(Diversions, a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, catches up with our favorite artists as they wax on subjects other than recording and performing.)
Bear In Heaven just released Beast Rest Forth Mouth their sophomore LP and second release via our friends at the Hometapes label. Before their show at Lit Lounge, last month during CMJ, I got to talking with bassist Adam Wills about the band's southern roots (Georgia/Alabama). And while they have now hung their collective hats in Brooklyn for the better part of a decade, their roots still show. The guys reflect below.
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Jon Philpot (keyboards, guitar, vocals) When I left the south for NYC, I was escaping. I was sick of struggling for work, tired of driving my car everywhere and I wanted something bigger in life than the south could offer. I loved my friends there, but I was tired of hanging out at the same spots - all the time. Good concerts were scarce and good art was overshadowed by lots of bad art. Plus, the girl prospects were shrinking as the small town dating scene swallowed it's own tail. By the time I left I'd probably had second hand sex with all of my friends. Now I'm 10 years deep in Brooklyn and I love it. I don't regret moving here...but dammit, my heart yearns for the south with every passing year. I miss drinking beer on the front porch and yelling HELLO at deaf old Mr Johnson next door. I miss 4 wheeling and eating good cheap southern cuisine (BBQ, Chick-fil-A, El Myr). I miss seeing my family more than twice a year. I miss people who say hello when you pass them on the sidewalk. I miss going to house parties in a house. I miss backyards, porches, the woods, thrift stores, basement shows, weird art rednecks, southern accents, southern hospitality, southern bells, sleepy dogs, slow tempos and local gossip. One thing I don't miss is DUIs...its hard to get one in the back of a cab. Who knows if I'll ever pack up and move back. I doubt I'd go back to Atlanta if I did...maybe I'd move to Athens or Asheville. Till I decide, I'll keep hanging out with my ex-pat southern friends here in Brooklyn.
MP3: Bear In Heaven :: Lovesick Teenagers
MP3: Bear In Heaven :: Wholehearted Mess
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