Kittin: Bel named us. BellaWyck means "Beautiful Witch".

CG: You cite the musical style of BellaWyck as Celtic, Earthy, Bluesy, Romantic, Hindu, among other influences. How do you tie these diverse styles together?

Jennie:  Hey, you know we just naturally rock, you know, it comes sooooooo easy!

Kittin: Yes, We'll be doing all different types of music. I don't really know how it's tied together.  We just do what we love and hope people love it to...We have fun together.

CG: Who writes your songs? What were the reasons for doing covers of "Strange Brew" and "Summertime"?

Jennie: Bel writes the original ones, and we cover a bunch, but make them our own! I am working on a Blues/Rap thingie called "Pagan Posse" right now.

Kittin: Bel writes the originals. But we would like to write some of our own as well in the future.  "Summertime" has been a favorite of mine for years; it touches my soul when I sing it. I love it!

Bel:  I do love to write, from my time with SONA and even before that with other bands, and even now beyond that and into solo projects.   The covers that we do, as BellaWyck, we choose carefully.  And since you've asked, "Strange Brew" was written by Gail Collins Pappalardi & Eric Clapton, and "Summertime" by Gershwin, as a lullaby for the Opera "Porgy and Bess."  They just seemed fitting for us, just like "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby" by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch.  That song was the sultry one the sirens sang in "O Brother Where Art Thou," and the gals turned me on to it.  Very very cool.  I'm hoping we can do some of the new Alison Krauss/Robert Plant stuff, too....Robert Plant is my musical Deity, by the way.

CG: Tell me about the Hindu chants you sing, i.e., “Om Asatoma”, “Tumare Darshan”, and “Om Namo”. Why did you pick these and what meaning do they have for you?

Jennie: Bel picked these songs. She is really into Hindu chants and I think we do a great job of harmonizing and dancing to these ditties!

Kittin:  These are beautiful chants that Bel found. They go very well with our voices together and they add a nice Om and centering to the group I think.

Bel:  Actually, an insightful friend of mine named Ben turned me on to a version of the chant "Tumare Darshan" by Deva Premal, and I fell in love with it, as I'm fairly certain he knew I would.  In the chant, it mentions the word, or name, Béla, which is my daughter's name, even though in Hindi it probably doesn't mean the same thing.  (It means bright or shining in Hungarian, which is the meaning of it as we know it.)  I then discovered all of these other very captivating Hindu chants, which I felt very drawn to, to say the least.  They are very entrancing.

CG: Can you describe the aspects of Women’s Spirituality that are found in your music and performances? Is the message of your music mostly directed toward women or men, or both?

Jennie: I think our message is directed to both women and men; however, we do have the whole "va-jine" thing going on, so lots of chicks dig what we do!

Kittin: It's directed to whomever it finds. Women like us because we're all pretty groovy chicks and I think men for the same reason.

Bel:  Both, definitely.  I feel that this Universe is very dual, in every way.  I'm pretty inspired by Mary Magdalene, though.

(And just remember to pronounce it "vah-gzheene!")

CG: Why do you think belly dancing is so popular among NeoPagans these days? Do you consider your group more of a musical band or a belly dancing troupe?

Jennie: I am the only one who dances in the group currently and just to the Om Namo chant. The song is very sensual itself when Bel sings it, so it makes it fun to dance to. I danced in a troupe for 3 years before I had my baby and picked it up again for this group. The song is very slow, so we don't perform it at every venue. Kinda depends on the crowd and mood of the venue.

Kittin:  I think it's popular because it's a bitchen' ass dance, It's sexy! I would like to learn to Belly Dance as well. Jenny Belly dances. Bel and I not so much...YET!

Bel: I think any kind of dance is an important form of expression!  Of course, it is always awesome to have Jennie out there doing her thang.  She is an incredible dancer.  She rules.  And she really adds a lot to the group with her personality.  The world will see what I mean when they get to know her. ;-)

CG: Beltana, you also go by the craft moniker of Spellsinger. You’ve said that Beltana is from Beltane, which is your birthday-- but can you elaborate any on the meaning behind “Spellsinger”?

Bel: A friend of mine gifted me with that designation.  I only use it on rare occasion.  I feel honored to be able to sort of… "belong" to it, when I feel I can claim to.  I think it was said that I was singing spells. ;-)

Jennie: I seem to have a never ending energy source that must replenish from some cosmic spiraling galaxy...no I am just a little hyperactive according to my doctor!! I am pretty much always ready to perform. I love being on stage. I spent about 5 years in various musicals and have spent the last 3 years singing Blue Grass at festival with my father in law, but am focusing on BellaWyck now.

Jennie: I play a few songs on the fiddle. Two years of lessons isn't a drop in the bucket for the amount of practice it takes to play the fiddle well. You will probably never hear "Devil Went Down To Georgia" from us....however; Michelle said we could do a kick ass duet of "Boil the Cabbage Down" next time she plays with us. I can handle that one!