Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence / Jazz
Related artists: Capsule, Torche, Tyranny Of Shaw, Osceola, Rauh, Kylesa, Dead Lions & Black Jail, Caveman Cult, House Of Lightning, Mehkago N.T., Post Teens, Shitstorm, Monarcs, Bulldagger and Unfair Roots.
Country: Miami Florida U.S.A.
Years Active: 2002-2004
Song: "Isn't Life a Grand Ol Fuck"
Album: "Asking in Askance"
Year: 2003
For fans of: Moonassi, Crippled Children, Deers!, Sometimes Walking, Sometimes Running, Robots Don't Cry, Eyes Of Verotika, Caught In The Fall, Occam's Razor, Trotsky, People's Temple Project, D'Amore, Olive Cotard, Snag, Lion Of The North, Van Johnson, Lachance, The Spirit Of Versailles, Jeromes Dream, In Loving Memory, Matsuri, Gillian Carter, Elegy Of Me, Kodan Armada, You And I, A Company Of Heroes and Black Knight Satellite aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Related artists: Capsule, Torche, Tyranny Of Shaw, Osceola, Rauh, Kylesa, Dead Lions & Black Jail, Caveman Cult, House Of Lightning, Mehkago N.T., Post Teens, Shitstorm, Monarcs, Bulldagger and Unfair Roots.
Country: Miami Florida U.S.A.
Years Active: 2002-2004
Song: "Isn't Life a Grand Ol Fuck"
Album: "Asking in Askance"
Year: 2003
For fans of: Moonassi, Crippled Children, Deers!, Sometimes Walking, Sometimes Running, Robots Don't Cry, Eyes Of Verotika, Caught In The Fall, Occam's Razor, Trotsky, People's Temple Project, D'Amore, Olive Cotard, Snag, Lion Of The North, Van Johnson, Lachance, The Spirit Of Versailles, Jeromes Dream, In Loving Memory, Matsuri, Gillian Carter, Elegy Of Me, Kodan Armada, You And I, A Company Of Heroes and Black Knight Satellite aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Somberlain / Landmine Youth / Dolores Records / Escucha! Records / Medical Abuse Records / Deadly Medley / Azalea Records
Can someone please explain to me why TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO aren't a band people continue to lose their shit over? Seriously, very few, if any, were capable of pulling off the dancey, dual-screaming onslaught that this band dished out for a few short years in the early 2000s.
They began as noisecore band before adding a second vocalist. Initially influenced by Melvins and Helmet, they soon began incorporating more Yaphet Kotto, Jeromes Dream and The Spirit Of Versailles right before they wrote their songs that appeared on the demo tape. Apparently there is a Helmet cover and an unreleased song that were recorded in 2004 before initial vocalist Mike Young moved to Baltimore and left the band, but they have yet to surface. After that, the members' other bands (Torche, Capsule and Shitstorm) gained enough momentum to push TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO into the background and it eventually dissolved.
'The Demos' are actually quite good, with most songs appearing on the subsequent LP recording. Tracks like "Isn't Life A Grand Ol' Fuck" come off pretty similar to the final versions, but if you take a listen to "Where's Waldo?" you'll find a myriad of differences to the point where I almost view it as a different song. You'll also find three killer jams called "Untitled", "Bulldoze" and "My God, You Are Fucking Stupid" that aren't found anywhere else. The first is classic, dancey TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO, the second and third are very heavy and short (less than a minute), bringing to mind the volatile explosiveness of Lachance and Kodan Armada.
