Bear In Heaven

Bear In Heaven

Bear In Heaven are an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, active from 2003 to 2015. The group forms around Jon Philpot and includes Joe Stickney and Adam Wills among its members. Their music draws on psychedelic music, electronic music and krautrock, and is also tagged as experimental, post-rock, indie rock, ambient and electronic.

Formation and early work

Before Bear In Heaven, Jon Philpot records as part of the duo Presocratics with guitarist and composer Need Thomas Windham. Presocratics releases two albums on Table of the Elements in 2001, both produced by Philpot. Bear In Heaven’s first release is Tunes Nextdoor to Songs, an EP of solo recordings by Philpot. It appears in 2003 on Eastern Developments and is recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, with guest musicians contributing on various instruments.

Line-up and development

After Tunes Nextdoor to Songs, Philpot moves to Brooklyn, New York and expands the project with guitarist Adam Wills, keyboardist/guitarist Sadek Bazaraa, guitarist David Daniell and bassist James Elliott. David Daniell leaves in 2005 to focus on his solo project. Drummer Joe Stickney later joins the line-up, bringing the group to a four-piece configuration with Philpot on vocals, guitar and keyboards; Wills on guitar and bass; Bazaraa on bass and keyboards; and Stickney on drums. Elliott leaves after the recordings of the first full-length album to concentrate on School of Seven Bells and his solo project, Ateleia.

Albums

Bear In Heaven’s first full-length album with the complete band is Red Bloom of the Boom, released by Hometapes in 2007. The group also releases Beast Rest Forth Mouth.