell them on amazon or iTunes, I refrain. So if you're interested, you can buy the Loved and Hated album, Hardcore Punk's Not Dead, at one of those sites.


You can also learn more about Loved and Hated at their myspace page...

www.myspace.com/lovedandhatednyc

And here's some photos of the band...

Eggplant Queens @ Ground Zero (1/13/01)

Eggplant Queens...in the beginning...

"Rotting Decay"


"Rock Out"


"Don't Do That"


"Kill, Kill, Kill"


"Rhinestone Cowboy" (Glen Campbell cover)

Footage courtesy of Scott Jacobs.


EGGPLANT QUEENS
Dave Jemmott - vocals
Mike Walch - vocals
Matt Bianco - vocals
Bobby S. - guitar
Steve Johnson - bass
Mike Stamberg - drums

Bellmore Folk Legend: Big Roy

This week is "Bellmore Folk Legend Week"!

What makes someone a candidate for "Bellmore Folk Legend"? In the eyes of the "unscene" it can be a number of things: alcoholism, a birth defect, mentally challenged, and the like. Some of these folk are friends, some are curiosities, and some we liked to torment (in our youth). Basically, these people are what the average person considers the outcasts of Bellmore. We consider them family...somewhat.

"Family" may be pushing it, but in a strange way these troubled people brighten our day and bring smiles to our faces and we enjoy telling stories about them – in the same way we rib on each other. So no disrespect is intended...for the most part (if I can speak for the "unscene"?).

Let's get started... I'd like to kick off "Bellmore Folk Legend Week" with the man who kicked off Bellmore: The Unscene... Big Roy. Check out his intro to the movie (and a little bit of Zombula, too)...



Big Roy fits under the "alcohol" category of what makes someone a "Bellmore Folk Legend". He also fits under the "friend" category. Here's what some of the "unscene" had to say about him...

"My funny Big Roy story is when I first met him, when we used to go to the Bulldog. Big Roy was sitting at the end of the bar, one night when a bunch of us were there. He looked around and said, "Damn kids! Now I gotta find a new watering hole". To think, he grew to love all of us." – Christine Frey

"I helped him move twice. His apts were spotless..there wasn't any soiled drawers laying around." – Dave Jemmott

"Back in the day I told Big Roy that I was drunk and he said, "Your not drunk until you have to hold on to the grass with two hands to keep from falling off the earth." – Mark Paris

"Tammie and I saw Big Roy in Genovese buying a 3 pack of underpants. It is immortalized in a Tammie Comic. He also used to buy those tiny table talk individual pies, he used to bring his bag of groceries into the Juke Joint." – Christine Frey

"He's a 60+ old man who regularly attended Rat Bastard/Zombula shows." – Joe Kollar

On Joe's note... Last week I profiled Rat Bastard's last show at Ground Zero and I shared a clip from Bellmore: The Unscene documenting the whole thing. Here's an edited down version of it with just the Big Roy story (Bunky gets a shout out, too)....



Big Roy did support the music. He dressed up as Uncle Sam for the Bellmore-A-Thon benefit (which I'll get to at a later date)...


He even ventured into NYC to see the Eggplant Queens...


Here's an interesting one...

"Big Roy has a tattoo of a bumblebee on his private. I think that is true unless Dave S made it up?" – Christine Frey

That topic also came up during Rat Bastard's last show...



One last quote...

"If I could arrange Big Roy's 68th birthdy celebration are you interested?" – Dave S

Big Roy...we salute you.

Rat Bastard - Last Tango at Ground Zero (10/20/00)

By October of 2000 the guys from Rat Bastard felt the band had run it's course and decided to go out with a bang...which they did...literally. Below is a scene from Bellmore: The Unscene describing the show and what went down. In the segment: Daveman, Ron Bianco, Dave S, Joe Kollar, Big Roy, and Mike Stamberg share their thoughts on the night...



Not Saved also performed but I don't have any footage of them. I also don't have any of Scott Jacobs' footage from the night. Mike Stamberg's dad shot the footage I have and you can see Scott running around with his video camera, so I know he shot it. At the end of the night Scott walks up to Stamberg's camera and says "we should mix these tapes together". Sounds like a great idea but all throughout the editing of Bellmore I kept hounding Scott for the tape but he couldn't find it. Oh well...

"Other Side"


A big bag of garbage is introduced during the next song...

"Rancho Relaxo"


"Little Pieces"


Before the next song, Deluca grabs the mic and tells everyone about his new band – Earl Pickens and The Black Mountain Marauders. Then during the song, Jimbo decks Daveman and Dave S has a snack...

"Restaurant Song"


Before "Kill, Kill, Kill", Daveman gets beamed in the head by a bottle. He then taunts the crowd about not throwing it hard enough, only to get clocked in the face with a shattering shot glass...

"Kill, Kill, Kill"


Before this song, Jimbo announces he left the Juke Joint unmanned...Ron tackles him. Then it's the famous fire extinguisher incident causing everyone to evacuate the building (lots of outdoor footage). What a way to end a show and a legacy...

"Hand Job"


After the show, Dave S asked me for a ride to wherever he was going next and I turned him down...and he's never let me live it down. But in my defense, I had just bought my new 2000 VW Golf – basically just rolled it off the lot...complete with new car smell. And for the previous hour and a half Dave had been rolling around in beer and filth and eating trash. I stand by my decision Dave!

Here's a bunch of photos from the night...


RAT BASTARD
Dave Jemmott - vocals
Joe Kollar - guitar
Dave Deluca - bass
Mike Stamberg - drums