Featured Album

WXPN Radio

The premier guide for new and significant artists in rock, blues, and folk - including NPR-syndicated World Cafe ®

Listen Xpo

24/7 Musical discovery. A unique mix of emerging and heritage blues, rock, world, folk, and alt-country artists.

Singer Songwriter Radio

Featuring classics from heritage troubadours to new musicians and bands in the singer-songwriter tradition.

Folk Radio

Folk music radio streaming on the web; Americana, Roots Music, recordings, and stories from folk's best.
Listen Live

Grizzly Bear: WXPN's May 2009 Artist to Watch

Upon first listen, the Brooklyn experimental pop/folk band Grizzly Bear grabs and doesn't let go. Here is real, accessible emotion and more than enough astounding talent to convey it. The group's spare acoustic melodies over plaintive piano figures and dusty strings with pop elements carry immense power.

Grizzly Bear was the name Edward Droste gave to his psychedelic home-recording experiments; the resulting album, 2004's Horn of Plenty, was only meant for some of his close friends, yet quickly tore through underground circles. The demand for the record was such that it was reissued as a double album in 2005, during which time the group expanded to include three additional members on guitar, reeds, and electronics. Grizzly Bear's second disc, Yellow House, was a broadened yet tight collection of gorgeous lo-fi that made indie-lovers around the world sit up and take notice. Their subsequent EP only bolstered their growing reputation - guests included Beirut, Band of Horses, and CSS.

Since then, Grizzly has been on an international must watch list, toured with Radiohead, collaborated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and played at festivals such as SXSW and the Lollapalooza. Still, the group found time to create their third full-length album, the highly anticipated Veckatimest. Set for release on May 26, Veckatimest promises to be a compelling, eclectic experience. Grizzly's deft talent for pulling together genres and emotions in a tangibly real way is more evident than ever. Artsy and full of delirious musical arrangements, Grizzly Bear are pushing pop's musical boundaries like few other modern indie-rock bands - epitomizing the very best of their genre. And for this reason, XPN chooses Grizzly Bear as its latest Artist to Watch.

Website: grizzly-bear.net
MySpace: myspace.com/grizzlybear
Origin: Brooklyn, NY
Recent Release:
Veckatimest
Release Date: May 26, 2009
Label: Warp

Help Support WXPN

Blondie returning with a new album and a show at the Keswick in October

Blondie are releasing a new album, and have announced its No Principals Tour playing the Keswick Theatre on Thursday, October 3rd with...Read More

Make Music Philly Spotlight: Joy Ike

Here’s another great artist you don’t want to miss at Make Music Philly this Friday: Joy Ike.  This Pittsburgh...Read More

The Week So Far: 12 must-read stories on The Key (incl. Big Footprints Project, Make Music Philly, Light Heat) ...

  The Dead Milkmen continue their sudden streak of new recordings with Welcome to Undertown  Light Heat recorded a...Read More

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Release new single “This Life” (playing XPoNential Fest in July and Longwood Gardens in...

Last week, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic  Zeros released the music video for “Better Days,” the first single from...Read More

Photos: Black Flag goes hard at Union Transfer

All photos by Abi Reimold | abireimoldphoto.com On the occasion of its first new music in 28 years, the reformed Black Flag played...Read More