Avey Tare is the stage name of David Portner, a musician from Baltimore County, United States, born in 1979. He is a founding member of Animal Collective and is associated with experimental and psychedelic music.

Animal Collective

He meets Deakin, Panda Bear and Geologist while still at high school. The four exchange home recordings, share ideas and perform in different line-ups before settling on the name Animal Collective. Avey Tare records Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished with Panda Bear, and the album is first issued on the group’s own Animal label in 2000. After high school, he moves to New York City to attend NYU, while Geologist attends Columbia University; Panda Bear and Deakin later also move to the city, and the group becomes more collaborative.

Solo work

Avey Tare releases his first solo album, Down There, in 2010. Eucalyptus follows in 2017, and the Essence of Eucalyptus EP appears the next year and includes remixes by several Animal Collective members. Cows on Hourglass Pond arrives in 2019.

Other projects

His other work includes Terrestrial Tones with Eric Copeland of Black Dice, a split 12-inch with David Grubbs, an album with Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, and Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks with Angel Deradoorian and Jeremy Hyman. He is also a member of gator pools and Croz Boyce.