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Bear Ghost will be playing Viva Phoenix 2016

It stuns me each year as Viva PHX, Stateside Presents’ mini-South by Southwest that takes place in 17 venues in downtown Phoenix on Saturday, gets better and better, how difficult the decisions are about when and where to be. In addition to the sheer mind-blowing volume of touring acts booked, there is a ton of local talent scattered throughout the event. Now it’s easy to dismiss them, because you can catch them in a week or two, but some of the local acts that are a priority this year don’t play out as often as some would like. I’ve listened to every band that will be at Viva PHX, national, international, and local, and in many cases the local bands win hands down. Here are 10 picks to get your local groove on throughout the festivities.

Bear Ghost (8 p.m., Last Exit Live)
Bear Ghost was named as one of THE bands to watch in 2016, and it’s not difficult to understand why after they sold out their record release party at Last Exit Live for their full-length debut Blasterpiece. I will be very surprised if another local album can be released this year that will knock Bear Ghost from the top position they currently hold in my ranking of the year so far. Not only is the album a stunner, their live show is ridiculously fun, and it’s what drew me to the band in the first place. Their signature brand of theatrical indie prog rock mixed with a touch of nerdcore is possibly the most fascinating sound going on in Phoenix right now. Every one that sees them live seems to fall in love with them on the spot, so I would highly recommend getting to Last Exit Live for their set.

Read the full article about Bear Ghost playing at Viva Phoenix 2016 on the Phoenix New Times website.

These Mesa rockers definitely occupy the more eccentric fringe of the new-millennial art-rock spectrum on this awe-inspiring followup to “Your Parents Are Only Marginally Disappointed in Your Musical Taste.” “Introduction to Blasterpiece” opens the set with a demented funk-rock march that sounds like it was written to accompany Tim Burton down the rabbit hole, especially when the vocals kick in with a chant of “Welcome, you are here to witness our demise.” “Necromancin Dancin” filters the rhythms of ska through “A Night at the Opera” with traces of jazz, a quirky falsetto delivery and a twisted chorus hook of “I’m raising the dead / I’m loving the dead.” It’s all very odd, from the mash-up of hip-hop, opera and a riff that grooves like Aerosmith on “Funkle Phil” to the old-timey touches of “Gypsy,” which feels like someone fed the theme-park band a little too much acid. From what Mitchell Hillman wrote in Java magazine, their live shows have featured songs by Queen and Disney soundtrack music, which makes perfect sense considering how often “Blasterpiece” suggests some kind of loopy missing link between the two.

 

The funky four-piece known as Bear Ghost first caught our attention with their 2014 EP Your Parents Are Only Marginally Disappointed in You. Since that time, we’ve been waiting for the follow-up and the release of recent singles (including “Necromancin’ Dancin’”) held promise of a new album on the horizon. Blasterpiece, the band’s sophomore effort, is more than we could have hoped for. Eleven fun and feisty tracks that mix a range of musical styles from gypsy to pop punk with some video game sounds thrown in for good measure.

The opening track, “Introduction to Blasterpiece”, is a dynamic, theatrical number that let’s the listener know they aren’t in for an everyday musical experience.

The energy keeps going up in “Necromancin’ Dancin’” before things turn funky on “Funkle Phil”. Blasterpiece has a little something for everyone. At some moments (like on “Starkiller” and “Hola Adriana”, for example), Bear Ghost has a Panic! At the Disco feel to the music. A little pop punk, a little grandiose, and a whole lot of fun.

“Sickness for Nothing” takes a darker turn as the title of the track implies, but you can’t forego the video game sound clips so don’t start thinking you’re in for an existential experience when the song comes on. All in all, Blasterpiece packs a power-rock punch that will make you have you dancing around your listening space so plan accordingly.

I had a chance to ask Ryan Abel a few question about the album and what’s to come for Bear Ghost.

YY: First, some of the basics. Where did you record Blasterpiece?

Ryan: We recorded the album at Premier Studios with Jeremy Parker.

bear ghost 01Who performs on the album as part of Bear Ghost? Have there been any changes to the band since your 2014 release?

Bear Ghost is:
Ryan Abel – vocals, guitar, programming
Andrew Heath – bass, backing vocals
Thomas Knight – vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming
Myke Buttons – drums

No changes to the band since 2014 release. Just trying to go for a tighter more concise sound.

Bear Ghost certainly has its own sound. How would you describe your style?

We just kinda look at ourselves as an eclectic rock ‘n’ roll band. We are influenced by every genre of music in all the world ever, and we like to think it shows, but it’s always rock ‘n’ roll at its core. I’m terms of structure, we’re very pop oriented. Standard intro – verse – chorus – verse – chorus – bridge – chorus type stuff, but we usually have really progressive bridges, and many movement changes throughout our verses. No matter what, we always want to have fun listening to and playing our music, which we think is one of the biggest components of our sound.

