Localist

A New Kind of Band

Bear Colony push the limits of genre and geography

by Colter McCorkindale

The Second Law of Thermodynamics would have us believe that entropy, the tendency to disorganize, is a destructive process, not a creative one. But in the alternate universes of art and music, breakdown can be a source of positive energy. For example, as the rules of genre break down, musicians become freer to express themselves fully. Also collapsing is the notion that membership in a particular band precludes involvement in other bands; today musicians appear to be much more collaborative in their approach to music, often working within multiple musical contexts. The concept of a "collective" is a natural extension of these new freedoms, and technology is making the process even easier.

Such is the case for Arkansas-centered collective Bear Colony (formerly Brothers + Sisters), a group who bear no obvious allegiance to any particular genre and who were conceived during a breakdown of songwriter/guitarist Vince Griffin's health. "I was misdiagnosed with Crohn's Disease," Griffin explains, "and was pretty much confined to my room in pain for some time and these songs just started coming out of me." The group has since grown to include seven more musicians from two continents, and their musical family tree connects to a dozen other bands. So much for entropy.

The collective's genesis was further spurred by a measure of frustration. Griffin, tired of waiting for the right situation to come along, pushed things forward. "After years of knowing and being inspired by all these people, I decided it had been long enough with us saying, 'Man, I would love to play music but I will be on tour from this date till that' or 'I live half way around the world, sorry!' So I thought, 'Let's cut out all that and just trade music over the internet until we have songs we are happy with."

Griffin, also a founding member of Little Rock's American Tourist, forms the nucleus of Bear Colony along with Brooks Tipton and Adam Putman. Tipton also plays piano and keyboards for the venerable instrumental band Unwed Sailor. Putman's primary role is behind the boards of a digital audio workstation, although he is proficient at drums, guitar, and piano.

Rounding out the ensemble are Putman's brother Matthew on drums and percussion, Matt Depper on bass and guitar, Kyle Smith on bass, Nic Tse on guitars, and Chase Pagan on guitars and vocals. Given the nature of a collective, specific instrument assignments can get somewhat blurry; generally everyone contributes what they feel is necessary to a given track, although the foundation always includes Matthew Putman on live drums, and Griffin on lead vocals, so the top and bottom are always consistent in the mix.

With so many cooks in the musical kitchen, the opportunities for sonic conflict are myriad, but Griffin says it's not a major problem. "As a collective we pretty much work democratically. We all have been playing music for so long that we know when something works or doesn't, which isn't to say we don't butt heads because we do, but we try to remember we are doing this for fun."

The arrangement offers an attractive measure of convenience for all involved. "I'm excited about the different methods of collaboration and experimentation made possible by technology," says Depper, who also performs with the band Snailhuntr. "These days I'm very skeptical about the traditional 'band' thing."

Adam Putman finds the collective scenario especially attractive, as the demands of his career as general sales manager for a Nissan dealership prevent him from having the flexibility to work around the schedules of others. "Bear Colony is the first time that music has been convenient for me. I embrace the irony considering I'm more busy as a professional than ever before in my life."

Having dispensed with traditional notions of band membership, the members of Bear Colony also appear to have little use for the limitations of genre or even the conventional definitions of "music." Their MySpace page lists first among the goup's influences "Blips/bleeps. Ambulance sirens. Obsessions with reverbs." Kyle Smith, who also plays with American Tourist, says "I like the sound of the turn signal in my car and the beeping noise it makes when the door is open." Griffin agrees, "Car blinker sounds, patterns of electronic blips--it's our age. We are surrounded by ever growing technology, and as inhuman as it may be, there is a life and rhythm in it. I really just like to try and throw unconventional sounds together and see what happens."

To Bear Colony, music is everywhere. Nic Tse, currently a resident of Hong Kong and another Unwed Sailor alum, says "music floats around within and waits to be interpreted into something audibly tangible." Matthew Putman offers a similar assessment: "Music just happens. People with the beat and the melody built into them cannot help but release it in some form. Most folks vent it in the shower. Some people learn the crafts that help you release it in a more individualized way." His brother Adam goes even further to describe the physics of music's omnipresence. "I know it may seem strange but every space has a note," he says. "Something I often do is sit in confined spaces like a small empty room or a front porch and find the tune of the space. I'll sit and hum my way through the scale until I find it and then listen to it sing back to me after I hum. Sometimes I'll hum it a little sharp or flat just to hear the fluctuation in my ears. This also works with large motors--air conditioners, dishwashers, generators, anything that hums a note."

While that type of open approach to sound allows the group to maintain a realistic philosophy on the business of music (Griffin told me several months ago that he thinks "music can be divided into a couple of categories today: music for the purpose of being creative and music for the purpose of making money"), they recently improved their chances for financial success when they signed to the Esperanza Plantation record label. Their debut album is set for release in January with artwork by Jesse Ledoux (The Shins, Pedro the Lion) and engineering by Jesse Cannon (The Cure, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Sea and Cake). "[He's] mixing it and finishing it up as we speak in good ol' New York City," Griffin reports.

For the members of The Bear Colony, this period also finds them at the nexus of some important shifts in music. Not only do they now have the technology to connect each other conveniently, irrespective of schedules, time or distance, but they also have the freedom to make music on their own terms, regardless of genre limitations or preconceptions about how a band must operate. The group is happy to take advantage of it, and they are surprised at the momentum the project has enjoyed. "I never imagined that this project would go to this level," says Griffin. "Everything that happens with it now is like Christmas day."