Belsito's Police Encounter Belsito got the chance to photograph the reconstituted group - The Police - live on their uber-successful reunion tour. Cynics be damned - this is one of the hottest tours of the year and the band's performances have been nothing less than stellar. Of the hundreds of shows Belsito has witnessed, this was without question one of his favorites. Standing in front of a musical giant like this trio was overwhelming. Photos of The Police (above) by Belsito. Photos below...stolen from the Kiss website. Don't tell Gene...ok? (July 23/07) Happy Kiss Day Today was Kiss day. Does anything else need to be said? If it does, then there is no use explaining 'cause you don't understand Belsito. Pictures above from Kiss' show at Kewadin Casinos in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. (July 20/07) Bombs in the Bay No news today. Just a photograph. This is something Belsito seems to do a lot of but generally doesn't share with us. We have decided to post one of his photographs just because today is a Thursday and we like it. (June 28/07) Belsito Stands By Microphone Ok, so the news of the day is that Belsito got to use this seemingly innocuous microphone. What the picture doesn't show is the history behind the object. The microphone is located at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. For those of you not up on musical history, this is the studio Johnny Cash recorded at early in his career - as seen in the recent bioptic Walk The Line. In addition, a few unknowns like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and much later U2, recorded there as well. The microphone shown above is "the" microphone all Sun Studios artists used. Now Belsito has added his DNA to the device. We have to say that this microphone definitely ups the cool ante on Belsito's live microphone of choice - one that was formerly owned and used by Bret Michaels of Poison fame (that's a whole different story folks). The uber-famous recording studio is today pretty much as it was back then. No renovations, the same bad wall and ceiling tile and a lot of antiquated equipment. Regardless, it is still functional and is used to record a lot of independent artists in the area. Maybe someday the Chris Belsito Sun Studio Sessions will surface. Until that time, this photo will have to suffice. (June 24/07) Mark Dunn Discovers Belsito Secret Singer/songwriter Mark Dunn discovered Chris Belsito's little secret while he was visiting Capri, an Italian island off the Sorrentine Peninsula. Mr. Dunn discovered (and sent us proof - see above) that Belsito has not actually gone into retirement, but is actually a restaurateur, running a small bistro on this celebrated spot. No wonder we haven't heard from him in a while. For the record, the name of the island comes from the Italian word for goat. (June 11/07) Big in Texas Forget Japan. Belsito is big in the lone star state. Everything is "bigger in Texas". Or so the saying goes. Ok, maybe not musically speaking. As with most people who spend a lot of time on the road, Belsito frequently dines in restaurants. Generally speaking, he is a conscientious eater and doesn't fall prey to the good stuff. The problem is that no matter how you slice it, the portions are often huge in the south. Note the "regular" size pop, courtesy of Chick-Fil-A (Above photo of the big pop in question sent in by Belsito himself. The photo of the possible consequences of the 'big pop' courtesy of Craig West). We are pretty sure that there was at least as much liquid in his cup as some manufacturers sell in a 1-litre bottle of pop. Two hours later, Belsito finished off the sea of Coke, but not before the sugar finished off Belsito. To be fair, the Slurpees and Big Gulps that convenience stores sell in Canada probably aren't any smaller - but at least they are not considered 'regular'. To read further commentary on large serving portions and Belsito's weight, read the chrisbelsito.com FORUM by clicking here. (May 21/07) You're One Year Old: Are You a Fan Yet or What? Ok. It's Duncan Rivera's first birthday today. Last year, the very young Duncan (pictured above) got to experience first-hand the mighty fury of the Belsito Band live. Yes, Belsito and his cast of cronies was this poor child's first real concert experience. Here's hoping that some of Belsito's music seeped into the Duncan's subconscious and that he will grow up a fan and tell all his friends about it. By that time, Belsito will likely be in a retirement home or sanitarium. Better late than never, we suppose. Could baby brainwashing really hold the key to Belsito's long-awaited success? (May 19/07) Belsito Becomes an Antiguity It was bound to happen. Belsito is now "old" news. Literally, not figuratively. Soonews.ca has a regularly rotating column that features significant news items