My guilty pleasure has always been cartoons, with my favorites being, of course, SpongeBob SquarePants, Futurama, and Rick and Morty. So, you can imagine my very pleasant surprise when I went to see a show in New York City with a wildly talented bill that listed my good friend, Ella Galvin, along with Rly Blonde and Belle and Chain, whose lead vocalist is Spencer Grammer - otherwise known as Summer Smith from Rick and Morty.

I didn't put two and two together that the lead vocalist of Belle and Chain was also the voice of Summer Smith until I started chatting with Grammer and guitarist Davis IL after the show. Based in Los Angeles, the pair let me know they would be back to headline a show in April at Manhattan's Arlene's Grocery, a beloved venue of local fame that has hosted some massive names in the early stages of their career - Lana Del Rey, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, the list goes on. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to see them again.

Belle And Chain Absolutely Lit Up Arlene's Grocery

They Could be Next in Line to Break Out After Lana Del Rey and The Strokes

Less than a year into the project, Spencer Grammer and Davis IL have already hit the ground running, playing live shows in a series of local mini-tours across Los Angeles and New York City. Based in LA, Belle and Chain have already made a name for themselves in New York with just a handful of shows under their belt and more already planned out, including a show at another iconic Manhattan venue, The Bowery Electric, on June 26th. Given just how electrifying their shows really are, though, that momentum is hardly a surprise.

The self-described goth-Americana-Western-glam-rock duo play their live shows with help from different musicians depending on whether they're in NYC or LA, but regardless of the coast, Grammer and IL always bring the energy. Their set list consists primarily of originals with two or three covers which they absolutely make their own. I found myself feeling truly immersed in their sound, tapping my feet and longing to memorize their poetic lyrics so that next time I could sing along.

The self-described goth-Americana-Western-glam-rock duo play their live shows with help from different musicians depending on whether they're in NYC or LA.

Belle and Chain started out as a collaboration between Grammer and Portuguese musician Jyme, but when Jyme moved back to Portugal around the time Grammer started playing with IL, it was sweet serendipity. Seemingly a musical match made in heaven, IL says of Grammer, "She's up there kind of telling a story with each song, and she's really making it intentional to put on a show." Seeing them perform, it's not just Grammer telling the story, but the two of them together putting on a show with a cinematic kind of intention.

Their Single "Don't You Worry, Babe" Will Be The First From Their Album

A Live Video Performance of the Track Gives Us a Taste of What's to Come

"Don't You Worry, Babe" was actually written before the conception of the band name, Belle and Chain, and the track's overall sound played a pretty big role in naming the band. Spencer Grammer wanted her music to be a separate project from her acting career and the name she had already made for herself; she did not want to be introduced on stage as "Spencer Grammer." She thus took to brainstorming a name based on the Western cinematic sound she had curated with the song "Don't You Worry, Babe" and the lyrics she had written to accompany that sound.

Grammer was thinking out loud with her former bandmate, Jyme, when she had the idea for Belle and Chain: "[Jyme said] let's put the old ball and chain in there, and I'm like, no, that lyric sucks." She was, however, intrigued by the word 'chain,' which clearly matched the Western gothic aesthetic of "Don't You Worry, Babe." Grammer continued, "What if it's like chain, like flower chain, or what about Belle and Chain?" and the moment the idea left her lips, the resonant connections began overflowing, and the name just stuck.

Once Davis IL arrived on the scene, the band's name began to take even more shape, bending itself around their shared glam rock aesthetic, complete with a seemingly endless supply of glitter and sparkles.

Once Davis IL arrived on the scene, the band's name began to take even more shape, bending itself around their shared glam rock aesthetic, complete with a seemingly endless supply of glitter and sparkles. Grammer and IL are diligently working towards their goal of releasing their debut album by the end of this year, with roughly half a dozen songs done so far, all of which they played during their Arlene's Grocery set. Seeing each of those originals played live, suffice it to say, I'm certainly counting down the days until Belle and Chain's music is at my fingertips.