Grizzly Bear (band)

Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band currently on Warp Records.

Grizzly Bear consists of Daniel Rossen (songwriting/guitar), Ed Droste (songwriting/guitar), 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 indie 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.

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 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.

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.

In summer 2008, Grizzly Bear opened for Radiohead on the second leg of their US tour.

Discography

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

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.

New Album
Since early summer 2008, Grizzly Bear have been recording their full length follow up to the Friend EP. Grizzly Bear have debuted four new songs; "Two Weeks," "While You Wait For the Others," "Fine For Now," and an untitled song. They have performed two of them on late night national television shows The Late Show with Conan O'Brien and David Letterman, respectively.
They've spent several weeks recording at Allaire Studios in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York.

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. The band opened for Radiohead on the second leg of their North American tour of summer 2008.. In Toronto, on their last date of the tour together, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood spoke of his love for Grizzly Bear, on stage.

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.

Television appearances

• April 22, 2007 – Grizzly Bear performed on Last Call with Carson Daly
• May 2007 – Characters on Gilmore Girls mentioned Grizzly Bear on a season finale episode.
• October 2007 – The song "On a Neck, On a Spit" was featured on an episode of Reaper
• February 2008 – Grizzly Bear's song "Knife" was featured in the season premiere of the UK programme Skins.
• March 06, 2008 – Grizzly Bear performed on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
• April 21, 2008 – Grizzly Bear performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
• July 23, 2008 - Grizzly Bear performed on Late Show with David Letterman

References

External links

• Official website
• 2007 Grizzly Bear Interview at Bandega.com
• Pitchfork Record Review of Yellow House
• Grizzly Bear on Kanine Records
• Interview (10/2005)
• Live video of Grizzly Bear at scheduletwo.com
• Review of Friend EP
• Grizzly Bear promo for "Central and Remote" and interview with director Jesse Ewles
• Daniel Rossen's cover of JoJo's "Too Little Too Late"