Bear Colony

No band on the Plantation roster embraces the Esperanza ethos of “hope” with more open arms than Little Rock, AR's Bear Colony.  If the listener follows the lyrics closely throughout the debut We Came Here to Die, it is apparent that underlying themes of coping and healing connect each of the songs into a unified composition.  The unfortunate inspiration behind this composition came from primary songwriter Vince Griffin’s troubled experiences of 2005.  Misdiagnosed with Crohns Disease, Vince was bedridden for several months, and began writing the songs in his bedroom as an outlet.  The frightening uncertainty surrounding his condition spurred Vince to channel his frustrations into creativity, and the songs that comprise the debut full-length are a chronicle of the fears endured.

Leaning on his musician friends around him, Vince began sharing the early Bear Colony material over the internet and the collaborative process began.  The musical foundation which he wrote in the bedroom was slowly built upon as multiple players began adding parts and joining the fold.  The core nucleus of the group became Vince, Brooks Tipton (keys), Adam Putman (handling digital recording duties, alongside guitar and keyboard work), Adam’s brother Matthew Putman (ex-Lovedrug, on drums), Matthew Depper (ex-Lovedrug, on guitar, bass and vocals), Chase Pagan (guitar and vocals) and Kyle Smith (drums). What began as a fun “tape swap” among friends to escape from the mundane quickly became a true band of seven members, all bringing their own contribution to the creative collective table.  Upon completion of the band’s debut, Vince was able to look back on his year of misfortune and smile, taking solace in the fact that he was not alone; Vince had the very definition of a “colony” in this new circle of artistic friends –  “a group of organisms of the same kind living or growing in close association”.  A Bear Colony was born.

Bear Colony are currently at work on their second LP with plans for a slated 2009 release. Stay tuned.