Three Imaginary Girls - Grizzly Bear

Recommended show + free tickets: CANT at the Triple Door {10/3}

imaginary victoria — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:28:03 +0000

Do you like Grizzly Bear?

Check out those videos! Yes. Of course you do.**

If you were stunned like we were when they came through town... what, a year or two ago now? and played that killer, visceral show at the Moore that felt like some kind of insane (yet calm and friendly) group-consciousness dream with all those crazy lanterns strung up all over the place -- then you're definitely not going to want to miss the show at the Triple Door next week: Chris Taylor {producer, multi-instrumentalist and contributing vocal-er to GB} is performing under the name CANT on Monday, October 3rd. All that trippy, ethereal bliss at one our favorite, dimly lit, seated-ly gorgeous venues? Yes, please!

Grizzly Bear at the Moore

heather b — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:23:37 +0000

16 Oct 2009

Imaginary Victoria: "Girl, if it says doors are at 8, that means Grizzly Bear goes on at 8."

Imaginary Heather: "Naw, there's an opening band and all the shows I've seen at the Moore lately have started at like 930...We don't gotta be there until 9."

Imaginary Victoria: "I dunno girl, <Someone> says that shows always start on time there. I'd hate to be late for that show. I'm just sayin'..."

Imaginary Heather: "Ok, ok, I don't want to miss anything either. I'll pick you up at 730."

Cut to me giving Victoria a VERY pointed look as we killed an hour and a half in the underground bar at the Moore on Friday night, just prior to the highly anticipated show. Heh. No bother, it gave us time to get a drink or three and people watch before the show. Lots of local musicians in the house. The doormen were playing Hipster Bingo, and Victoria and I both got a square for him: her for her star tattoos, me for my Parliaments. I think he won. We felt lame.

Grizzly Bear had what appeared to be a very subtle stage setup. About 50 glass bottles hung suspended from T-poles, a few were also scattered across the front of the stage. Very Tennessee Williams. Members of the band ambled on and offstage without a care in the world as the audience found their seats in the very crowded Moore theater. The room was so abuzz with anticipation, it was as if Sunny Day Real Estate wasn't playing across town or something. A drugged out dude danced up and down the aisles. Just prior to the start, Victoria leaned into me and said "This is gonna be awesome!".

And indeed it was. Dan Rossen's amazing and eerie voice filled the room on the first notes of "Southern Point" as the stage lights segued from red to yellow to purple. Big jangle on the guitar, although the sound was a bit muffled at first. Four-part harmonizing flawless, nice distortion on guitar, great buildup and sustain on drums. Rossen's voice rose pure and perfect over it all. The tension-filled song was a great way to begin Grizzly Bear's flawless set. Oh! All the little jars burst into light on the final note.

This was followed by the sultry "Cheerleader," beautifullly sung by Ed Droste. I love the modern-day Doo Wop style on this song, and Droste's androgynous voice has such a wounded elegance. Closely following was one of my favorites to hear live, "Lullabye". The orchestrations between flute, voice, xylophone and zither were simply unreal. Harmonies between Droste and Rossen were completely crystalline. Seriously, the whole group singing together was indescribable, especially on the refrain: "Chin Up Cheer Up". That whole song really gets to me and played live it's just beautiful mayhem. The stage was stark in a foreboding white light that lent an eerie, cultish feel to the ensemble, however as we were brought back down, warm light began tracking through the glass jars in time to the music. Nice.

Continuing, we got the Rossen-sung "Little Brother" containing some pretty fantastic guitar work, felt by every member of the audience on the deep, booming bridge. The live version contained a light touch on the percussion and that awesome guitar picking part was played to perfection. Nice additional vocals were provided by Droste and once again utterly perfect harmonies lent by all members of the band. Very swoony. These boys really have their shit together. To be honest, it's almost TOO perfect, if there could be such a thing. I guess I didn't see a lot of joy in their playing, or a lot of variation on any of the songs. But still, this may have been the venue as it's difficult to be as blown away at the Moore as you could be at a more intimate venue. I'm not complaining because the show was fucking impeccable. I'm not even going to get into "Knife" except to acknowledge that I wrote down "Vocals by Taylor: CHECK + + + +".

