Grizzly Bear's Pot Of Gold

Grizzly Bear traipsed through Canada more than a few times since their Yellow House sophomore LP was released in 2006. But they'd be hard-pressed to call many of the other dates more memorable than the last couple, when they opened for Radiohead.

A massive storm hit Toronto's waterfront just before the group hit the stage for their show at the Molson Amphitheatre with Thom Yorke's troops. But with the sun shining from the west, two gigantic rainbows formed just behind the lawn seats. The moment wasn't lost on the band (singer/guitarist Ed Droste later mentioned it in a Rolling Stone tour diary), or just about anyone who attended.

Grizzly Bear arrived in Toronto — the last date of the tour — in the middle of recording their new album, songs from which they showcased in their sets all summer.

The twee atmospherics of Yellow House are likely gone and have been replaced by guitar bursts and noisy keyboard lines. But the songs are no less dynamic, and should attract a whole new audience when they see the light of store shelves early next year.

ChartAttack caught up with drummer Chris Bear and Droste:

ChartAttack: How did the offer to tour with Radiohead come about?
Chris Bear: I think they somehow found our music, and we first caught wind of it when Thom played a song from our EP [Friend] on BBC Radio on that show they hosted. And we were like, "Whoa, cool." Then we forgot about it, and a couple months later, it worked out.

You guys are in the middle of recording at the moment, right?
Ed Droste: We're right in the middle. Three weeks before this tour, we were recording the new album. So we'll hopefully get right back to it after this. We have August to chill and then September and October we're going to dive back into it.
CB: It's been really inspiring being on tour with these guys — playing with them and being able to see their show every night. I'm really excited to get back to recording.

Have you watched the Radiohead set every night?
CB: I have.
ED: Except for when it was pouring rain in Montreal. I went out for about a half-an-hour, but there wasn't any seats there. Usually, we can go watch wherever we want, but the massive, muddy crowd wasn't...
CB: We did watch for a bit.
ED: Yeah.
CB: It was muddy and fun. I almost feel guilty or wasteful if I'm not out there watching it. I can't imagine many other support situations where it would be beneficial for a band our size to watch, so I kind of feel like I have to watch.

Has it been weird doing the record in fits and starts?
CB: We've been wanting to record another album for a long time, but things keep coming up. There's always been other things we had to do. But it's OK to take breaks. We go in for a couple of weeks, get burnt out, then go back in and revisit the work. I feel like if you want to make a record that will stick around for a while, you want to take the time on it.
ED: Yeah, you don't want to rush it.
CB: There's no reason to shit it out really quick. It's important that we all feel really good about the recording process.

Are you meticulous about the songs when you're working on them?
CB: Yeah.
ED: But there's impulsiveness, too.
CB: Yeah, it's gotta be a balance. If there's too much of one or the other, it's not going to be very good.

I take it you're taking this opportunity to road-test new material?
ED: That's all we're doing right now. I figure most of the Radiohead fans don't know who we are, so we may as well play what we're most excited about right now.

I assume you'll take a long break from the road after this tour, correct? It's been a while since you guys have been off the road.
ED: This winter we had a break.
CB: I think we'll try to finish the record as soon as possible because there will be the inevitable four months of promo lead time.
ED: We probably won't be back on the road until next April.

You have a history of collaborating with other artists, both on your Friend EP and in a few one-offs. Will you have anyone in for these sessions?
CB: Yeah, Nat Baldwin, Nico.
ED: Right, Nico Muhly, the composer. We're going to have him in. Not as much of indie people, but other musicians that we know we're definitely going to be working with.

After you get off this tour, do you go right back into the studio?
CB: Two weeks to relax a little bit, collect our heads after this insane event, try not to get depressed.