“Too Late Now” closes Breakfast Winewith a tale from New Orleans of two bohemian lovers whose relationship is destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. After a Rolling Stones-esque intro (more cowbell?), the band fully enters on a syncopated off-beat. The verses are sprinkled with unique, if not idiosyncratic guitar and banjo riffs­. The chorus explodes into four-part harmonies, lamenting, “It’s too late now to put out all the fires; It’s too late now to see what they become; It’s too late now to go spinning tires in the mud; You’ll only wind up face down in your blood.” After a guitar solo pulled straight from a How to Rock n’ Roll playbook, The Belle Rangers offer one final chorus before sending the listener off on the same riff upon which the song began.

Breakfast Wine

Too Late Now

Coming in the number three slot on Breakfast Wine is “Tears of the Moon.” It is the most ethereal track on the album, with distant whale-song-influenced slide guitar and grand piano arpeggios feeling like an introspective moment on a rainy day. Melodic themes interweave on the guitar and banjo, all the while building to a groove from a 1970’s soft rock radio hit. Consisting of three parts, a story is told of love lost­—an experience whose universality is made singular by the lingering memory of her lover’s music…a lovely sound from which there is no cure.

Tears of the Moon

The curtain slowly rises, and “The Wrong Mask” waltzes sleepily into your ears. A three-act-play is achieved through imagery and verse structure, taking the listener behind the scenes of the seedy, urban underbelly, where junkies whine, “…you can’t get good brown in this town.” “That’s alright,” the narrator says, “I’ll stick with my whiskey.” An intimate guitar solo (the intermission, if you will) cries out equally in pain and lust, mirroring the story’s atmosphere. The song remains sparse, yet lush, with cascading banjo melodies intermingling with a rock-solid rhythm section. And don’t forget to “…sweep up and lock before you go,” because, after all, you’ll be back.

The Wrong Mask

"Breakfast Wine" opens with the raucous and rowdy song of the same name. The spicy guitar riff is guaranteed to “Mess with your head and make you like it.” Once the rhythm section locks in and creates a four-on-the-floor backbone, the vocals enter with a slew of sadistic similes, culminating in the aggressive refrain, “…I’ll have you roaring like a lion, let’s get a few things off your chest.” After a foot-stomping, hand-clapping, washboard-scraping breakdown, the band fires off one final chorus before the banjo gets tickled in its nether regions, leading to a climactic finish.

The Bloodmoon Sessions

Lucifer’s Lament

Lucifer's Lament

October

Caged Hummingbird EP

Faster

After the Flames evokes the friendship of a diverse group of people who came together to make music purely for the love of it. Our ages span nearly 3 generations and our musical influences range from old-time country to metal and everything in between. Lush harmonies, haunting melodies and driving rhythms provide a rich backdrop for a cast of finely drawn characters pulled from history, mythology, imagination and experience.

After the Flames

Willow

Take Me Back Home

Soper’s Plea

Blue Cotton

The Tavern of My Discontent

Send Me Your Song

In the middle of the middle of the Midwest - way, way, way under the radar - lives a merry band of bohemians who fancy themselves The Belle Rangers. They are led by a bedazzled and feathered crone, who conned them all into giving up their gig money to further their “art,” despite it being a doomed financial venture. You may find them around the dining room table under a dusty, green chandelier, over-indulging in rich, home-cooked meals and cheap red wine. Perhaps you’ll find them crammed into the corner of a foul-smelling dive bar, baring their souls to hordes of over-served patrons. The next morning, while huddling over their instruments with steaming mugs of coffee, they’ll wrack their hangover-addled brains to write yet another song to toss into the abyss. Why do they do it? It’s more likely for love than money, and it’s the best thing they have to offer. So, whether you happen to stumble upon them in the nether reaches of the internet, or in your neighborhood bar, The Belle Rangers hope their humble offerings bring you great pleasure.

The Belle Rangers

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