Even yet still more unfathomable beauty played out on "Fine For Now", with a great crash of guitar and drums and deep throbbing bass. The heart-swelling vocal combinations by Ed & Dan had me reeling. It ended with a nice wail and got quite rock n' roll at the close. But seriously? When I heard the opening keyboards to "Two Weeks," I squealed like a child: "OOOH! This one's mine!" I'd been waiting for...well, weeks to hear "Two Weeks" live, it's my favorite off of Veckatimest. Ed absolutely sighed his way through the whole song and it was marvelous, like hearing in slow motion. Great analog guitar and staccato keys punctuated the song to the abrupt end. And the crowd went wi-i-i-ld. Wow, we're not even halfway through the set.

The audience was thoroughly entranced by a very stripped down version of "Colorado" which could not have been more gorgeous. "Colorado" is always spellbinding but this was something else. The whole band busied themselves: Rossen singing and effecting the hell out of his guitar, Seattle's Chris Taylor on flute and clarinet, Droste providing echoey vocals and messing with a small synth. Drummer Chris Bear was actually providing the whistling effect when not adding percussive elements. At times I felt like I was underwater, then later it switched to a kind of subterranean funereal feel. Taylor was definitely the one to watch, as he switched from flute to clarinet to guitar and back to clarinet again. Again, I did wish that we were in a smaller venue, it's cuts like "Colorado" that really provide shock and awe in that setting. I guess the highly technical, theatrical element to the band and the music does translate somewhat in a setting like The Moore.

Following THAT, Droste "dedicated [this song] to Seattle" as Rossen on acoustic guitar gave us one of his solo works, the very simple "Deep Blue Sea". Rossen's voice just kills me, I've said it before but it has this fairy-tale quality that isn't altogether benign. It's hypnotic and other-worldly without being creepy, but you aren't exactly safe being alone with it either...it might make you do something illegal.

Further tracks in the set were the urgent and animated "Ready, Able" followed by "I Live With You" which I'm sure was written right after someone got back from a tour. Both were beautiful in tone and contained rich, swelling combinations and vocals. And oh, then "Foreground." Honestly, I don't want to use the phrase "trapped in a dream" but fuck it. We were trapped in a dream. How about I use the term "ethereal" somewhere too? The crowd went nuts, Imaginaries included. Finally nearing a close, we heard the album-quality "While You Wait for the Others", full of fat bass lines and great Crash! Boom! bits. The jarred lights were timed perfectly to illuminate off and on with the music, which must have really taken some serious skill to set up. Lastly and a little unexpectedly, the band finished with "On a Neck, On a Spit" which I love for all it's swooshy and crashy parts and that complete 180 the song takes in the middle. Bear was rocking the hell out of the drums with some seriously jaw-dropping rolls. Holy crap.

A well deserved standing ovation was offered as the band took a short break, before returning to perform the classic torch song "He Hit Me." Droste really stretched out the vocals on this one and that characteristic bass line was just wrenching. The whole band put everything into this one, with great bigness on the harmonies. I think one of the things that makes Grizzly Bear truly great is that as individuals, each member is tremendously talented in their own right and the focus isn't ever on any one member over another. When they come together as a group it's like some kind of massive musical explosion happens, even if it doesn't really create much of a mess.

1) Southern Point (Veckatimest)
2) Cheerleader (Veckatimest)
3) Lullabye (Yellow House)
4) Little Brother (Yellow House)
5) Knife (Yellow House)
6) Fine for Now (Veckatimest)
7) Two Weeks (Veckatimest)
8) Colorado (Yellow House)
9) Deep Blue Sea (Rossen Solo)
10) Ready, Able (Veckatimest)
11) I Live With You (Veckatimest)
12) Foreground (Veckatimest)
13) While You Wait for the Others (Veckatimest)
14) On a Neck, On a Spit (Yellow House)

E1) He Hit Me (Friend)

Recommended Show: Grizzly Bear at the Moore 10/16

heather b — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:47:16 +0000

16 Oct 2009

veckatimest.jpg

So...Grizzly Bear...Are you going? You bet your ass I am! Count this as one of my most highly recommended shows this fall. I have been waiting for months for this Friday's show and am quite literally bouncing in my seat in anticipation. I've seen Grizzly Bear play live several times and each show has been nothing short of staggering. Each and every band member is so full of talent and heart, and every show I've seen has contained one or more jaw-dropping elements in which I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

I wonder, are Grizzly Bear just a bunch of singularly spectacular musicians who happened to find each other, or are they all so good together as an ensemble? I'm tempted to believe the former, as each members solo work has been immensely successful as well. Either way, the music community is profoundly lucky that Grizzly Bear are together to make such beautiful, detailed compositions.

