Check Out Raquel Bell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Raquel Bell.

Raquel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story began when I was a baby and my parents took me to the movies. I enthusiastically started imitating the chickens on the screen and everyone in the theatre clapped. Soon after I saw my older sister dancing in her school talent show and I walked onto the stage and started dancing too. The song was “Twist And Shout”. Nothing could keep me off of the stage then or now. I moved to New York City and started my career as a professional singer and musician. I lived in NYC for almost 12 years where I did experimental dance, painted, wrote books, toured with bands, and learned what it was like to be an artist. Since I grew up in the Redwood forest with goats and bears for neighbors, it was important for me to spend time in the city and learn all of the magical things the world had to offer. My older and wiser friends showed me how to “not look like a musician” and dress up and go to parties and galleries. I learned to watercolor and experiment with different mediums. I tackled some of my anxiety and shyness and the fine arts became my life.

Later I moved to Texas and flew back and forth to New York to tour with my bands. Austin was a great place to meet incredible musicians. In Austin I met Lisa Cameron, a legendary drummer, and had the great fortune of playing and recording with her. And it was there I met Primary Mystical Experience and we started Galecstasy. Galecstasy is a recording/performance duo. We make records, play improvised music, experiment with synthesizers, and we make multimedia installations and films.

Today I live in Los Angeles, the city where my grandparents lived and where I spent many joyful days as a child. I live near Lincoln Park where I have been feeding the ducks since before I could talk. I compose and record synthesizer music as LEAFBLOWER. I play in Galecstasy and Blizz Trio. I play alto flute and a West African instrument called the balafon that was made by my bandmate, Aboubacar Sylla, and his family. I also like to make my own instruments like the “Bell Ball” and I like to make experimental dance films. One of my greatest challenges is that I have to sleep! Otherwise I would be making artwork or rehearsing every second of every day.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have been lucky to have had two other interviews with Voyage and I think the first one tackles this: https://voyagela.com/interview/check-out-raquel-bell/

I can confidently say there are no smooth roads on planet Earth. I don’t think we come here for vacation. Everyone has their own personal challenges and there are societal challenges as well. I suffered from a traumatic childhood that created strange ailments as I grew older. Because of this I went on a quest for spiritual knowledge and studied the healing arts. I became a yogi, Reiki master, Shaman, Tarot reader, student of the I Ching, sacred geometry, channeler and on and on.

The big difference for me is that I stopped looking at life as a series of problems and started looking at my problems as a series of TESTS. I started to get wise about my own personal power and what I was choosing to hold onto or let go of. As artists in America we suffer from constant judgement from our families and society. We don’t get 401K’s or follow a path that leads to certainty. It is hard to be an artist and it is easy to feel like a victim. This is a test. All artists and musicians have had to face this test. Only the work itself is a remedy for the pain of feeling reduced or marginalized.

Another big change happened when I learned about the importance of ATTITUDE. I may or may not have had a very large dose of psychedelic medicine that showed me that my own thoughts interact with everything around me. I saw that my happy thoughts made the plants bright green and happy and my negative thoughts made them wilt and turn grey. I literally saw I had control over my immediate surroundings. It was MY JOB to make my thoughts and words wonderful no matter how challenging things had become. Of course I had to practice and I am never perfect at it. I do catch myself being a jerk and I have to check myself.

There were many horrible events that I faced such as nearly dying, having everything in my recording studio stolen, losing my house during the pandemic, and dealing with various forms of PTSD. Everyone struggles. I have learned so much and now I really love to share what I have learned with others. I do Tarot readings, I teach a Mystery School of the Arts about sacred teachings around the Medicine Wheel. I made a deck of oracle cards to help people with PTSD or to give little tips about vibrant living. I also teach a class called Astrology Ballet. It is totally awesome. If you are a reader who would like to work with me on a problem I would love to work with you. Please reach out.

I would like to add that of all the things that I have learned the most powerful tool we all have is meditation. Specifically sitting in the lotus flower position like a little pyramid and focusing on breathing. Even doing this for five minutes in the morning or before bed will considerably change your life. Even though we think of ourselves as different than plants or animals, which we are, we are still connected to nature in ways that few comprehend. When we sit on the Earth with our body in the shape of a pyramid we are connecting to the natural shape of things and allowing for our field to balance out without doing anything at all! If you are having a hard time please try meditation for one month and see if anything changes.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
This year is thrilling because I have a record coming out that is dear to my heart. The record is called Wattzotica and it is the Galecstasy & Mike Watt trio. Mike Watt is a famous bass player who started the band the Minutemen with D. Boon in 1980, the year I was born. I learned to play bass by watching Mike Watt; he is just a really incredible bass player. His energy and the legendary magic of the late D. Boon is SO INSPIRING. If you have never seen the Jam Econo documentary it is a must watch. It is also rad to be part of a legacy of music that comes from California. The music on the album is mostly instrumental, VERY groovy. Jared Marshall’s drumming is gorgeous. This is my first vinyl release (my other records are on cassette tape) which is a huge achievement. I play synthesizer-keys on the record as well as percussion and I sing on one track. The music is improvised but honestly it was so effortless to play together that maybe it was actually channeled. The day we finished recording a rattlesnake curled up in a perfect spiral in the doorway of our house a couple of feet away from where Watt was sitting. The snake was so peaceful and relaxed. I knew at that moment we had made a great record.

Another great thing about the recording project with Mike Watt is that we have been inviting drummer Lisa Cameron to come join in our group. I had a feeling that Watt would adore her as much as Jared and I do and sure enough she is a great fit. So the trio has become a quartet and we have more recordings on the way. This February 27th 2026 the quartet will be live at 2220 Arts + Archives in Los Angeles.

If you are interested in hearing the record it will be on the Galecstasy bandcamp page: https://galecstasy.bandcamp.com/album/wattzotica

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I LOVE L.A. I am not a hater. And to those who hate, shame on you.
L.A. is like no other place in the world. As a city it is totally unique. We have the incredible influence of our Native Californian history as well as our Mexican heritage. California was Mexico not very long ago. Many families in Los Angeles are Spanish speaking. People from all over the world make their home in Los Angeles creating a very multi-cultural identity. As an artist this is very good because there is no limit to what we can learn here.

What I love most about Los Angeles is that the plants here are so beautiful. California fan palms are native palm trees and they are magnificent. Recently I went to the park and picked olives and wild black mustard greens to eat. We are so lucky that citrus and fruits grow so easily. After these rains there will be a huge bloom of nasturtiums, then all of the geraniums will explode with color, then the roses will be radiant. Just take a walk in Los Angeles and you will see the most beautiful plants.

I could go on a rant about the many problems we face as Angelinos, but for today I will just say that we have something really special here. I hope that we can continue to rebuild an infrastructure after the fires that works for EVERYONE not just the very rich. I wish for HEALTH and NATURE to be central in the rebuilding of our city.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.raquelbell.com
• Instagram: @raquelbell101
• Facebook: @galecstasy.sounds
• Other: www.galecstasy.com

Image Credits
Natalja Kent Lara Milhazes Charlie McGovern