Grizzly Bear (band)

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Grizzly Bear
C. Bear, D. Rossen, E. Droste, C. Taylor
C. Bear, D. Rossen, E. Droste, C. Taylor
Background information
Origin Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genre(s) Psych-folk[1]
Neo-psychedelia[2]
Experimental rock[3]
Lo-fi[4][5]
Years active 2004–present
Label(s) Kanine, Warp
Associated acts Department of Eagles, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
Website www.grizzly-bear.net
Members
Daniel Rossen
Christopher Bear
Ed Droste
Chris Taylor

Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band currently on Warp Records and consists of Daniel Rossen (songwriting/guitar/vocals/keyboards), Ed Droste (songwriting/guitar/vocals/keyboards), Chris Taylor (bass/woodwinds/electronics/vocals) and Christopher Bear (drums/vocals). The band employs traditional and electronic instruments, ranging from a recorder to a laptop, and all four members contribute vocals. Their sound is categorized as experimental rock, folk rock, or just rock, and is most dominated by the use of acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies. The band is one of the few non-electronic artists signed to Warp Records. Rossen is also a member of the duo Department of Eagles.

Contents

[edit] History

Grizzly Bear's 2004 debut album, Horn of Plenty, features myriad sounds and layering of voices. It was largely the solo effort of Droste and predates the formation of the band, which has been dubbed anti-folk, freak folk, lo-fi, or just indie rock. Rolling Stone magazine wrote of the first album that "The pure atmospheric power of the songs is more than enough to hypnotize." In 2005, the band re-released the album with an additional disc of remixes by Solex, The Double, Castanets, Final Fantasy, Soft Pink Truth, Dntel and others.

Their first record as a quartet and to feature material written by Rossen, Yellow House, was released on Warp Records in September 2006. It was named for Droste's mother's house where it was recorded[6] and ranked as one of the top albums of 2006 by the New York Times and Pitchfork Media. In 2007, Rossen recorded a cover of JoJo's single "Too Little Too Late" for Droste's twenty-ninth birthday[7]. In 2006 the band did a Take-Away Show session with Vincent Moon.

Also in 2007, the band released Friend, an EP which features outtakes, alternate versions of songs, and covers of Grizzly Bear material done by Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS), Band of Horses, and Atlas Sound. In addition, members of the Dirty Projectors and Beirut collaborated with the band on "Alligator" and the EP's hidden track.

On March 1, 2008, Grizzly Bear performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra[8].

In summer 2008, Grizzly Bear opened for Radiohead on the second leg of their North American tour. In Toronto, on their last date of the tour together, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood spoke of his love for Grizzly Bear, on stage, calling them his favorite band. [9] Of the experience, Taylor has commented: “It was shocking, and kind of unbelievable. It still is unbelievable. Opening for Radiohead was a huge honour for us, as a band and as individuals. We’ve all had long-term relationships with Radiohead’s music, so we didn’t want to take that opportunity for granted, and do anything less than the best we could." [10] Christopher has also commented that it "was like a dream."[11]

Bear has said that compared to Yellow House, the band's 2009 release Veckatimest is more of an accessible pop record. He said: "I think that it’s kinda clearer, clearer equals more accessible I feel like clearer equals more accessible in general as a rule." [12]

[edit] Discography

Album cover for Yellow House the band's 2006 album
Title Release date Label Notes
Horn of Plenty November 9, 2004 Kanine Records Debut album
Horn of Plenty (The Remixes) 2005 Kanine Records Remix album
Sorry for the Delay April 9, 2006 Audraglint Limited release album
"On a Neck, On a Spit" (single) August 21, 2006 Warp Records Digital download
Yellow House September 5, 2006 Warp Records Second studio full-length album
"Knife" (single) May 21, 2007 Warp Records 7" single
Friend (EP) November 5, 2007 Warp Records EP with remixes
"Live On KCRW" (single) April 18, 2009 Warp Records 7" single
Veckatimest May 26, 2009 Warp Records Third studio full-length album

The unreleased song "Blackcurrant Jam" appeared on Worried Noodles, a compilation by David Shrigley released by TOMLAB on October 23, 2007. The song "Don't Ask" from Horn of Plenty appeared on a 7" in Tomlab Records' Alphabet Series.

[edit] Collaboration, tours, and notable appearances

In November 2007, the band released their EP Friend on Warp Records. The EP features collaborations with the Dirty Projectors and Beirut, as well as covers of Grizzly Bear songs by Cansei de Ser Sexy, Atlas Sound and Band of Horses.

Grizzly Bear has toured with TV on the Radio (U.S., October 2006) and Feist (U.S., June 2007). In April 2008 Paul Simon asked Grizzly Bear to play with him for five nights during his month long residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, showcasing songs from his career.[13] The band opened for Radiohead on the second leg of their North American tour of summer 2008.[14]

Some notable concerts and music festivals in which Grizzly Bear has performed include the Coachella Music Festival (Indio, California, April 29, 2007); the Sasquatch Music Festival (George, Washington, May 26, 2007); the Roskilde Festival (Roskilde, Denmark, July 7, 2007); and the Pitchfork Music Festival (Chicago, July 14, 2007). On November 3, 2007 the band played as a part of the Wordless Music Series at the New York Society for Ethical Culture center. The show was later ranked by Stereogum.com as their Favorite Live Show of 2007. On March 1, 2008 Grizzly Bear played at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The first half of the show featured the orchestra playing selections hand-picked by Grizzly Bear while Grizzly Bear followed with a full set of their own songs. They also played at the 2008 Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, Illinois and the 2009 Bonnaroo Music Festival.

In 2009, they played at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on February 28 with Owen Pallett, backed by an orchestra arranged by Nico Muhly and conducted by Michael Christie. They played new songs from Veckatimest as well as songs from Yellow House. Ed Droste has stated that many songs (such as "Central and Remote", "Reprise" and "Campfire") will not be played again unless backed by an orchestra. In March of 2009, they played two showcases at South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas at the Central Presbyterian Church (Austin, Texas) and the Cedar Street Courtyard.

[edit] Television appearances

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.foxytunes.com/artist/grizzly_bear
  2. ^ http://www.foxytunes.com/artist/grizzly_bear
  3. ^ http://www.foxytunes.com/artist/grizzly_bear
  4. ^ http://www.foxytunes.com/artist/grizzly_bear
  5. ^ http://www.rhapsody.com/grizzly-bear
  6. ^ LA Weekly Interview
  7. ^ Pitchfork Forkcast: New Music: Daniel Rossen [of Grizzly Bear]: "Too Little Too Late" (JoJo cover) [MP3/Stream]
  8. ^ Grizzly Bear and LA Philharmonic Set March Performance : ALARM Magazine - Music & Art Beyond Comparison
  9. ^ http://thequietus.com/articles/00334-radiohead-speak-of-love-for-grizzly-bear
  10. ^ ClashMusic.com Grizzly Bear Interview
  11. ^ Musicfeeds.com.au Grizzly Bear - Cover Story
  12. ^ http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2009/05/tlobf-interview-grizzly-bear/
  13. ^ Musicfeeds.com.au Grizzly Bear - Cover Story
  14. ^ Pitchfork.com: Grizzly Bear to open for Radiohead
  15. ^ Stereogum: Grizzly Bear's Gilmore Girls Moment

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Grizzly Bear
Christopher Bear · Ed Droste · Daniel Rossen · Chris Taylor
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
"On a Neck, On a Spit" · "Knife" · "Live on KCRW" · "Two Weeks"
Remix albums
Associated acts
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_Bear_(band)"
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