The sublime Brooklyn-based band Grizzly Bear hardly needs an introduction. Their recent performance alongside the Brooklyn Philharmonic at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Grizzly Bear & Final Fantasy, was a perfect opportunity for them to showcase their influential sound and give us a sneak preview of tracks from their forthcoming album, Veckatimest.

Although the band may be mildly hairy, I wouldn't class them as bears. Otters perhaps is more appropriate. Anyhow, that's it for the bear-related gags. Meet Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear.

Richard Welch: How did you find performing with the Brooklyn Philharmonic?

Ed Droste: The whole thing was really surreal and incredible. We weren't entirely sure how it would work out because it was the first time we'd ever worked with a full orchestra, and none of us can exactly sight-read, so there was this fear of a communication barrier. Luckily we had Nico Muhly, who was doing our arrangements for the show, as our translator of sorts. Considering how little time we had to rehearse with the orchestra and how new and nerve-wracking the whole lead-up was, I think it went off really nicely.
RW: Apparently the name Grizzly Bear refers to an old boyfriend of yours. Was he smooth and skinny?

ED: He was a little bit hairy and very tall and skinny, and we had nicknames for each other that were along the lines of "grizzly", so I thought it'd be funny to call my (at the time) one-man musical act "Grizzly Bear". This was way before I was aware at how utterly cliché it was to name your band after an animal. I'd never even heard of Animal Collective then!

RW: Let's travel back a while. Your debut album was titled Horn of Plenty, care to explain where the inspiration for the title came from?

ED: Well, I just always thought the image of a cornucopia was really humorous and yet strangely interesting. It was at a time I was dating like crazy and there were lots of um, experiences in my horn of plenty. So, roughly I'd say you can sort of associate what you will. It's always easier in retrospect to see where a title came from then at the time.

RW: You apparently wrote that album following a relationship break-up. Would you mind talking about how that effected you and your music?

ED: Sure. Horn of Plenty was the end of a relationship and the beginning of a new one. The last song on it is a very uplifting song (for me at least) that shows a bit of hope. The songs were written over the course of a year so they really reflect different reactions, for instance despair and anger. It was like the twelve stages! [laughs] It's strange, I don't know if I'll ever write SO personally again and in such a manner. I never thought anyone would hear the songs, and they were at first strictly for me, sort of like a diary entry, which is partially why they are so rough-edged.

RW: With the Horn of Plenty remix album, was it you guys that wanted to be remixed or did it come about by popular demand from other artists?

ED: It started when one band wanted to remix us, and then us liking and just flying with it. It also served as a "stop gap" release, if you will, much like the Friend EP, since we are INSANELY slow at writing and recording new full-length albums.RW: You wrote and recorded the debut album on your own, and Daniel and Chris record as Department of Eagles. It appears that you boys are as much a collective as a traditional band. Is this liberating or simply a necessity for each others' sanity?

ED: Well, I think it's healthy for everyone to be able to do whatever they want and have side projects or do something solo. That said, I have no desire to be a solo act. I'm not sure I never will. I enjoy collaboration too much and I think I'd be too scared to perform alone on a stage. That said, Chris Bear and I keep dreaming about doing a dance project together - we want to call it Samantha. We've literally not even done a sketch of a song, so this project at the moment only exists in our heads.

RW: Do you think there is anything definably "queer" about your music?

ED: I think Horn of Plenty is more explicitly queer, lyrics-wise, than say Yellow House. That said, with recent covers of "He Hit Me" and a song like "Plans" on Yellow House, there is still a mild queer element, but it's not a dominating dynamic to our music and is definitely not how we enjoy to being labeled. The boys and myself think it's annoying and misleading to call us a "queer" band, as I'm the only gay one in the band, and our music isn't by any means political. If anything, it's more about the universal issues of love and relationships, yadda yadda yadda.

Grizzly Bear - "Plans"

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RW: Do you listen to your own music during sex? Or maybe after?

ED: Are you KIDDING? NEVER. Jesus christ. I turn it off if it comes on anywhere that I have the ability to turn it off. I hear it enough. I love it, but I don't need to listen to it unless I'm listening during the mixing process. Sometimes after a few years when I'm alone I'll revisit something old like Horn of Plenty, but generally I don't listen to my own music if I can avoid it. 90 percent of the Grizzly Bear plays on my iTunes are from listening to different edits and mixes of a song before it's done.

RW: You toured with Radiohead last year, what was that like?

ED: In a word: Surreal. One of the most "did that really just happen" moments of my life. They were EXTREMELY nice and we got to barbecue with some of them each night in the backstage outdoor area which was really fun (on a little Webber grill). Each night after we were done with our set I'd go out and watch the show from the crowd and just marvel at one, how good they were; two, how massive they are; and three, how insanely fanatical their fans are. I'm not even sure bands can get to their level anymore. The upside to the internet and blogs and MP3s is your music spreads quicker. The downside is that there's more out there and easier to get lost in the mix and harder for a band to that level of THE BIGGEST BAND EVER, which is OK. Also, they were on a major label and had radio hits, and yet are considered still "indie". Most indie bands will never have a radio hit like "Creep" to open the doors for them and then be able to just do what they want. They are a brilliant band and totally deserve it, but I think they might be of a "mega-band" stature that's a dying breed. Oh, and if they happen to be reading East Village Boys, we'd love to tour with you again please! [laughs]

RW: When you are the ones headlining stadium shows, what kind of demands can we expect to see on your rider?

