Sled Island 2008 day one (Grizzly Bear, Blitzen Trapper & Dan Deacon), Calgary, Alberta, Canada - pics

July 1, 2008

My night started downtown at the Central United Church. Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Grizzly Bear took the stage pretty much on time and wowed the audience with their sonic atmospheres and hypnotizing guitar swells [June 25, 2008]. Every band member took on another instrument at some point, and they incorporated accordions, flutes and recorders to great effect.

With such a similar sense of textures and ambience, it’s no wonder these guys are opening for Radiohead this summer. Many of their songs sound like something ripped directly from the Oxford band’s Amnesiac, but Grizzly Bear actually managed to hold their own throughout their 80-minute set. The beautifully strummed chords of “Knife” resonated through the cathedral, while “Marla” caught my ears with its catchy, waltzy hook. [Chart Attack]

Hopefully the rare addition of new Grizzly Bear photos makes up for the fact that this is yet another Dan Deacon post. Grizzly Bear played the church, Dan Deacon played a venue called Warehouse, and Blitzen Trapper played The Underground with Library Voices. This was all part of (and what Rae saw on) day one of this year’s Sled Island Festival in Calgary. Other bands who played that night include Woodpigeon, the Tren Brothers, and the Mae Shi, No Age played a kick off party the night before. Days 2-4 are coming soon. The rest of the pics from day one below…

Grizzly Bear…