[phlipcam video + review] Bear Hands @ the Paradise

Published Jul 15 2011, 04:44 PM by Alexandra Cavallo

Brooklyn-based indie-kids BEAR HANDS have toured with Passion Pit, so I can only imagine that when they booked last night's gig with Awolnation, the overwhelming sentiment was "shit, what a drag."

Or maybe not. It could be that I was the only one at the Paradise last night that thought that the vibe of headliner Awolnation's show was like walking into the party scene of a bro-tastic teen movie circa 1997. Within 15 minutes of being there, my friend pointed out that she had counted three grown men in ball chain necklaces. When was the last time you saw even one grown man in a ball chain necklace? That was strike one.

I should confess I'd never heard Awolnation [Aaron Bruno's of Under the Influence of Giants latest project] before last night. I came to see Bear Hands who, despite needing to smooth some of the rough edges off their stage presence (dudes are a little stiff), played a damn good -- albeit all too short -- opening set. It bears mentioning that they have an instrument that looks like (and I want to say definitely is) a softball shoved on top of a maraca that bassist Val Lopers employs as secondary percussion from time to time.

Watch em' play the last song of their short set, "Tablasaurus," below.

Then it was time for Aaron Bruno and Co. -- whose live sound can only be described as music to party to -- to take the stage. Watch the video below for explanation. Bruno peacocked around the stage like he was Jagger playing the Fillmore. Though I will say that his sense of showmanship, overblown or not, made Bear Hands' set look like high school band practice.

I'm going to leave the vid to speak for itself because I made it through just three Awolnation songs before I had to take myself home. My post-show Googles revealed that people seem to really dig them. Maybe the show got better after I left. I'll never know.

But yeah, Bear Hands -- check them out next time they come around and are, hopefully, headlining their own gig.

Filed Under: Paradise Rock Club, Phlipcam, Bear Hands

Bear Hands

Bear Hands is a post-punk/experimental/indie rock act hailing from Brooklyn, New York. Forming in 2006, the band consists of Dylan Rau, Ted Feldman, Val Loper...

Paradise Rock Club

967 Comm Ave, Boston

The Paradise Rock Club, long one of Boston’s premier live-music venues, celebrated 25 years on the scene by opening the Paradise Lounge, a laid-back bar...

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Filed Under: Paradise Rock Club, Phlipcam, Bear Hands

Boston Phoenix
[phlipcam video + review] Bear Hands @ the Paradise
Published 7/15/2011 by Alexandra Cavallo
Brooklyn-based indie-kids BEAR HANDS have toured with Passion Pit, so I can only imagine that when they booked last night's gig with Awolnation, the overwhelming...

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July 25 | Oumou Sangare at the Paradise Rock Club
Published 7/11/2011 by Scott Kearnan
Many of us turn to Twitter whenever we want to chirp in about current events. But most of the time, we're just using that little...

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