This tour is in support of the new album, Veckatimest. It contains heart-wrenching multi-part harmonies and a genuinely unreal approach to orchestration. I liken Grizzly Bear to modern day doo-wop mixed with a bit of torch thrown in for good measure. The vocal stylings are arresting, whether a song is being sung by Ed Drost, Dan Rossen or Chris Taylor. Their music is vastly different to anything else being produced these days, yet is still so very accessible and appealing. Quality-wise, they're on top both recorded and live. If you have a chance to make it out to Friday's show, don't hesitate. You won't be disappointed!

Big bad Sasquatch 2009 preview

Imaginary Shrie — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:25:56 +0000

Sasquatch 2009 is a mere two days away. Go see bands all three days, cheer your head off, drink some beer and/or smoke a joint. Get dirty campin' toes and sweat through your forehead bandanna (or brave kilt-lifting style winds like in 2007). Come back harried and skip out on work Tuesday. Recount every last moment, with positive embellishments, to anyone fool enough not to attend. Buy the tshirt and flaunt the shit out of it.

Here is your big bad SASQUATCH 2009 PREVIEW.

Giving in to Buzz Bands

Jon Harthun — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:38:50 +0000

In High Fidelity John Cusack admits, his "guts have shit for brains." Well, I'm starting to feel the same way.

Best of 2007: elle's favorite shows

elle — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:44:17 +0000

Being a regular contributor on here on TIG takes the show going experience from something you do on the weekends to part of your regular routine. I'll never forget shoving five shows in one week, or running from set to set during Bumbershoot trying to frantically interview all the local bands. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm here.

Very few shows I regret seeing, the vast majority were really good. But there's a distinct ten still stuck in my mind, shows I talk about to this day. The bands who made this list are not just comprised of musicians who stood up there and played -- these were performers who demonstrated how their band is more than a job or hobby, it's their lives. In each case they provided a memorable experience where I left feeling I'd just witnessed the most talented artists making music today.

Grizzly Bear: Not quite ferocious, but the bite stays with you

elle — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 04:03:53 +0000

6 Sep 2007

grizzlybear07sep.jpg

There's no telling how a night will turn out. First your friends are streaking through a park soccer game, and all is hilarious and well. But the door security at the night's show takes one look at them, decides they're too drunk to be let in, and the night starts to look bleak. Ah, don't feel too terrible about telling them "tough luck" and heading in alone, because there just might be another lone attendee who notices you and offers to share his pint [read: GIANT] Red Stripe.

The Red Stripe stranger divulges he's from Burlington, VA, which is explained as equidistant between the music capitals of Montreal, New York, and Chicago. Thus, "I'm spoiled when it comes to live music," he says. He's telling me this in response to what he thinks about second opener Deerhunter; I guess they just weren't good enough for his music snob tastes.

I had to somewhat agree at first; even as a fan of "wall of sound" type music, Deerhunter had so many "walls" they were on the verge of building a mansion. However, I think my out-of-state pal was a little too quick to judge -- beneath those pedaled guitars and barrage of bass, the band was weaving in minute details to keep things interesting. When they did give it a rest for a second, their subtler moments were just as intricate and well-executed.

I was also impressed the openers actually sounded like they sprung from the same vein as the headliner. Besides, if you're in, let's just say the right mindset, their music is phenomenal. I suppose Red Stripe guy was not convinced, because he didn't stick around after Deer Hunter. Too bad for him, because he would have had his mind blown away by the night's headliner, Grizzly Bear.

