Music

Greener pastures

Robert Bell gets down with hillbilly faves the Yeller Bellies

Aaron Thompson

The world of Americana and roots rock can be a lonely place in Las Vegas. Bands that ally themselves with the genre often find themselves relegated to playing covers in casino lounges, with little or no artistic freedom. Robert Bell says such an e sxistence nearly pushed him over the edge.

“We were just a gig machine. We’d play like four hours of music,” Bell says of his former group, local bluegrass band The Pickadillos. “After a while, I just wanted to go.”

So early last year, Bell packed up his microphone and his mandolin, tapped co-workers from the world of government construction—upright bassist Mitch Potter and guitarist Joel Hillhouse—and took off for different pastures: the wild, binge-drinking world of Vegas’ psychobilly and hillbilly-rock scene.

Almost a year after founding current four-piece the Yeller Bellies, Bell stands with his bandmates outside second home the Bunkhouse Saloon, preparing for a gig and chatting about the group’s modest origins.

“Our first gig was [opening] for the Koffin Kats in February [2007],” says Bell, conceding that the Bellies weren’t stellar at the start but pointing out that they have improved markedly since thanks to, in part, the addition of a new drummer, practicing attorney and ex-Pharaoh Jimmy Krah.

During its relatively short existence, Bell’s band has built a sizeable loyal following, attracting greasers and hipsters alike. Proof? On January 17, the Yeller Bellies are scheduled to open for Tennessee swamp-rockers Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers at the Beauty Bar, then race down the street to the Bunkhouse, where they’ll perform with local indie favorites A Crowd of Small Adventures.

Bell, whose eclectic musical taste spans from the Grateful Dead to alt-country acts like Slim Cessna’s Auto Club and 16 Horsepower, says he’s always got an ear open for quality Vegas acts, for personal and “professional” reasons. “My taste in music is just so broad,” Bell says. “I haven’t really been impressed with a lot of bands, but bands that we do like, we like to play with as much as possible.”

Mostly, for a band comprising three government employees and a practicing attorney, having fun seems to be more of a priority than making it big in music. “We just want to do some touring, put out a CD and have fun,” Bell says. “We’re just taking baby steps.”

(myspace.com/yellerbellies)

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