ED: Ha! Well, because of the above reasons, that will never happen, but for fantasy sake, I guess we'd have our own chef cooking us fresh and healthy food. That'd be nice. Radiohead had that, but only the band got to eat it. Crew and opening band got venue catering. They also had a masseuse which I'd definitely love. A regular shower would be lovely. Some venues at our level have that. I guess it's all about fresh, well-prepared food. That's what the big jump in the rider would be about. Maybe a bottle of champagne to feel "blingy"?

RW: Speaking of "Blingy", you and Chris were featured on Canadian TV extolling the virtues of the neti pot!

ED: TV needs an angle. We had a neti in the room. We just went for it. We were REALLY into it at the time but I've not used it for awhile.

RW: Do have have any gay groupies? Any funny tales to tell?

ED: Yeah, there are some gay weirdos, and then there are all the cute ones who super shy and say hi, and then vanish, and the following day write a super long MySpace email about how they were nervous and wanted to talk more, etc.

This one gross guy in Amsterdam, who's in his 30s and looks a bit sickly always comes to our shows, and the first time he came he had read an interview I did in BUTT magazine, and he came up to me in front of my whole band and was like "Ed Droste?", and I said "Yes?", and he said "Heard you were a power bottom". That was the funniest shit ever. The band still brings it up. He's totally creepy, and to this day will show up at our Dutch shows, but luckily I can easily avoid him now.

The sweetest thing was at a Philly show, a very young, very awkward boy came up to me trembling with tears saying "I just want to thank you for making it OK to be gay in the indie rock world". That was all he really said, but it was super sweet.

RW: That's so sweet. We often get emails, tweets and comments about how bored our readers get by the constant feed of lowest common denominator music played in the majority of gay bars and clubs. How do you feel about the music played on the scene?

ED: I mean, I like a lot of it, but it's also kind of a bummer sometimes. I was recently in Vegas and granted, it's Vegas, but we went to a gay club and it was the worst music, and the worst people, and we left after ten minutes. It wasn't even horrible in a funny way, it was just doomed and expensive. I'm not judging, if that's what floats your boat, great, but generally a lot of the extreme house-remixed Kylie/Kelly Clarkson stuff is just headache-inducing. But I love a lot of the originals, depending on the track.

RW: I mentioned our Twitter feed - we're kind of new to the whole T scene, however you are a prolific tweeter. What attracts you to it?

ED: A lot of my friends are on there. I'm often on the road and it's a way of keeping in touch via cell phone. That said, I don't think I fully grasp how public it is. I have a feeling I'm going to freak out one day and erase it. With each passing tweet I get stranger and stranger comments from people on the street asking me super-specific questions, and then I realize, oh yeah, I twittered that. [laughs]

RW: OK, back to the music. You recently completed Veckatimest, your forthcoming album. Can you share with us some details about the album, what it sounds like and the release plans?

ED: It's a lot more sonically dynamic. I'm really pleased with it. It'll come out in late Spring (May 26) and have over ten tracks. That's about all I can say right now. Oh, and Nico Muhly did some arrangements, and Victoria Legrand from Beach House did some backing vocals on a song. More info coming out soon!

RW: What does Veckatimest actually mean?

ED: It's the name of a small uninhabited island about the size of a city block near the house we were recording at. We got really interested in the topography of the region we were in, and loved how small and rocky and untouched it was having seen it a few times and fell in love with the name. We'd gone many times to the Cape for rehearsal and writing, and we just felt the word and name, while obtuse (and technically a Native American name, of which I don't know the actual meaning), conjured up positive memories.

RW: Veckatimest can now be found online - illegally I might add. A cynical young chap might say that these leaks are done deliberately by the label or artists to build hype. After all, isn't it touring and the merchandise that generate the money these days?

ED: Definitely not done deliberately. The version that leaked is really low quality and about the same as a YouTube stream, very flat and tinny. There's an ongoing argument about whether a leaked record helps or hurts a release and people have told me it only hurts if the record sucks. So hopefully people don't think our record sucks! [laughs]

Grizzly Bear - "Ready, Able"

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RW: We hear you're an avid gardener. From one mary to another, how does your garden grow?

ED: Well, Chad is even better than I am, but I love our little tiny garden and we just plant, plant, plant. We do bulbs, seeds, trees, hedges - one of each since we have so little space. We have a small table and two chairs and it's lovely to read and have a drink in during the summer.

RW: When and where do you hibernate?

ED: At home, with my boyfriend and dog, whenever I can. My boyfriend is an interior designer so he made our place very soothing. I love it.

RW: At long last the wind has shifted and Spring is arriving in New York City. What's your Spring soundtrack?

Ed Droste's EVB Springtime Mix [download]

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Golden Phone - Micachu and the Shapes / Stillness is the Move (Live at SXSW) - Dirty Projectors / Put It Down - The Dream / You Came Out (Demo) - We Have Band / Armistice - Phoenix / Fangela - Here We Go Magic / Vacationing People - Foreign Born / Daniel - Bat For Lashes / The Dazzled - Crystal Stilts / Used To Be - Beach House

RW: Oh yeah, one last thing - have you ever covered the theme from Grizzly Adams? It was number one in Germany for nine weeks - it's THAT good!

ED: Wow, I've not even heard it! Yikes

Big portraits of Ed by Tom Hines
"Grizzly Bear & Final Fantasy" at BAM photographed by Kathryn Yu
Candid photos courtesy Ed Droste

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