from their past. This week's "Looking Back at LTVNews" highlights the Sessions with Chris Belsito, an online program featuring a series of in-studio acoustic performances by Belsito and friends. The news clip is from early 2004, a time when (as Soonews says) "the internet was still evolving as a new platform for media and LTVNews was one of the innovators with online video…long before the days of YouTube." Fair enough. The clip features a performance of the song "Wolf" with the assistance of the talented Mr. Lindsay Pugh. (May 18/07) Oh, How The Months Disappear Well, it has been quite a while since you and I have talked. Belsito's tour took a different nature, including Austin, Houston, Nisku, Calgary, Veracruz, Buenos Aires. It continues with the next stop being: Arkansas. No point explaining. Belsito has learned the benefits of cheap shampoo and hotel television, come to appreciate dry cleaning, found a restaurant specializing in donuts and seafood, became familiar with a device known as a stealth screen, and travelled to Gotham. He then roamed the streets of Austin, Texas with Willem Dafoe, met up with The Dears, Elton John, The Hip, his old friends the Skydiggers, Sloan, Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), New Pornographers and more artists than he can remember. He took a break from writing songs, but began writing for entertainment publications once again. Made friends with two lovely mannequins. Got a year older. Got locked out of the website for a spell. Found beer and ale in the Belsito name (see above). For a while, Belsito became more of a patron of the arts than an artist. What can we say? There have been equal parts success and failure, kindness and sadness, and a pinch of salt for good measure. It has been a strange year. A lot has happened. Nothing has happened. Hope to be able to tell you it in the months to come. (May 17/07) Thanks But We've Had Enough "Perfect Days" Listening to Belsito So, it has been been 92 days since we posted "Another Perfect Day" online, declaring that it was in fact a "perfect day to listen to Belsito." Guess that means it has been 92 days since we updated anything on this site - a record holiday break from those of us in the hallowed halls of the chrisbelsito.com office. While we were asleep a lot has apparently happened: Belsito was declared "Artist of the Week" by Music and Film in Motion; Belsito band guitar player Jay Case got married and went away for a very long time; guitarist Craig West released another Startlefish CD (the exceptional The Debtor's Heart - buy it!); Ed Young and Lindsay Pugh soldiered on in the local music scene; all the while Belsito was trapped in the land of Stephen Harper for about 5 months. Despite the lack of Belsito, local television in Sault Ste. Marie continued to play clips of a live performance of the band performing at the Second Stage this past summer, thus keeping the flame alive. It has been a tumultuous year in Belsito's world and he took a bit of a break from music. Things early in the New Year will continue to be relatively quiet, but here's hoping for a summer return. Thanks to everyone who came out to shows throughout the year, listened to the music and/or bought a CD and checked in on us despite the relative inactivity of this site in the past 92 days. Happy Holidays and here's to a great New Year! (December 24/06) "Another Perfect Day" to Listen to Belsito For a limited time, a new Belsito track that recently appeared on the SooCoustic compilation CD will be made available for listening on the SOUNDS section of this website. The track, which features Belsito accompanied by Lindsay Pugh on bass, Rusty McCarthy on guitar, and Ed Young on drums and MalletKAT is a rare one-off of sorts. Belsito sometimes does things "just because", for little or no reason at all. This is one of those things. When asked for specifics about the track, Belsito couldn't even remember recording it. For those interested in picking up a copy of the compilation CD, it is being made available at the Rad Zone and CD Plus. For those concerned about Belsito's memory, there is little or no hope. Don't bother. Enjoy! (September 24/06) Adam Smale to Perform at Loplops Former Belsito schoolmate and stunning jazz guitarist in his own right, Adam Smale will be performing (with with local bassist Martin Virta) at Loplop Lounge on Saturday, September 23rd at 9:00 pm. Smale has been making a name for himself across the country, even performing with Regis Philbin. His stunning 7-string guitar work is something that needs to be heard. So if you are in the Sault Ste. Marie area, check him out live. To find out more about Adam Smale, click here. (September 23/06) N.W.A., Magpies and a Hedgehog It has been an interesting month for Belsito. He has been doing a...let's call it a..."promotional tour" with