Jenny Silverstein • Poplife

A Hellbender is a tough-looking lizard that secretes a greasy substance. If you tried to get a grip on it, it would probably slip right through your fingers.  At least that’s what the Chapel Hill trio of the same name says.  Webster’s definition of a giant, primitive, edible salamander with lidless eyes is, perhaps, less evocative.

Either way, Hell-bender, the band, manages to produce quite a noise from a drumkit, guitar, bass and a single effect pedal.  “Any band worth its salt has only one effect,” said Wells Tower, the group’s guitarist. “One distortion pedal and really crappy speakers.”

Hellbender has been compared to groups on labels such as Dischord, in Washington, D.C., and Lookout, a California label that features the group Operation Ivy, a personal favorite of both Tower and Al Burian, who sings, plays bass and writes for the band.

The band’s audience ranges from skaters wearing XXL pants to Minor Threat fans and beyond, and its blend of aggression and melody bridges the gap between current indie-label genres.

“It’s heartening when we play hardcore shows and people stop beating each other up and dance,” Tower said.

Hellbender is about to embark on its”Rig Your Own Life” tour, which will play in basements and garages throughout America. A single featuring “Clocked Out” and “Couch” will be out soon, released by Behemoth Sound, a New York label.

In comparing the upcoming release with the group’s first release, a 7-inch that came out last year, drummer Harrison Haynes said, “The last single was like drinking Everclear, and the new one is like a fine Scotch. It still hits you with the same power, with just a little more tang.”

The bandmates met when they were in fifth grade and picked instruments based upon who “looked coolest” with each one. They split, reformed and split again throughout their school years.

They started playing “for fun” again once they were all in college.

“We write our songs to keep ourselves smiling” said Tower.

(In addition to music, the members of Hellbender are responsible for a fanzine entitled “Foodbox,” witt. material ranging from the story of both Tower’s and Burian’s tooth extractions to a recipe for

“Lemon Lush.” They welcome inquiries; write to them at 307 Blueridge Road, Carrboro, N.C. 27510.)