The melodic Irish pop-rock band Bell X1 started out as Juniper, a group which also featured schoolmate Damien Rice. But when Rice departed after one EP, the band pressed on, changing its name in honor of the plane that Chuck Yeager flew to break the sound barrier.
In 2002, Bell X1 reconvened with pop star and producer Jamie Cullum to record what would become Music in Mouth. The band then toured Europe opening for Keane, Starsailor, Aqualung and Snow Patrol, and saw its songs appear on several TV shows, including The O.C.. Its follow-up, 2005's Flock, made its debut at No. 1 on the Irish pop charts, but wasn't released stateside until February of this year.
A young female student in the audience had driven three hours from Blacksburg, Va., to see the group. Originally from Ireland, she said she had to "fight for tickets" to see Bell X1 in her homeland. "Tonight, I was 20 feet from them," she said after this intimate Mountain Stage performance.
This segment originally ran July 22, 2008.
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