I don't even know where to begin for describing how amazing their performance was, honestly, but you aren't here reading this for a string of adjectives, so I'll attempt to put their show in words. What sounds like subdued, sleepy romance in recordings, their music translates to dynamic movements and layers upon layers of sounds that fit perfectly like puzzle pieces. With the amount of instrumentation going on in their songs, it would be extremely easy for someone who doesn't know what they're doing to create a mushy, incoherent sludge of songs. But Grizzly Bear is comprised of four professionals, who create extraordinary, detailed masterpieces.

Not to pinpoint only one member from four very talented musicians, but I have to discuss Chris Taylor. Possibly ADD, caffeine, cocaine, I don't know, something fuels this man as he frantically navigates the endless arrangement of peddles, tosses between a clarinet and a flute, sets up a loop pedal, then suddenly picks up the guitar. He even has time to join in on the chorus of vocals! A truly gifted artist, not only to listen to, but also to watch as he works his craft.

On a word about the chorus of vocals, I want to know how four unrelated people located each other to start a band full of beautifully harmonized vocal pop harmonies. Grizzly Bear is tighter than a barber shop quartet, their voices seemed to have been created specifically for singing together. Even live, they didn't miss a beat, everyone was perfectly on key, they were possibly fresher than a recording. Perhaps the most inappropriately named, "Lullabye" was the most rousing song of the set. The build-up created with the repetitious, "Chin up, Cheer up.." was enormous, you couldn't help but be carried away. They performed "Colorado" evoking an applause from the audience, due to it being considered too long to play at the string of festivals they played this summer. The last time they came around here was for a festival, Sasquatch. Their set was too light for the outdoor stage, the songs became carried away in the heavy winds. But enclosed within the walls of Neumo's [or were those still from Deer Hunter?], their music is full bodied and breath taking.

I wish we here at TIG gave numbered ratings to live show reviews just for this one, because I would definitely give Grizzly Bear's performance at least a 9.

I wish we here at TIG gave numbered ratings to live show reviews just for this one, because I would definitely give Grizzly Bear's performance at least a 9.

As Seen On TV: Bright Eyes, Amy Sedaris, PB&J, Patrick Wolf and more!

imaginary liz — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:33:20 +0000

This is the kind of week of late night TV I can get behind. Bright Eyes will be performing TWICE!

Atmosphere is Everything: A Sasquatch 2007 Manifesto

Phil Duncan — Wed, 30 May 2007 19:44:19 +0000

26 May 2007

longwinters07squatch.jpg

Having grown up within throwing distance of the Gorge, I have always felt a sort of familial connection with the venue. I have walked the streets of George and Quincy in November, when the amphitheatre is silent and the campground only echoes the Dionysian decadence of the summer months. I guess you could say I’m a little protective.

The Sasquatch festival is permanently etched in red ink on my calendar every year. The combination of having the music I love played in a place that I grew up holding sacred is bigger than Christmas for me. Seeing the bright colors of the Flaming Lips’ live show splayed on the mammoth, glacier-cut rocks or witnessing Death Cab for Cutie destroy their equipment at the climax of “Prove My Hypothesis” at sunset are memories that are engraved forever in my mind. Moments like those are why I love music.

And I believed that this year would be no different. With arguably the biggest and best Sasquatch roster ever, I truly felt that this year could possibly surpass anything I had ever seen in the Columbia valley, even better than the hydroplane races I grew up watching in the Tri Cities.

But, I was wrong. Not only was I wrong, but the Sasquatch festival and the Gorge in general might be tarnished for many years to come, well, to me at least.

The first indicators that this year’s Sasquatch was going to be different than years past began before I even stepped a foot through the gate. The line was much longer and more unruly than ever before, which caused me to miss the Saturday Knights, a group who I had purposely avoided seeing in Seattle, just so I could see them for the first time on the Gorge main stage.

The demographics of the line were also different. In years past, even in years when the Gorge was more sweltering than it was this year, the line was made up predominantly of spectacled, blazer wearing music geeks who passionately discussed the events that were to unfold. It used to be a small club that had its huge region-wide meeting and celebration once a year in the number one potato growing county in the nation. However, while small islands of that group were still gathered in the line, they were undoubtedly overwhelmed by shirtless, backward-capped gorillamen, who instead of debating the influences of Grizzly Bear or speaking of their anticipation to see a rare U.S. Manu Chao performance, grunted in monosyllables about how much they had drank last night, how much they were going to drink today, or about how bangin’ all the bikini-clad college girls were.

