Christopher Bear from Grizzly Bear

So how come I’ve never heard of this band or its wildly attractive drummer? Like, not at all on a billion other blogs or by word of mouth or Hype Machine or Pitchfork or RS or the radio (ha!). JUST KIDDING LOLZ. Besides Animal Collective and Phoenix, Grizzly Bear is one of the bands I am the most sick of have been enjoying to the point of overdose.

So, to not tax your attention span, let’s make this short and sweet. Trippingly acoustic, these four good ol’ American boys (Christopher Bear on drums and backing vocals; Edward Droste on vocals, guitar, and keyboards; Chris Taylor on bass and backing vocals; and Daniel Rossen on vocals, keyboards, and guitar) are one of Johnny Greenwood’s favorite bands. What started out as a solo project of  Droste’s eventually blossomed into a lush, experimental band full of layers and, for lack of a better word, emotions. With the release of their third album, “Veckatimest” in May 2009, the boys hit it big.

At 27, drummer and vocalist Christopher Bear is one of Brooklyn’s finest (hardeehar). Bear’s entrancing drum work is what ostensibly ties the other musical elements together in a delicate, rapturous bow. Fingerbrushed 1920s waves and innocent eyed, the kid could have been a Greek pederast’s dream/a Hummel figurine - take your pick.

As an intro, “Two Weeks” and “Ready, Able” should be two tracks that will convince you to fall deeply in addiction with GB. To further delight you, I suggest Grizzly Bear’s cover of Hot Chip’s (also a favorite here at FHHAD) “Boy From School.”

They are playing mostly UK shows, with the notable exception of Coachella (April 16th, as if you didn’t know).

Follow the fineness

http://www.grizzly-bear.net/

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Thomas Mars from Phoenix

Oh la la. Now, it was difficult for me to decide which member of Phoenix to feature for several reasons, but as we all know, THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE. So forgive me Deck; though we’d love to wreck you, it’s leading man Thomas Mars, that skinny delight of vocal prowess, whom we’d rather cozy up to.

The French band’s incarnation as we know it (with Thomas Mars, Deck D’Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz) first appeared on the scene in 2000 with the release of “United” (fun fact: prior to Phoenix, Mars helmed a musical project named Darlin’ with Guy-Manuel de Homem-Cristo and Thomas Bangalter in the mid 90s). “Alphabetical”, “Live! Thirty Days Ago”, and “It’s Never Been Like That” soon followed, but it was 2009’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” that catapulted Phoenix into our iPods and Grammy ballots.

(Is it still considered selling out when you’ve sold the rights to “1901” for a car commercial? And a Cadillac car commercial at that? Gotta get that paper, mayne.)

The band’s poppy, upbeat style potently combined with Mars’ adorable French accent results in an equation akin to C12H22O11 - sugar, baby. Their music makes you feel as good as ingesting 10 Pixie sticks straight up, but without the sugar crash (and honestly, I think deciphering the true lyrics to their songs is half the fun; for the longest time, “Do let do let do let jugulate do let do let do” sounded incredibly like “too late, too late, too late, chocolate, too late, too late” from the song “Lisztomania”).

Willowy and shaggy-haired, Mars reminds me of that quiet boy in elementary school who always wore oversized sweaters, corduroy pants, and beat-up shoes and smelled kind of funny. Though you’d never have admitted it back then because you were too busy making fun of him with your catty friends, you wanted to sit under a tree and k-i-s-s him. Too late now, chocolate.

Phoenix is on a touring roll, after they finish their dates in Japan, Australia, Europe, and Coachella follow.

By the way, if our screenplay doesn’t get picked up by Sofia Coppola, you know now why.

Follow the fineness

http://www.wearephoenix.com/

http://www.myspace.com/wearephoenix

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Reader Request: Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray

Per the request of a lovely lady, today we discuss Mark McGrath (we all have our blips/guilty guilty pleasures). It’s an interesting request, since the last I heard of Mark McGrath, he was hosting one of those trashy gossip shows on TV and a bunch of VH1 shit. And, according to Wiki, was the host to not merely one but two Pussycat Dolls reality shows. Classy stuff.

