Business

Silver Lake, Los Angeles musician & songwriter Jensen Bell was the leader of a power-punk-pop trio, The Rails, in the early 90's that won legions of fans locally made it to a national TV broadcast on NBC’s “Friday Night Videos,” and then to Interscope records then leaving that label due to major differences with a company bigwig. Basically the guy said "get the punk out of your sound...punk won't sell" a few months after they lost their battle, we had "smells like teen spirit" on a competing label...it figures. ("...morons" - jensen)

Jensen Bell worked out new songs with his friends back home but toured the world with Alt. Country and Americana Band Chris Cacavas and JUNKYARD LOVE, before returning to start another Power Pop band "The Bell Starlings" and make a big local splash. An early version of “Kitsch Lorraine” got some KROQ play with that band. During that time, Jensen Bell guested on records by Tony Gilkyson, Abby Travis and The Muffs... produced a band called Sleepy for Extra Strength Records and a solo artist named Lysa Flores among many others. (The Flores track became a featured song in a critical movie favorite, "Star Maps"). Jensen Bell has co-written songs with Marshall Crenshaw, Kim Shattuck of the Muffs, Tony Gilkyson of Lone Justice and X and former Wendy and Lisa and Edna Swap drummer/Producer Carla Azar to name a few. Jensen has scored movies, played on studio sessions and taught technique and composition to other local hopefuls.

Jensen Bell's professional training began at the tender age of 15... he has worked and collaborated with luminaries such as, Lone Justice, James Intveld, ex-Gene Vincent "blue cap" Johnny Meeks, Chuck E. Weiss, X, Tony Gilkyson, The Replacements, The Bangles (writing with former member of... haha), Cheap Trick, The Pretenders and The Williams Brothers, most of these before he could legally buy a beer. None of this made it to a disk, save a few indie compilation records, and so it's as if it didn't happen. We prefer to concentrate on what is happening.

Flash forward in 2001 The Bell Starlings disbanded and work on "Modern Dating Tips" began with investments from angels and business friends. Today we have a disk that is being called a "classic of the Genre" and was spun by Rodney Bingenheimer even before our press kits are ready and our artist has his band ready for shows.

Height: (just under?) 5’10”

Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Los Angeles

First Paid Gig: 10 years old, Bar Mitzvah singing for his 4^th grade teacher’s band at “The Sportsman’s Lodge” in Sherman Oaks.

Favorite Cars: ’63 Ferrari 250-GTO, 64-Aston Martin DB5, ’64 Corvair Spyder, ‘66 Mustang fastback, ‘68 Cougar. ’69… damn every brand made a great muscle car that year… the Mopar was spectacular. ’71 Datsun 240-z… then nothing til the 90’s.

First regular paying gig: – Bassist in a Silver Lake polka band at 15. Lithuania forever!

Favorite Power Tube: EL-84

Title of first single released at 18 years old: “Mixed Messages” b/w “Womp-Bomp”

First Rock Star hung out with (for a long period of time and talked one on one): Ray Manzerek (at 15) Then John Fogerty at 19.

Best Local Band when I was a kid: The Zippers… and the Quick

Best Imitation: "I do a pretty good Rodney Bingenheimer"

First Huge Crowd Played For: Rockabilly Review in Orange County backing James Intveld

Favorite Meat – Tenderloin Filet of Beef

First really educational gig: Bassist and rhythm Guitarist for Johnny Meeks in a recreation of his Blue Caps in Hollywood California.

Two Biggest Almosts:

Almost played bass for the first years of Lone Justice (young and not ready for the icky record business, I quit because “something was creepy”)

Almost played lead guitar for the Replacements (mysterious circumstances force me to keep mum and render this claim unsubstantiated. The MATS rule.)

First Major Label: Interscope… mini majors followed… I, Jensen Bell, Swear Off Labels.

Favorite Ice Cream: Coffee w/ Heath Bars

Most Educational Gig: Chuck E. Weiss and the Goddamned Liars. Everyone in that band was world class but me...I was scared the entire show.

First Network Appearance: NBC “Friday Night Videos” coast to coast live performance with his band “The Rails”

Favorite 30’s Movie: “My Man Godfrey”

First Electric Guitar – Supro 1 pickup, red

Favorite Songs by X – Devil Doll, Around My Heart, White Girl

Favorite Current Guitar - Constance… the Blond ‘54 Strat.

Favorite song on “Modern Dating Tips” – “Up & Out”

Best Band That Never Made It – The Broken Homes

Protools or Tape? – Tape sounds better… Protools is taking over… when will we have DSD?

Favorite Candy – English Toffee

Best Band that Almost Made It: The CAVEDOGS (Boston)

Coolest handshake ever… toss-up between Les Paul and Elvis Costello

Favorite Amp Ever: 1963 Vox AC-30 with a guy to fix it all the time.

Fattest Girl You Would Spend The Night With: (ask in person)

Favorite Amp You Own: 1964 Fender Deluxe Reverb... I will be buried with it.

Funniest Road Mishap – We almost got run out of town because our drummer beat some locals at chess. They were old skool Swiss champs... and he was a scruffy long-hair. They didn't know he was a nationally ranked champ here in the states. Tempers flared. I loved it.

(more soon)