My suspicions of a possible Sasquatch degeneration proved correct once I got in the gate. It was like every fraternity house in the Western states had exploded into the mighty Columbia and washed up in drunk, misogynistic chunks on the shores of the Gorge. At a little after one in the afternoon, one would be hard pressed to find a hand that wasn’t firmly cemented to a tallboy of $10 Coors.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m no tightly corseted Puritan in any sense. I had few of the ten-buck brews myself, but when it came down to it, I was there for the music. However, it was quite evident that 90% of the attendees weren’t.

Case in point. I was extremely excited when I saw a few days before the festival that the Long Winters had been added to the bill. I remembered the fantastic show they put on at the Gorge a few years back, and licked my lips in anticipation to see what John Roderick and Co. would have in store this year. I was confused when I walked down to the floor level and basically made my way almost to the stage unimpeded. Where was the frenzy of people? Why wasn’t anyone singing along? I was dumbfounded by the apathy. The floor level, the level where the die-hards risk being kicked, pushed, and jumped on to see their favorite bands up close and personal, was as energetic as a Lutheran liturgy. People stood around talking amongst themselves and sending text messages on their phones. The scene could have easily been mistaken for after school at the mall food court. Didn’t they realize the greatness that they were witnessing? Here is a snippet of a conversation I heard while trying to enjoy the performance:

Guy with Tribal Arm Tattoo: Who are these guys?
Guy wearing a “Tough Love is in the Butt” T-shirt: The Long Winters.
Tribal Arm Tattoo: Who?
“Tough Love” T-shirt: I don’t know. The radio said they were good.

But it thankfully wasn’t all like this. Pockets of true fans still flocked to see bands on the smaller stages. The Aqueduct performance was superb, and the living room-sized crowd was energetic and knew what they were getting. And David Terry fed off this energy, and gave everyone the manbear-meets-piano performance that we’ve all came to expect. The same could be said about Grizzly Bear and Gabriel Teodros, who both gave polished and energetic shows to their loyal fan base in attendance.

Manu Chao also put on a great performance and was definitely the strongest of the day. You could see the showmanship that he has gained from years and years of touring every nook of the world. He could have easily played the Roman Coliseum, and wouldn’t have seemed dwarfed at all by the grandeur of the venue. Everybody – from the hipsters, to the drunken frat boys – leapt, yelled, and howled with him – even though most people couldn’t understand a word that came from his mouth.

But this camaraderie between the different factions of Sasquatch goers was short lived. By the time the sun had gone down and the Arcade Fire was preparing to come on stage, the day had taken a turn for the messy. We have all been to parties where one guy, who has been boasting all evening about how much he can drink, ends up vomiting recklessly and uncontrollably. Now imagine that this one guy has multiplied by a couple hundred, and you can get an idea of what the scene was by the time that the Arcade Fire had fired up the light show and started belting out “Black Mirror.” I saw all of the tried-and-true types of vomiting, all at basically the same time. The walk-and-puke. The calling-dinosaurs puke. The I’m-not-puking-I’m-just-spitting puke. I saw it all. It was hard to keep my eyes on the grand and emotional performance by the Arcade Fire while I was fearing that at any moment we all might be swept into the valley by a river of yark.

The day took a pleasant turn, however, during the long break between the Arcade Fire and Bjork. Everybody who said “fuck water” all day and had filled their body with nothing but barley and hops, were done. They had destroyed themselves. After the climax of team vomiting had ceased, the gorillamen slowly crawled out the front gates to their cars, tents, wherever. I’m sure that most of them couldn’t even pronounce Bjork, let alone did they care for her music. So as our favorite Icelander took the stage to put on a great show, we the few, the proud, the dedicated got the lay back and enjoy our victory – the victory of music. You just had to be careful not to put your hand in a puddle of puke.

When it came down to it, I was there for the music. However, it was quite evident that 90% of the attendees weren’t.