Mates of State, Bear Hands, The Lonely Forest May 27, 2011

7:00pm - All Ages - $15

Mates of State
Mates of State are an indie rock duo, active since 1997. The group is composed of the husband-and-wife team Kori Gardner (vocals, Yamaha Electone and Hammond B-3 electric organs, microKORG and Casio synthesizers, Yamaha and Rhodes electric pianos, piano, and occasional guitar) and Jason Hammel (vocals, drum set, glockenspiel, other percussion, and occasional Casio synthesizer.
Barsuk Records
Mp3s: http://www.myspace.com/matesofstate
Bear Hands
Dylan Rau started Bear Hands to spite a romantic rival. In disconnecting himself from the love triangle (and successfully copulating with several other humans) he was able to write about 70 new and exciting songs. Joining forces with fellow Wesleyan university alumnus Ted Feldman and iconoclast punk veterans Val Loper and TJ Orscher the band started to stomp live. Both other bands and people in the crowd were stomped regularly and definitively.
Touring became a new way of life for Bear Hands after the 2007 release of their Golden EP. The band opened for MGMT, Vampire Weekend, The XX, Les Savy Fav and spent time on roads all over North America and Europe with now-dear friends Passion Pit, Obits, We Were Promised Jet Packs, Hockey, Manic Street Preachers, and Mayer Hawthorne and The County.
And now things are really starting to get heavy for Bear Hands. Their debut LP, Burning Bush Supper Club, took over a year to finish, slowed to a crawl by mental illness, intraband resentment, and a generally pervasive sense of indecision. Produced before the watchful eyes of frenemies and industry fat cats alike, Burning Bush Supper Club sees Bear Hands reach unprecedented levels of both truth and relevance.
Cantora Records
Mp3s: http://www.myspace.com/bearhandsband
The Lonely Forest
From the outset The Lonely Forest -singer/guitarist/keyboardist John Van Deusen, guitarist Tony Ruland, drummer Braydn Krueger, and bassist Eric Sturgeon- has been about inclusion. In 2005, a raucous garage session inspired the guys (Braydn, Tony, and Eric) to join forces with Van Deusen's piano-pop. The newly formed entity, now called The Lonely Forest, played their first show while two band members were still in high school (the other two having recently graduated). Since that show, The Lonely Forest have racked up miles; steadily becoming heroes of the Northwest all-ages scene through relentless gigging around the region. From their first show at the Department of Safety, center of Anacortes' all-ages DIY scene, to their high-profile appearance at Bumbershoot 2009, a sold-out concert at the Showbox in Seattle last fall and a coveted spot on 2010's Sasquatch Festival, the accolades for The Lonely Forest have grown along with their fanbase.

The Lonely Forest will continue their steady climb to prominence from modest Northwest roots with the March 22nd release of their new album, Arrows, for Chris Walla's label imprint, Trans Records. Walla, guitarist and producer for Grammy-nominated rock band Death Cab for Cutie, made The Lonely Forest his first signing when he launched Trans with the support of Death Cab for Cutie's major label home, Atlantic Records. Trans and The Lonely Forest will be released through ILG, Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. In addition to his role as label head, Walla produced and mixed Arrows at Sound City studio in Los Angeles, Tiny Telephone in San Francisco and his own, Portland-based studio, Alberta Court. He also mixed three tracks - "Be Everything," "Turn Off This Song" and "Live There." The rest of the album was mixed by John Goodmanson (Girls, Nada Surf, Owl City).
Mp3s: http://www.myspace.com/thelonelyforest

Official Website: http://manicproductions.org