The following year they dropped my favourite release, their 8-song 'Asking in Askance' cdrLP, which is seriously screamo fucking gold. It opens with the bombastic screamfest that is "Swim Back Mr. Fish", complete with ridiculous speed shifts and unbelievable drumming (as well as comically delivered lines such as, "Let's stay friends, let's stay friends, let's stay friends for-ev-er"). "Livejournal" and "Ain't Life a Grand Ol Fuck" are chaos and groove exemplified to a t, especially the final 30 seconds in the latter which gives me mad Robots Don't Cry vibes. "Joel" is probably the chillest song on here with nods to The Spirit Of Versailles with both the shrieks and spoken/warbled vocals. "Where's Waldo?" is one of my favourites, as the band screams "Waldo!" over fantastic/classic mid-2000s screamo that isn't far from Neil Perry territory. "Dilido Bridge" is shortened in both title and length, but remains as jarring and discombobulated as ever. "Premiscuous Purple" gets next level at 1:10 with a truly electric transition that would have had me bouncing off the walls, had I ever gotten the chance to see them live (which was apparently amazing). Closer "Paradise is Very Nice" is an excellent, driving jam to close out the record, using a repetitive line that'll get stuck in your, "Take my hand as we drift towards happiness". That entire release is very, very good.
The following year TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO released two 7"s, a self titled EP also known as the 'Tour 7" edition' and a split with Jesse Washington. The latter was actually the first thing I ever heard from the band, as I picked up that 7" long, long ago. The 'Tunes For Bears To Dance To' EP is three tracks of screamo a bit more experimental than the 2003 material. "Puddles..." is the anomaly here, as it is extremely lengthy for a TFBTDT song. Although it pushes the envelope with atmospheric and lush interludes, those bass riffs in the first section are dope as fuck. Opener "The Same Dream" is only 2:38 and rips through in similar fashion to their cdr, but has a hint of hope and a bit more positivity in the instrumentals than the earlier work. "Be Kind and Rewind" is similar but strips things down even more, as the second half of the song is littered with distant screams and much more jazzy/subtle instrumentals. The two tracks on the 'Jesse Washington split' are excellent, and were the reason I chased the band's discography afterwards. Both "If the Price is Right" and "Don't Be Fooled By the Cowboy" are righteous screamfests with enough danceability to help the band go down as one of the most chaotic and sassiest screamo bands I've ever encountered.
What I assume was a posthumous release, their 7" 'El Minotaur split', is quite a bit different in sound. Opener "One Moment" is abrasive, laced with feedback and much more droning which has me scrambling for a decent comparison...maybe Towers? Their final track is titled "Fake Community" and it is much more in line with their previous material, as it bounces off the walls like a hyperactive toddler, screaming and causin' a ruckus.
If you are searching for more reading on TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO, I can't recommend this article enough. It was written by the engineering/recording specialist of the band, Marc Rabinowitz and is a very insightful and interesting read. Check it out here.
This post's artist is from the January 2019 Mix. This is track #3.
Can someone please explain to me why TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO aren't a band people continue to lose their shit over? Seriously, very few, if any, were capable of pulling off the dancey, dual-screaming onslaught that this band dished out for a few short years in the early 2000s.
They began as noisecore band before adding a second vocalist. Initially influenced by Melvins and Helmet, they soon began incorporating more Yaphet Kotto, Jeromes Dream and The Spirit Of Versailles right before they wrote their songs that appeared on the demo tape. Apparently there is a Helmet cover and an unreleased song that were recorded in 2004 before initial vocalist Mike Young moved to Baltimore and left the band, but they have yet to surface. After that, the members' other bands (Torche, Capsule and Shitstorm) gained enough momentum to push TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO into the background and it eventually dissolved.
'The Demos' are actually quite good, with most songs appearing on the subsequent LP recording. Tracks like "Isn't Life A Grand Ol' Fuck" come off pretty similar to the final versions, but if you take a listen to "Where's Waldo?" you'll find a myriad of differences to the point where I almost view it as a different song. You'll also find three killer jams called "Untitled", "Bulldoze" and "My God, You Are Fucking Stupid" that aren't found anywhere else. The first is classic, dancey TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO, the second and third are very heavy and short (less than a minute), bringing to mind the volatile explosiveness of Lachance and Kodan Armada.
