Bear Hands
Encyclopedia
Bear Hands is a post-punk/indie rock/experimental band consisting of Dylan Rau (vocals/guitar), Val Loper (bass), Ted Feldman (guitar), and TJ Orscher (drums). Hailing from Brooklyn and formed in 2006, the band signed with Cantora Records
in 2010 upon the release of their single "What a Drag."
After releasing their 2007 Golden EP, Bear Hands toured as the opening act for MGMT
, the XX
, Vampire Weekend
, and Les Savy Fav
.
, and were later joined by Loper and Orscher through their previous bands, who were involved in the local hardcore punk scene.
During an interview at SXSW 2010, Orscher was quoted saying "Dylan had some material he wanted to put with a band, and a project Val and I were working on for the last half decade just ended. He said he knew the perfect guitarist and when we met up and played for the first time, as cliche as it may be, everything just clicked. We started writing material together, fleshing songs out and started playing some local shows around NYC. We fight like brothers and love like mothers. The rest is magic."
A few months after forming, the band released their first EP, Golden and became a "New York buzz band" due to popular blog features. Three years later, the group released their 11 track album, Burning Bush Supper Club . Rau had been classmates with MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser at Wesleyan, and thus landed the gig as the band's opening act.
Cantora Records
Cantora Records is a Brooklyn-based independent record label, most notable for signing the psychedelic pop band MGMT and issuing the band's first commercial release, Time to Pretend.-History:...
in 2010 upon the release of their single "What a Drag."
After releasing their 2007 Golden EP, Bear Hands toured as the opening act for MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
, the XX
The xx
The xx are an English indie pop band, formed in London in 2005. The band's members met while studying at Elliott School, the same school that produced Hot Chip, Burial and Four Tet. They became a trio when their second guitarist and keyboardist, Baria Qureshi, departed in late 2009. In September...
, Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
, and Les Savy Fav
Les Savy Fav
Les Savy Fav is a New York City indie rock band. Their style is influenced by art rock and post-hardcore. The group is known for the stage presence of lead singer Tim Harrington...
.
History
Dylan Rau met Ted Feldman while the two attended Wesleyan UniversityWesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, and were later joined by Loper and Orscher through their previous bands, who were involved in the local hardcore punk scene.
During an interview at SXSW 2010, Orscher was quoted saying "Dylan had some material he wanted to put with a band, and a project Val and I were working on for the last half decade just ended. He said he knew the perfect guitarist and when we met up and played for the first time, as cliche as it may be, everything just clicked. We started writing material together, fleshing songs out and started playing some local shows around NYC. We fight like brothers and love like mothers. The rest is magic."
A few months after forming, the band released their first EP, Golden and became a "New York buzz band" due to popular blog features. Three years later, the group released their 11 track album, Burning Bush Supper Club . Rau had been classmates with MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser at Wesleyan, and thus landed the gig as the band's opening act.