Beltbuckle

It's New Years Eve and Lou wants to play a song from his most obscure band?

On this weeks mini-music-monday I divert the conversation from New Year’s resolutions to the last day (12/31/23) I can celebrate the 30th anniversary of Beltbuckle, my most obscure band!

Our one offering: a 4-song 7 inch from the magic years, 1992-93. Why magic? Because I made a bunch of music, it all felt good and people seemed to like it. I was 27-ish. My creativity was aligned with the times. I was connected to the source and I had confidence. It was my honeymoon period with alcohol and weed. If I wasn’t on tour I was home making music with my friends. I was living in Boston, didn’t own a stupid car, took the subway everywhere and bought records all the time. Magic.

  Bob Fay was becoming the full-time drummer for Sebadoh. His neighbor, Eric Matthews, was a real musician. Bob suggested we all convene in a basement in Somerville and play. We did. We very quickly wrote 4 songs and went directly to a studio to record them ‘cause, why not? People wanted to release the music I was making, it was fucking nuts. “Form a side project and I’ll release a 7 inch vinyl record of it” they probably said. Truthfully, I have no idea how it all happened but things were happening. People asked me for music, I gave it to them and it was released. Sebadoh had signed to Sub Pop but I was a free agent otherwise. The Folk Implosion was on it’s way and I released a pile of solo 7”s and cassettes. It was a fertile, fun-loving time.

  Beltbuckle were Eric Matthews on bass and vocals, myself on guitar and vocals and Bob Fay on drums and vocals. Eric lent sophistication and harmony (literally!) to the proceedings. Judas Suicide and Mary Hair were among the most songy songs I’d ever recorded due to Eric’s influence. I undermined it all by insisting we get even more stoned and write the dumbest lyrics we could think of. We did exactly that. Classically trained Eric singing “it really stinks, who farted” was sublime. 

 I now feel twinges of regret that I didn’t plug in and make a straight-forward pop record. But, I was a punk rock contrarian determined to take anyone who followed my musical journey on a sticky ride.  

 Our writing sessions were held bright and early, waking and baking but soberish by the time our girlfriends got home from work.  We recorded the results with Eric Masunaga (from the Dambuilders) in his studio/rehearsal space in the Bolt and Screw building in south-ish Boston. The Folk Implosion recorded Dare To Be Surprised in the same building a year or two later. It may have been the same space! Maybe Wally Gagel (The Folk Implosion’s producer) inherited the space from Eric Masunaga? That all sounds familiar to me but I don’t really remember (cough).  

  The session went smoothly and sounded crisp and punchy. We laughed all the way through it. I was so impressed by the experience that I tapped Mr. Masunaga to produce a chunk of Sebadoh’s Harmacy L.P. and most of The Sebadoh L.P..

 The 7” is comprised of 2 songs we wrote as a band (Judas Suicide and Mary Hair) and 2 Bob Fay riffs that we fleshed out and he sang: Pocket Skylab Love and Girl Who Reads (dedicated to his new girlfriend who worked at M.I.T. and read books).

Mary Hair has a few references to Family Ties in it, I had found a Family Ties t-shirt and was wearing it religiously. Bob Fay had a dream about the Beastie Boys. We had all we needed for the lyrics.

 I’ll go ahead and transcribe them:

Mary Hair (by Beltbuckle)

———————————————

the engine seized on the New Jersey Turnpike

the ice was as black as the night

and our housemates would not know of our well-being

and I’m hungry already

I dream about a carnival 

and the Beastie Boys are there

and I win you lots of prizes

did you like the other guises, did you put them in your hair?

do not put things in your hair

sit it down, you fascist fool

paint your money today

we’re doing 120 down the Merritt Parkway

hauling ass home in the heat

king of the road-trip, no defrocking

firm with the nauseous me I am mocking

I dream about an outdoor party

the dirt-chief with two legs parted

twist and turn and soon departed

who’s that lump in Mallory’s closet?

it really stinks, who farted

was it Skippy, you horny asshole?

magnificent cliffs of wonder all at your disposal

get your mind out of the gutter

get your mind out of the gutter

—

It was released on Sonic Bubblegum records by fellow Bostonian Mike Hibarger.  He did 2 pressings of 500, I think. I think both sold out. 

 Soon after the record was released Bob and Eric (Matthews) joined forces with Richard Davies (of the Moles) and formed Cardinal. It was like Beltbuckle without an asshole (me) on vocals. They made some very good pop music. I like to think that in some way Beltbuckle softened the earth for that collaboration. 

judas suicide

pocket skylab love

mary hair

girl who reads