Interview: Bella's Bartok 7/10/2014

Words by Kiera Magnetti.

Bella’s Bartok are a dance-y sextet from Northampton, Massachusetts also scheduled to play Root Camp Friday July 11th. They have played all around Vermont: in Burlington, Montpelier and Brattleboro. “Everyone [in Vermont] is excited and super positive all the time,” says bassist Asher Putnam. “There are listeners from very diverse backgrounds and we’re one of the honored few that people there consider ‘good music.’”

While the group did not take part in the first festival put on by The Root Center and Big Heavy, they are looking forward to their show tomorrow. “It seems like there will be some great community building,” says Putnam. “And we’re definitely supporters; a couple of us are farmers as well.”

Bella’s Bartok started performing at festivals in 2012, and have played six this past year. According to Putnam, the band tries to play as many festivals as they can. “There is more of a sense of community than at venues or at a bar,” he says. This show will not be the band's first show at a farm, either. “We played last Tuesday in a broken down barn,” recalls Putnam. “I think this show will be less pressure than a larger festival—it’s just people having fun and dancing, and you’re not so worried about selling merch and that kind of thing.”

Bella’s Bartok just returned from a show in Canada, and in August they hit the road again. “We’ll be heading down to New Orleans and hitting everything in between,” says Putnam. They are also scheduled to play Otis Mountain Getdown in September. Check out their “unplugged” set a Root Camp this weekend, and get more info on their upcoming tour dates at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bellas-Bartok/26862461226.