First Volcano Choir .mp3 Released –> “Island, IS”
August 13th, 2009
Volcano Choir: New Collaboration between Bees and Justin Vernon
August 13th, 2009
The collaboration between Collections of Colonies of Bees and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver
photo by Cameron Wittig
Volcano Choir is the assembly of Wisconsinites Jon Mueller, Chris Rosenau, Jim Schoenecker, Daniel Spack, Justin Vernon, and Thomas Wincek.One might find these old friends also frequenting records and stages under the monikers Collections of Colonies of Bees and Bon Iver. The Volcano Choir collaboration predates the meteoric rise of Justin Vernon’s Bon Iver project, with original songwriting dating back to the summer of 2005 - right around the time the Bees first toured with Vernon’s previous band DeYarmond Edison.
Jagjaguwar will release the first project by Volcano Choir, Unmap, on September 22nd (21st in the UK), worldwide.
While entirely a studio record, the collection doesn’t suffer from a digital pile up or over-thinking. Rather, it breathes and convulses in equal measure, radiating an inherent dynamism found only in the voluntary bondage of intimacy. With influences ranging from David Sylvian and Steve Reich to Mahalia Jackson and Tom Waits, it might be more accurate to say the group’s influence is music itself. You can hear it in the care and real love generously applied to each moment of Unmap. With the vibe of some intimate backwoods gospel, plus a spirit of patience and thoughtful repetition, the music of Volcano Choir is as dynamic as it is lovely.Unmap ultimately came together over a weekend in November 2008 in Fall Creek, Wisconsin, at Justin and brother Nate Vernon’s recording studio. And while it is at its heart a record about the allure of being with people you need and making something with them, it is also a document created by musicians with rare gifts getting together to exorcise their ideas about beauty. This scaffolding of loops and off grid tempos for choral style vocals offers a state of continual surprise, call it unexpectation.
Unmap:
1. Husks and Shells
2. Seeplymouth
3. Island, IS
4. Dote
5. And Gather
6. Mbira in the Morass
7. Cool Knowledge
8. Still
9. Youlogy
Volcano Choir Press Alcove
Volcano Choir at Jagjaguwar
U.S. Publicity: Lucy Robinson / Jagjaguwar / PH: 812.323.0811
U.S. General Inquiries: Jon Coombs / Jagjaguwar / PH: 812.961.2571×240
U.S. Retail: Jacqui Refice / SC Distribution / PH: 812.335.1572
U.K. Publicity: Nathan Beazer at Dog Day Press
U.K. General Inquiries: Tom Davies / Jagjaguwar
Bees Japanese Dates announced
December 9th, 2008
It’s official! The bees are going to Japan! It looks like we’ll be hitting 5 cities on the great island of the east, and will be joined by the awesome Japanese band Toe for all of the dates.
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Quattoro, Shibuya w/ Toe | Shibuya | ||
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Fandango, Osaka w/ Toe | Osaka | ||
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Avangird, Kyoto w/ Toe | Kyoto | ||
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Apollo Theater, Nagoya w/ Toe | Nagoya | ||
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O-Nest, Tokyo w/ Toe | Tok |
Show in Milwaukee, Dec. 19th
December 9th, 2008
Bees will be playing Friday, Dec. 19th at the Cactus Club. Sleep Tight Co. will be opening. We will also be doing an appearance beforehand on 88nine radio, on the show 414 with Scott Mullins. We will be interviewed, and will play some little-heard songs as well.
New Bees / Justin Vernon Album Almost Finished
November 29th, 2008
So it’s been a while since we’ve posted any news here. Don’t worry, we’re still very active, and have been recording and writing, and will start doing shows again starting December 19th. We’ll also be going to Japan in Febuary to tour behind the Japanese release of Birds. And in what we consider to be our most exciting development, the Bees and Justin Vernon (AKA Bon Iver) have been working hard to finish the album we started together over 3 years ago. Two weekends ago we finished up volcanoizing tracking at the newly established Vernon residence / studio in Fall Creek WI, and are now working feverishly to wrap up mixing. We are all EXTREMELY excited about how things are turning out, and Jagjaguwar records has graciously agreed to release the results. We have a couple of tentative names for the project and we will post those, along with some tantalizing previews in the next few days. In the meantime please enjoy these photos of the bro-down in action.
Two Bees Videos
November 29th, 2008
Hello! Please check out two videos for songs from the latest Collections of Colonies of Bees album Birds posted at Stereogum. The video for “Birds II” is by artist Michinori Saigo, and uses dripping pink paint, boxes, and cutout bird images to illustrate the song’s structure, while the video for “Birds III” by Arthur Ircink features extreme closeups of the band and their instruments and investigates “potential vs. kinetic energy”. Thanks!
Six Guitars out today!
May 20th, 2008
Our newest record, Six Guitars is out today. Get it at your local music retailer! It’s pressed on beautiful clear vinyl, with an etched illustration by Savage Pencil. And we think the music is pretty good too! If you have the record, you may be interested in the online supplemental we’ve made, which has information on the construction of the piece, how it was performed, the score, and a video of an early live performance of the piece. Check it out here.
Collections of Colonies of Bees w/ Bon Iver - Midwest Jaunt
March 25th, 2008
Bees will be doing a small midwestern tour with our good friend Justin Vernon. Here are the dates:
Tuesday, April 8th - St. Louis, MO - Biliken Club
Wednesday, April 9th - Urbana, IL - Canopy Club
Thursday, April 10th - Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theater
Friday, April 11th - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre
Saturday, April 12th - St.Paul, MN - Turf Club
Here is a tour flyer:
Bees in the NY Times
March 25th, 2008
Bees got a little mention in the NY Times Arts Beat blog. Check it out here.
“Collections of Colonies of Bees are precise instrumental math-rockers. They use odd meters and layer on stop-start riffs, with drums snickering in the spaces and then joining the thrust; then, when everyone was riffing together, new guitar lines sudden sprouted like tendrils. Everything was calibrated — the music was as much blueprinted as composed — but there was an edge to the neatness.”
Upcoming Shows and SXSW
February 12th, 2008
Friday, Feb 15th - Milwaukee WI - Cactus Club 10pm
Collections of Colonies of Bees (Birds CD release)
Nineteen Thirteen
Hello Death Goodbye Killers
Sunday, March 2nd - Milwaukee WI - Mad Planet 10pm
w/ Neptune (Radium / Table of the Elements)
Thursday, March 13th - SXSW, Austin, TX - The Hideout - 617 Congress Ave
All Ages - 7:30pm
8:00 Carlos Villarreal
8:45 Jon Mueller
9:30 Melissa St. Pierre
10:00 Collections of Colonies of Bees
11:00 Megafaun
12:00 Northampton Wools (Thurston Moore and Bill Nace)
1:00 Neptune
Friday, March 21st - Chicago IL - AV Aerie
with Mystery Palace (Zod Records)