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Jan 07, 2011 By Under the Radar Staff Web Exclusive

For Under the Radar’s 8th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2010. Pick up a copy of Under the Radar’s Year End issue for interviews with: The Antlers, Bon Iver, Caribou,Club 8, Delphic, Rose Elinor Dougall, Gayngs, Hot Chip, Lost in the Trees, Love is All, The Love Language, Mogwai, of Montreal, Okkervil River, Yoko Ono, Owen Pallett, Plants and Animals, Mark Ronson, Superchunk, Tame Impala, Vampire Weekend, Sharon Van Etten, and Vivian Girls.  Here’s a survey from Josh Epstein of Ted Feldman of Bear Hands.

 

Top 10 Albums of 2010

 

1. Bear Hands: Burning Bush Supper Club

2. Here We Go Magic: Pigeons

3. Das Racist: Shut Up, Dude

4. Gorillaz: Plastic Beach

5. Big Boi: Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

6. Das Racist: Sit Down, Man

7. Tony Castles: EP

8. MGMT: Congratulations

9. Beach House: Teen Dream

10. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

 

What was the highlight of 2010 for either you personally or for the band?

Personal and band highlight: We released our first LP, Burning Bush Supper Club on November 2, 2010.

 

What was the low point of 2010 for you?

There was a horrible week in February leading up to a three-month tour when there was a death in my family, and on top of that I lost a bunch of gear, my laptop was destroyed by a falling speaker, and a used car salesman stole $1,500 from our band.

 

What are your hopes and plans for 2011?

I hope and plan that we will release our record in Europe, Australia, and Japan, and that we will tour all those places in support of it.

 

What are your thoughts on President Obama’s job performance in the last year? Has your optimism, if you were an Obama supporter, waned?

President Obama has been a disappointment to anyone who stupidly put all their faith in one person to fix in two years all the deep problems that the Bush administration created for us in the previous eight. I personally think he’s a smart and pragmatic president who has been stymied by a dogmatically oppositional Republican party and an easily spooked Democratic party. My optimism, though never that great, has certainly waned, but I blame that on the Republicans and the recession.

 

What are your thoughts on the Tea Party movement?

Small government is a good impulse, but it seems that packaged into the Tea Party agenda are a lot of other ideas that are regressive and misguided. Toxic.

 

With the Internet making every artist’s music potentially available to a wide audience, is it now easier to find listeners or more difficult because you have to compete with so many other musicians?

Easier to find listeners, more difficult to make a living. And yes, everything is relative, so even though more artists can find at least a small audience, it’s very hard to stand out.

 

Who would you rather listen to—a totally original musician whose compositions are groundbreaking but difficult to listen to or a musician whose songs are immediately enjoyable but derivative? Why?

Desert island? The former. I enjoy innovation and creativity most. But that’s not to say I don’t enjoy things that are immediately enjoyable.

 

In the race to find new bands, are too many unworthy bands being hyped up by music blogs and websites? How are music fans supposed to filter through all these new bands being hyped?

Yes. Too many bands are being overhyped too often. Music fans should try something else, like fly fishing or cribbage.

 

If your house was on fire, what would you grab as you were running out?

I’d grab my heart-shaped locket that contains tiny black and white photos of me and my one true love.

(www.bearhandsband.com)

 

 

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