Who is performing at the release show on the 20th at Last Exit Live?

Playing our CD show with us we have the amazing bands DeadFoxx, Twin Ponies, and Fairy Bones. Extremely excited!

There’s definitely a quirkiness that comes through in the lyrics that is reinforced by the music. Can you tell me a little bit about your songwriting process? Do you all work on the songs together or is someone responsible for the bulk of the songwriting?

Thanks! That depends on the song. Sometimes one person will have a complete idea when they present it to us. We’ll mess with it and everyone adds their own flavor, typically. Other times we’ll all just start jamming on something spontaneous and it turns in to “Funkle Phil”. We’ve had songs that will be done in a day and songs that we’ve written over the course of a month, scrapped because it’s not good enough, and started completely over. Sometimes there’s a lyrical concept or a melody in mind while the music is being written, but lyrics are usually something we don’t even think about until the music is completely done.

You’re a band that is known for putting a lot of energy into your live shows and there’s definitely a lot of energy in the new album. Do you feel that Blasterpiece matches your live sound well?

We do. All we want at our live shows is for people to have fun. It’s a very symbiotic type of energy. If they have fun, we have fun. That feeds our stage presence and, in turn, makes the show more fun for them to watch. If we play in a room full of straight faced, arms crossed, too-cool-for-school tough guys, we usually play a million times cleaner because we’re not flailing around and doing constant backflip split kicks, but it’s infinitely less enjoyable than having a crowd of people bouncing around with you.

What are your 2016 plans to support the album?

We’re playing Viva Phx and we have another show or two booked, but we’re trying to keep things open right now. The cliché answer is, “Oh man, we’re gonna tour and play a million rad shows,” and we might do some regional out-of-town gigs, but if we were to go to Nashville right now, we’d play to a room of no people. It’d be an enormous waste of money. We want to expand and push in to the neighboring states, but we’ll do it strategically and not go play some dive in LA for no one.

Bear Ghost has released an amazing album — a combination of sheer genre-bending musicianship, complex arrangements and vocal perfection. Sure, they have a lot of influences but they wear them proudly on their sleeves.

In the last couple years, Bear Ghost have emerged as one of the top bands to catch live in the Valley. Since they released their debut EP, Your Parents Are Only Marginally Disappointed in Your Musical Taste! in 2014, they have been blowing minds at venues all over town. I only caught up to them last year, but it appears I was just in time to catch some of the most entertaining live shows around locally. An electrifying set that includes not only their originals, but also covers of classic Queen and a handful of Disney songs (that’s right, Disney songs). These shows sold me on Bear Ghost, while making their new full-length Blasterpiece one of my most anticipated albums of the year. And after listening to it for days, I have to say that it doesn’t disappoint and lives up to the hype that’s been mounting in my mind for months.

Bear Ghost is Ryan Abel on guitar and vocals, Andrew Heath on bass and vocals, Myke ButtonZ on drums and Thomas Knight on guitar, keyboard and vocals. Together they have created one of the most unusual indie rock sounds around, not just in Arizona—anywhere. They combine elements of prog rock, indie rock, a little bit of punk, a touch of hip hop, some electronica and mash it all together to produce a consistent sound that is wholly their own. They make music that is decidedly fun. It’s fun to listen to and fun to watch. This energy goes a long way. When they put on a show, they actually put on a show.

There is a self-referencing introductory track called “Introduction to Blasterpiece” that kicks things off. It begins with bombastic drums and pounding bass, before launching into all of its theatrical splendor, with group vocals, archaic percussion and a brilliant guitar line that is larger than life. It sets the pace for all that is about to come and establishes their enigmatic sound from the start. Then it fades off into a harpsichord synth before they kick into the two album singles, back to back. The first is “Necromancin’ Dancin’,” which starts with a fantastic drum roll and a frenetic guitar, hinting at a touch of Primus. By the time the vocals come around, it feels almost emo, evoking early Panic at the Disco. With nearly four minutes of non-stop action, it’s easy to see why this was picked as the first single and also why it received such heavy airplay by local station KWSS.

“Funkle Phil” was the second single released prior to Blasterpiece, and it’s a fantastic rocker that propels you even further into the album. Synth strings kick it off, before the bass takes over. The vocals are totally reminiscent of Freddie Mercury in his most “vicious” moments. There’s even a bit of a rap that swings in around the one-minute mark before it breaks into some jump blues reminiscent of Brian Setzer Orchestra. It’s a fantastic ride.

