Andrew Belle Live at SOhO!

Chicago-based Andrew Belle has made a name for himself as one of our more compelling songwriters since releasing his debut album The Ladder in 2010. Though that album held strong at number one for several weeks on iTunes’s singer-songwriter chart and earned dozens of television and film licenses, Belle boldly followed a new muse on the album’s electronic, alternative follow-up, Black Bear. His third and latest album Dive Deep doubles down on the ethereal electronic sound of Black Bear, and sees Belle pushing himself to new depths as a songwriter, a vocalist, and a composer. Soaring choruses and moody arrangements abound on Dive Deep, a thoughtfully crafted and deeply felt album that deserves consideration among peers like James Blake and Bon Iver.

Praytell was born to be a home for songs that didn’t fit the clean lines of our other projects. It was born because we wanted a musical voice that didn’t have to follow the rules.

Mixing nostalgic harmonies and poetic lyrics that we can’t help but sing, with electronic mood swings and funny true stories, Praytell is a collaboration between musical storytellers Jon Guerra & Valerie Strattan Guerra. Also, we’re married (to each other!).

Valerie’s been a clinical social worker in Chicago, working with refugees for the last nine years. Jon is the son of immigrant parents from Cuba and Argentina. Praytell knows as well as anybody that the world doesn’t need another cute folk duo. Love, life, and longing is anything but cute when you get down to it. But that doesn’t mean it can’t feel good. We’ll still be singing about breakups, Brooklyn, and bettin’ the farm. It’s all a journey.

We are Praytell: storytellers, troubadours, partners in croon.

Listen in. Praytell has something to sing. And we sing it better together.