Bear in Heaven
A seed planted in the Southern US years ago (all members hail from Georgia or Alabama), Bear In Heaven began as the musical arm of Jon Philpot in 1998. Now a Brooklyn-based four-piece, Bear In Heaven have found a sonic stride unlike any in their history, with their new album Beast Rest Forth Mouth out in the UK and Europe in 2010, accompanied later in the year by Beast Rest Forth Mouth: Remixed.
Beast Rest Forth Mouth was preceded by 2007’s Red Bloom of the Boom, a 7-track, 43-minute exploration that crosses the streams of psychedelia and prog. Pitchfork called it “a true cohesive work in an era when the album-as-art form appears to be slowly dying” (7.8), and The Onion found it “a powerful, functional mix of This Heat, ’70s soft rock, early Genesis, and oddly, later Pink Floyd.” The album was further informed by a collection of remarkable music videos by the band and their collaborators, providing a mirror into both the creative scope of the Bear In Heaven consciousness.
Feeding the Bear In Heaven process further is a collection of extracurricular activities. Jon Philpot recently collaborated with Roberto Lange on his Helado Negro project (released by Asthmatic Kitty), and Roberto, a longtime friend, contributed to the final mix of Beast Rest Forth Mouth. Adam Wills has played and toured with Jonathan Kane’s February and Rhys Chatham’s Guitar Trio. Adam and Bear In Heaven drummer Joe Stickney have a new project in the works called Dark Vibe. Joe performed as part of the Boredoms-led 88 Boadrum in 2008. Jon, Sadek, and Adam were three of the two hundred guitarists in Rhys Chatham’s recent Crimson Grail performance at New York's Lincoln Center in 2009.
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