But, admittedly, Mark was cute back in the “There’s a Halo hanging on the corner of my girlfriend’s four post bed” days; those dimples of his were as deep as the Grand Canyon. Totally tattooed, blue eyed and with finely chiseled features, he’s still considerably attractive for a man in his forties (but someone has got to limit his access to the good stuff - peroxide. That weird bleach blond surfer thing has been, thankfully, dead for nearly a decade, but he insists on bringing it out every so often. I bet he still uses AOL. He just seems slightly technologically retarded and/or suspended in time to me, in an age when I dated skater boys with Billabong everything and MSN was God). But really, he seems like a genuinely nice guy.

Now, if you’ve been holding a torch (in this case, a Light) for Mark since all those years, then you might be in luck at getting into his groove.  41 year old Mark has recently reunited with Sugar Ray and released “Music for Cougars” this summer (I had really no idea, therefore can’t recommend much). Sugar Ray just finished up touring in the US in late September, so you’re going to have to wait a while to indulge live in their beachy, sugary sounds. Track them down at your own convenience.

Follow the (finely aged like a vintage wine) fineness

http://www.sugarray.com/

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Zac from Sex Piano

All right kids, it’s Lesson #2 on the Philly music scene! Today we’ll be talking about something completely different from the sort of music/musicians I’ve presented. They are quite the acquired taste, and as such you must make a life-altering decision: you can skip this post completely and remain ignorant and sheltered, or you can allow yourself to fall (deeply and inescapably) into what can only be described as high energy, irreverent, and hilarious college rock music.

I am sure you have never, ever, ever heard of them, as many in Philly have not, but allow me to introduce you to Sex Piano. Sex Piano, reader; reader, Sex Piano. Now why don’t you two shake hands? How nice, let’s all sit down for a hot cup of tea. Sex Piano are four 20-something year old dudes from Philadelphia who have independently released their first album, “Huge.” You may think the title is a bit presumptuous, but it’s all part of the band’s persona: they pretend they are famous rock stars living the archetypal lifestyle of groupies, sex, drugs, and hard-edged attitude. This couldn’t  be further from the truth, which is part of Sex Piano’s appeal. They are jovial and joyful, and have quite the following at their alma mater, Haverford College.

Their songs range from a pilot being launched into space, an ode to a heartbreaking ho, the love story of two homeless orphans, and a cryptic tune about love and drugs. Their sound is still shaky: the band has not yet pinpointed their genre or even thematic styles, which has resulted in lazy lyrics, disjointed songs, and unbalanced vocals (there’s either far too much screaming or not enough of it, depending on the track). The bottom line is, they’re trying too hard to sound like already famous comic bands, but they are unequivocally sincere and creative.

The group’s lead guitarist, Nick, is superb and soulful on his instrument - the man has the ear and fingers made for greatness, but his singing is unpleasantly sharp at times. Peter, the drummer, is talented and energetic, with a wonderful knack for accompaniment. Lead vocalist Zack (who, by the way, is also attractive but chunky) is earnest and  has quite the physical presence, but is all over the place on the stage. With some training and control, his voice could be quite pleasurable and a much needed bonus to the band. But, let’s get to the goodness you’ve been waiting for: beautiful bassist Zac (no “k”) is worth the trek to the ghetto-ish joints in which Sex Piano plays. Tall, strapping, and with a gentle smile, Zac is the epitome of good-boy cutie. He’s a skilled and understated bassist whose ability should be explored and better featured within the band. Let his treble make you tremble.

Well, enough as way of introduction; reader, Sex Piano, I hope you two exchange phone numbers and agree to see each other again, because you’ll both benefit from this relationship, kids. Who knows, it might be a one-night stand or it might be long-lasting love. The band plays mostly locally in Philadelphia, so check their website for dates (and tell them how much you love their name and whether you can try that piano thing out sometime).

Follow the fineness

http://www.myspace.com/sexpianoband

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