The following year they dropped my favourite release, their 8-song 'Asking in Askance' cdrLP, which is seriously screamo fucking gold. It opens with the bombastic screamfest that is "Swim Back Mr. Fish", complete with ridiculous speed shifts and unbelievable drumming (as well as comically delivered lines such as, "Let's stay friends, let's stay friends, let's stay friends for-ev-er"). "Livejournal" and "Ain't Life a Grand Ol Fuck" are chaos and groove exemplified to a t, especially the final 30 seconds in the latter which gives me mad Robots Don't Cry vibes. "Joel" is probably the chillest song on here with nods to The Spirit Of Versailles with both the shrieks and spoken/warbled vocals. "Where's Waldo?" is one of my favourites, as the band screams "Waldo!" over fantastic/classic mid-2000s screamo that isn't far from Neil Perry territory. "Dilido Bridge" is shortened in both title and length, but remains as jarring and discombobulated as ever. "Premiscuous Purple" gets next level at 1:10 with a truly electric transition that would have had me bouncing off the walls, had I ever gotten the chance to see them live (which was apparently amazing). Closer "Paradise is Very Nice" is an excellent, driving jam to close out the record, using a repetitive line that'll get stuck in your, "Take my hand as we drift towards happiness". That entire release is very, very good.
The following year TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO released two 7"s, a self titled EP also known as the 'Tour 7" edition' and a split with Jesse Washington. The latter was actually the first thing I ever heard from the band, as I picked up that 7" long, long ago. The 'Tunes For Bears To Dance To' EP is three tracks of screamo a bit more experimental than the 2003 material. "Puddles..." is the anomaly here, as it is extremely lengthy for a TFBTDT song. Although it pushes the envelope with atmospheric and lush interludes, those bass riffs in the first section are dope as fuck. Opener "The Same Dream" is only 2:38 and rips through in similar fashion to their cdr, but has a hint of hope and a bit more positivity in the instrumentals than the earlier work. "Be Kind and Rewind" is similar but strips things down even more, as the second half of the song is littered with distant screams and much more jazzy/subtle instrumentals. The two tracks on the 'Jesse Washington split' are excellent, and were the reason I chased the band's discography afterwards. Both "If the Price is Right" and "Don't Be Fooled By the Cowboy" are righteous screamfests with enough danceability to help the band go down as one of the most chaotic and sassiest screamo bands I've ever encountered.
What I assume was a posthumous release, their 7" 'El Minotaur split', is quite a bit different in sound. Opener "One Moment" is abrasive, laced with feedback and much more droning which has me scrambling for a decent comparison...maybe Towers? Their final track is titled "Fake Community" and it is much more in line with their previous material, as it bounces off the walls like a hyperactive toddler, screaming and causin' a ruckus.
If you are searching for more reading on TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO, I can't recommend this article enough. It was written by the engineering/recording specialist of the band, Marc Rabinowitz and is a very insightful and interesting read. Check it out here.
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2002 - The Demos cassetteEP
2003 - Asking In Askance cdrLP
2004 - Tunes For Bears To Dance To 7"EP
2004 - Jesse Washington split 7"EP
2006 - El Minotaur split 7"EP
(2002) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Bulldoze" (from 'The Demos')
(2002) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Untitled" (from 'The Demos')
(2003) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Where's Waldo?" (from 'Asking In Askance')
(2003) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Swim Back Mr. Fish" (from 'Asking In Askance')
(2004) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "The Same Dream" (from 'Tunes For Bears To Dance To')
(2004) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Don't Be Fooled By the Cowboy" (from 'Jesse Washington' split)
(2006) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Fake Community" (from 'El Minotaur' split)
2004 - Tunes For Bears To Dance To 7"EP
2004 - Jesse Washington split 7"EP
2006 - El Minotaur split 7"EP
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(2002) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Bulldoze" (from 'The Demos')
(2002) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Untitled" (from 'The Demos')
(2003) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Where's Waldo?" (from 'Asking In Askance')
(2003) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Isn't Life a Grand Ol Fuck" (from 'Asking In Askance')
(2004) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Don't Be Fooled By the Cowboy" (from 'Jesse Washington' split)
(2006) TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO - "Fake Community" (from 'El Minotaur' split)
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TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO out of print mp3 discography download / additional links
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