Bear Ghost returns to more overt theatrics with the music-hall pop of “Gypsy.” They’re the only band I’ve ever known to mention the obscure group Tally Hall in their influences, and it shows in this particular song. This works in the same way that Queen could pull off a number like “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy.” It will immediately bring a smile to your face and put a bit of swing to your hips.

“Starkiller” returns to the realm of rock ’n’ roll with frantic guitar work and an awesome chant to start things moving. The manic vocals have a hint of Danny Elfman at his best in early Oingo Boingo. The start of “Sickness for Nothing” slows things down with its subdued synths, gentle vocals and tender guitar line, while the rhythm section is appropriately low key. It, of course, explodes at the two-minute mark in the way that Muse creates audio hurricanes out of nowhere. Just as it hits its crescendo it moves seamlessly into the wry and pointed “She-Wrecks,” which is probably the most clever title here (get it?). The lyrics are very nearly vicious: “I wasn’t scared of your mean demeanor, yeah your skin’s a little dry and you’re much bigger than I, but you were mine.” While the guitars rage, the vocals, especially on the chorus, recall Black Parade-era MCR. There’s even a bit of video game synth tones injected in the mix. It finishes with a wild scream of catharsis.

“Hola Adriana” is one of the more straightforward songs on the album. It almost seems out of place in terms of how much it sounds like typical alternative rock. It’s amazing how a song can stand out for its sheer normalcy alone. They own it completely and eventually bring it into the quirky Bear Ghost realm by the end. There is a Southwestern-flavored coda that acts like a link track to set you up for the next song. “Paradise” begins like a show tune and has a barbershop feel with vocals and snapping. Despite its unusual arrangement, it’s catchy as hell, with a piano line that stands out and, dare I say, there are moments where the vocals sound a bit like early Maroon 5, if Adam Levine actually made pocket symphonies rather than feeding the hit machine.
Once the band kicks in, “All At Once” gets pretty dark and ominous, with slightly creepy theatrics in the vocals. At this late point in the album, it’s easy to marvel at the construction of Bear Ghost songs—especially here, with the strikingly different movements, telling as much of a story with the music as with the lyrics. It’s something of a classical approach to indie rock.

Blasterpiece finishes with “Prelude,” because why wouldn’t you end an album with a prelude? From what I understand, it’s actually a prequel to the opening track of their EP from two years ago. It’s a fairly gentle end to what has otherwise been an uproarious album, and begins with some of the most beautiful vocals and a lush gypsy rock feel. Yes, of course it explodes into a maelstrom of guitars and vocals by the end, but in an almost shoegazing, atmospheric way. Bear Ghost has released an amazing album — a combination of sheer genre-bending musicianship, complex arrangements and vocal perfection. Sure, they have a lot of influences but they wear them proudly on their sleeves. It’s all about how they put these elements together into an aural adventure—sort of like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride becomes a rock album. Blasterpiece is indeed one of the most exhilarating albums I’ve heard in a while. Keep your eyes and ears on the band this year. If they are shopping for a record label, this will be the album to get them signed.

Bear Ghost will release Blasterpiece on February 20th at Last Exit Live, joined by Fairy Bones, Twin Ponies and DeadFoxx.

Bear Ghost has been active for a few years, but it seems the group fully realized its sound on its 2014 EP and gained even more momentum last year when it began to stun its ever-growing fan base with high-energy live shows. This year, the group is set to release its first full-length album, Blasterpiece.

“Blasterpiece is the most ambitious attempt at music we’ve ever made,” guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Thomas Knight says. “There are four-part harmonies. There are video game sounds, super-colorful melodies, manic riffs galore. There’s even a little rapping. I guess in many ways, it’s like a bigger and better version of our first record.”

The combination of indie rock mixed with prog rock and even a little hip-hop is one of the most captivating and invigoratingly refreshing sounds to come out of Phoenix in the past few years. The band also adds an amazing “fun factor” to its songs, prompting fans at its concerts to break into spontaneous dancing and wide smiles. Sure, Bear Ghost also plays a handful of Disney covers and a killer take on Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” but the band’s deepest passion lies in its originals. Most recently, the group released two singles: last year’s “Necromancin’ Dancin'” and this month’s “Funkle Phil,” whetting fans’ anticipation of Blasterpiece, which will be celebrated at the band’s Saturday, February 20, show at Last Exit Live.

There is much more in store.

“We’re psychologically preparing ourselves for a tour, hammering out details for a music video and greasing the gears on a collaboration with one of Phoenix’s coolest artists,” Knight says. “We’re certainly going to be getting in everyone’s faces.”