N.W.A. across parts of North America, with stops in Toronto, Calgary, Alpena, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Houston. Yes, you read it correctly, he has been traveling "with N.W.A." Although Belsito is not saying, we suspect it wasn't Easy E, Dr. Dre or Ice Cube, but rather North West Airlines that he was traveling with. Apologies to all the gansta rap afficianados who had their hopes up regarding Belsito's musical future. When Belsito arrived in Houston with N.W.A., there was a certain famous porn star named Ron Jeremy (aka the "hedgehog") in the airport waiting for Belsito's flight to arrive. Sure, he wasn't exactly waiting for Belsito, but he was there waiting and that should count for something. Finally, when in Calgary, Belsito received an omen of Shakespearean proportions. While sitting at an outdoor restaurant patio, a magpie landed beside him. It should be noted that Belsito has before this point admired the magpie. Unfortunately for his appetite, he noticed that something was in this particular bird's mouth. It was the rotting carcass of another bird (possibly a magpie as well). Belsito made a startled noise, which startled the magpie and made it fly away. In the process, about a dozen squirming maggots fell out of the bird carcass and scattered across Belsito's table, apruptly ending any lunch plans. You may be asking, "Are these stories really "news"? Maybe not, but we thought we would share them with you anyway. (September 23/06) "We're Cloudbusting Daddy" To use a word taken from one of Belsito's favorite artists, the incredible artist Kate Bush, Chris has been "cloudbusting" lately. His collection of cloud photography is growing fast as he traverses the sky here and there. For those who are interested, the photographs above and below were taken about an hour outside Calgary, Alberta. Now, speaking of Kate Bush and cloudbusting, a new Chris Belsito song, "Another Perfect Day" has made its way onto a compilation CD entitled Soocoustic. The song is Belsito's most Kate-inspired song yet thanks to the fancy playing of multi-instrumentalist, Mr. Ed Young. The grand event for the Soocoustic CD is Friday and Saturday, September 15th and 16th at Loplops with doors at 9:00 pm. Many of the artists on the CD will be performing over the two-day event. Cost for entrance is $10 (which gets you a free copy of the CD). If you do buy the CD, you can get into the second night free. Frank Deresti, Mark Dunn, Lindsay Pugh, Startlefish, Dirty River Trio and many more will be performing their songs at the show. As for Chris Belsito, he will not be able to make it to the show because he has his head in the clouds, literally. Although it has nothing to do with clouds or Kate Bush, the CD also contains another Jay Case and Chris Belsito original track called "Grabbing Smoke". (September 14/06) It's September Like We Said Well, September has arrived. As many of our readers already know, this is one of our favourite months here at chrisbelsito.com. There is of course the changing of the season and all that jazz, but it is also a month where Belsito, who has a penchant for self-referencing, can utilize his many September songs and lyrics in conversation. What else is happening in September? On September 15th, winners of the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Sudbury. As previously reported, our man Larry Borek is up for "Engineer of the Year" for his work on various projects, including Belsito's Fade Dissolve. We are rooting for you Larry! In addition, Belsito's friend and guitar player Jay Case will be a married man in less than a week's time. Our musician friends are growing up so fast..sniff, sniff. Now that the "ghosts of September" have moved in, we're checking out. (September 3/06) Still Got That Trooperitis? It can sometimes be fun when something from the past shows up in an unexpected place. Our man Belsito spent many years writing articles for various publications - most of them relating to music and entertainment. Back in 2000, a Regina-based weekly called The Prairie Dog wanted Belsito to write (amongst other articles) a preview of an upcoming concert by classic Canadian rock band Trooper. Being a last-minute sorta guy, Belsito whipped up a very short (and not necessarily well-written) teaser for the upcoming show. Late night writing under a tight deadline sometimes produces odd results. This particular article first showed up in the archive section of the Trooper's website. The article has since been given a place of prominance on the webpage. To find out what Trooperitis is, click here. To see the highlighted image on the site, click here. (August 22/06) For more NEWS, click here. If you would like to receive brief updates and live performance notices by email, send your name and email address to chrisbelsito@hotmail.com.