Grizzly Bear is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. Their sound has been categorized as psychedelic pop, folk rock, and experimental, and is dominated by the use of vocal harmonies. The band began as a moniker for songwriter Ed Droste’s music in the early 2000s. In 2004, Droste released Grizzly Bear’s debut album, Horn of Plenty. Predominately a solo album, the album featured contributions from future drummer Christopher Bear. Rolling Stone magazine wrote of the first album, “the pure atmospheric power of the songs is more than enough to hypnotize.” Droste and Bear were subsequently joined by bass guitarist and producer Chris Taylor, and performed four shows together as a three-piece. Regarding these shows, Droste noted, “We’ve never played without the four of us, really. The first couple shows we did before we knew Dan [Rossen], we did with three of us and they kind of sucked. From the get-go, when we were trying to put together a live show, that’s when we discovered our sound and that’s why I think that was the beginning of the band.” Guitarist and vocalist Daniel Rossen, a friend of Bear’s from jazz-camp, joined the band soon after. Their music is very heavily featured in the film “Blue Valentine” (2010), directed by Derek Cianfrance.
