The Story of an Industrial Giant: The Devil in the Belfry

Devil in the Belfry has a history before it's namesake. We will begin there.

At random, Comrade Eryk met Comrade Crosby one day over a summer in 2003. After discovering similar interests, a band was proposed. This made Crosby's girlfriend, from now on referred to as Beelzebub, upset that she would have to share his time with this newcomer. She would remain a persistant problem for a year of time, impeding the progress of the band and nearly destroying the tentative friendship between the Comrades several times.

They began in Eryk's basement, under the pseudoname "Brave New World." This was changed almost immediately to "Catharsis." Both these names remain slightly irrelevant, because this moniker never left Eryk's basement. Eryk and Crosby's first lineup was Keyboardist Eli, Bassist and Backup Vocals Jenna, Drummer Talia, Guitarist Crosby, and Guitarist and Lead Vocalist Eryk. When they took the stage, they were "Magnus," in honor of Eryk's old chord-organ that was never actually used by anyone.

Magnus played one show with this lineup at a school talent show. The setlist included the songs "Catharsis" and "An Eye Made Quiet." The performance was questionable, as the band did not practice as much as they desired to. Tensions were heavy in the band betwen Talia and Eryk, and Jenna and Eryk, and Crosby and Eryk. Well, basically, everyone agreed that Eryk was being egomaniacal and wanted to sound like Thom Yorke. After this show Magnus disappeared until about April, where they geared up to play a show at Eryk's high school. Eryk's ego still inflated, he expected to win and do very well. Keyboardist Eli had left the band, and a third guitarist was added, Brower. Magnus performed four Beatles covers (as was the requirement), and they did a notably poor job attributed to musical indeciciveness and lack of practice. Eli's new band ended up winning the competition.

With Eryk now humiliated, he was humbled and no longer had any perceptions of superiority. For some time he desired to quit playing altogether. At this time Magnus disbanded again, for the final time. The recording of "An Eye Made Quiet" is the only surviving piece of their work.

The summer of 2004 brought the birth of The Devil in the Belfry, and the birth of a brotherhood between Crosby and Eryk. Over that summer, music was rarely played, and many spudguns were built. They bonded through a common set of interests yet to be fully exploited. Crosby also shed Beelzebub from his side, giving him freedom of expression he had not known nearly all his teenage life. Eryk had rebounded from the show thanks to the eventful summer, and was ready to play once more. The band was conceived over four pints of homemade mead, and they would rock free-market economies everywhere.

They practiced for some time, before the two of them appeared at a talent show on January 20th, 2005. Mike played up the event heavily, but they had no drummer to play with yet. Three hours before the show they contacted one-time drummer Kyle, who provided a perfect backing. Devil in the Belfry took the stage wearing Budionovkas and matching uniforms with a sense of social purpose rather than artistic duty. Eryk's lyrics were no longer radiohead ripoffs but of his own vision. His voice no longer tried to croon, but instead howl and swing acorss the stage. Crosby's stage presence had increased tenfold, and his ability and arranging music had reached new heights. They played two songs, "The Dromadary" and "Merry Way to the Gallows." While the Gallows received a mixed review (mostly for lack of instrumentation), the Dromadary became legendary. It caused a full uproar, as Devil in the Belfry emitted gamma waves of energy from the stage. It remains a flagship song in their performances.

Devil in the Belfry rejoined with Drummer Talia and attempted to play a Battle of the Bands. Armed with five well-crafted songs, they took the stage. Unfortunately, Talia's lack of skill was a burden to the performance, and her stagefright made things even worse. Along with technical mishaps by both Crosby and Eryk, Devil in the Belfry came in third place. This is understandable, as the second place band was crowd-pleasing ska, and the winning band had heavy influence over the judges table (girlfriends, brothers, etc).

During that performace Eryk and Crosby did not "acknowledge Talia" enough. This led her to quit the band violently, leaving blood on Crosby's hands, who had handled the situation alone.

The summer of 2005 proved to be exceedingly difficult for the Devil in the Belfry, they had a new Drummer Ken and Bassist/Flutist Melissa. Unfortunately these two could not practice often at all, and their contribution remained limited. It left the band stagnant, trying to force two members to catch up on years of work between Eryk and Crosby in a few days. Worse, Crosby fell seriously ill and did not leave his home. After this and several failed recording attempts, Devil in the Belfry called a hiatus while Eryk and Crosby seperated at their respective colleges.

While Crosby was having trouble finding comrades at Ithaca College, Eryk stumbled upon Daniel, guitarist and extraordinary drummer. Daniel took immediate interest in the Devil in the Belfry, and soon became a member. Crosby and Eryk are particularly pleased with his work, as it complements their original pieces rather than compromising them like their former drummers did. While they still lack a bassist, after nearly three years the Eryk and Crosby have formed an unbelievable musical experience, with much potential to overthrow the capitalist corrupters.