Benny Sizzler: Boston Phoenix

By Brett Milano

IF YOU HAPPENED TO SEE BELLY in 1996, or L7 a year later, you just had to notice the bass player: Gail Greenwood was a heavy-metal vision in leather, and even on Belly’s most ethereal numbers you could catch her dropping to her knees and shaking her hair, which was then dyed a tasteful shade of aquamarine.

Greenwood was a Providence punk rocker before Tanya Donelly brought her into Belly, and she’s lately gone back to where she once belonged. She and her boyfriend, singer/bassist Chil Mott (from the ’90s punk band One Ton Shotgun), have formed a new band, Benny Sizzler; bringing along drummer Gene Severens (Greenwood’s pre-Belly bandmate from Boneyard) and guitarist Terry Linehan (who’s done some fill-in work with Green Day). Greenwood’s put down the bass and picked up the guitar, and the results are pretty much what you’d expect from this crew: fast and fun, old-school punk with big hooks, plus one tune ("Don’t Fuck Up My Buzz") that would get them red-carpeted at the Abbey Lounge or on the Warped Tour. That song and three others can be downloaded free off the band’s website, bennysizzler.com.

Greenwood’s last major-label gig happened last year, playing bass with Canadian alt-rock star Bif Naked, and she’s not sure if she’ll be going down that route again. "I always think I’m gonna retire, but I always wind up in another band," she says from her home in Middleblob, RI. "I know that Courtney Love is looking for people so maybe her management will give me a call; they did last time but I was busy with Bif. Right now I feel like devoting myself to this band and seeing if we can keep playing for awhile. But of course, we’ll see what happens when they get rid of the kid they’ve got playing bass in Metallica."

Even in her major-label days, Greenwood never gave up her Providence address. And she’s got no complaints about starting up in the small clubs again. "I’ve played every size venue. Even in the Belly days we might be opening for U2 one week, then we’d get to Morgantown, West Virginia, and be back in the clubs. We haven’t even sent a Benny Sizzler demo to any labels — we’re not sure if we want to be dancing with the record-label man again. It might pollute the experience of having fun playing stupid rock music."

Benny Sizzler are playing the Met in Providence June 28. And Greenwood admits that her stage presence hasn’t changed much: "I can only do that ’80s metal schtick, I don’t know anything else. Really, when I was touring with Bif Naked I decided I’d try to be prettier and nice. So I’m thinking I look all girly and feminine; then I go into the bathroom and hear some chick saying, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that ’80s dude they’ve got playing bass.’ "

On to the really important question: what color is Greenwood’s hair nowadays? "Let’s see — I already did red, white, and blue in Belly; that’s when I was crazy for freedom. Right now it’s brown and stripey, with some white in it; it looks like Sebastian Bach as an old guy. I’m really a cross between Sebastian Bach and Zakk Wylde, and that’s pretty scary."






	By Brett Milano IF YOU HAPPENED TO SEE BELLY in 1996, or L7 a year later, you just had to notice the bass player: Gail Greenwood was a heavy-metal vision in leather, and even on Belly’s most ethereal numbers you could catch her dropping to her knees and shaking her hair, which was then dyed a tasteful shade of aquamarine. Greenwood was a Providence punk rocker before Tanya Donelly brought her into Belly, and she’s lately gone back to where she once belonged. She and her boyfriend, singer/bassist Chil Mott (from the ’90s punk band One Ton Shotgun), have formed a new band, Benny Sizzler; bringing along drummer Gene Severens (Greenwood’s pre-Belly bandmate from Boneyard) and guitarist Terry Linehan (who’s done some fill-in work with Green Day). Greenwood’s put down the bass and picked up the guitar, and the results are pretty much what you’d expect from this crew: fast and fun, old-school punk with big hooks, plus one tune ("Don’t Fuck Up My Buzz") that would get them red-carpeted at the Abbey Lounge or on the Warped Tour. That song and three others can be downloaded free off the band’s website, bennysizzler.com. Greenwood’s last major-label gig happened last year, playing bass with Canadian alt-rock star Bif Naked, and she’s not sure if she’ll be going down that route again. "I always think I’m gonna retire, but I always wind up in another band," she says from her home in Middleblob, RI. "I know that Courtney Love is looking for people so maybe her management will give me a call; they did last time but I was busy with Bif. Right now I feel like devoting myself to this band and seeing if we can keep playing for awhile. But of course, we’ll see what happens when they get rid of the kid they’ve got playing bass in Metallica." Even in her major-label days, Greenwood never gave up her Providence address. And she’s got no complaints about starting up in the small clubs again. "I’ve played every size venue. Even in the Belly days we might be opening for U2 one week, then we’d get to Morgantown, West Virginia, and be back in the clubs. We haven’t even sent a Benny Sizzler demo to any labels — we’re not sure if we want to be dancing with the record-label man again. It might pollute the experience of having fun playing stupid rock music." Benny Sizzler are playing the Met in Providence June 28. And Greenwood admits that her stage presence hasn’t changed much: "I can only do that ’80s metal schtick, I don’t know anything else. Really, when I was touring with Bif Naked I decided I’d try to be prettier and nice. So I’m thinking I look all girly and feminine; then I go into the bathroom and hear some chick saying, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that ’80s dude they’ve got playing bass.’ " On to the really important question: what color is Greenwood’s hair nowadays? "Let’s see — I already did red, white, and blue in Belly; that’s when I was crazy for freedom. Right now it’s brown and stripey, with some white in it; it looks like Sebastian Bach as an old guy. I’m really a cross between Sebastian Bach and Zakk Wylde, and that’s pretty scary."