Volcano the Bear are an

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

al/experimental English band formed in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

in 1995. The group's members are Aaron Moore (drums, trumpet, vocals), Nick Mott (saxophone, guitar, vocals), Clarence Manuelo (

tapes Tape or Tapes may refer to: Material A long, narrow, thin strip of material (see also Ribbon (disambiguation): Adhesive tapes * Adhesive tape, any of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive * Athletic tape, pressure-sensiti ...

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

) and Daniel Padden (keyboards, guitar,

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, vocals). Although the principal roles of each member are as listed, the group use a large array of additional sound-making objects to create their music.

Early work

Their early work was characterised by theatrical live performances and unconventional recording methods; for example ''The One Burned Ma'', their second full-length album, contains no

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

s on which all four members appear. Having self-released a handful of

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

s and CD-Rs, several as every short-run limited editions with hand-drawn inserts, they came to the attention of

Steven Stapleton Steven Peter Stapleton (born 3 February 1957) is an English musician who is best known as the only constant member of experimental improv outfit Nurse with Wound. He is often seen as one of the pioneers of the British industrial music scene, a ...

of Nurse With Wound, who revived his

United Dairies United Dairies is a former United Kingdom-based creamery, milk bottling and distribution company. The company was formed in 1915 and merged to form Unigate in 1959. During World War I, there were dire shortages of men, horses and vehicles com ...

imprint to release ''The Inhazer Decline'', their first full-length album.Semprebon, Rolf
''The Inhazer Decline'' Review
,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, retrieved 7 October 2012 However, a proposed collaboration with Nurse With Wound was not completed. They continued to release regular live CDRs on their own Volucan imprint, and later albums such as ''Five Hundred Boy Piano'' and much of ''The Idea of Wood'' were performed live in the studio.

Hiatus

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: *Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure *Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species ''Hiatus fulvipes'' *Globa ...

in group activity occurred in the early part of the 2000s with Mott and Moore reviving their pre-Volcano the Bear unit Songs of Norway. Manuelo created an album and EP as Earthtrumpet. Padden founded The One Ensemble of Daniel Padden initially as a solo project, later expanded to a quartet, with Chris Hladowski and Aby Vulliamy (both of Nalle), and Peter Nicholson. This unit has subsequently issued its releases as "The One Ensemble", with Padden releasing an album in 2006 of his solo material under his own name. Padden has also played with the

Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. Moore played drums on the 1999 L.P. ''Free Surf Music #1'' by Alan Jenkins and The Thurston Lava Tube, drummed for

The Nightingales Nightingales (a.k.a. The Nightingales) are a British post-punk/alternative rock band, formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England, by four members of Birmingham's punk group The Prefects. They had been part of The Clash's 'White Riot Tour', recorde ...

for a while, and in 2005 formed the duo Dragon or Emperor with occasional VtB collaborator Stewart Brackley. He also released a

solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

''The Accidental'' on which

Alex Neilson Alex Neilson (born 22 September 1982) is an English drummer, percussionist and singer who is based in Glasgow but grew up in Leeds. He is a founding member and main songwriter of folk-rock group Trembling Bells (2008-2018). He is also known for ...

and

Andrew Liles Andrew Liles (born 11 March 1969) is a British sound artist and multi-instrumentalist. He has a vast output of recordings that he has released since the mid-1980s, covering a variety of styles as experimental music, dark ambient music, progr ...

appear. He is currently a member of the Brooklyn band Freetime.

Reunification

In early 2006 the band reconvened to release a double album ''Classic Erasmus Fusion'' to excellent reviews, and later that year released a live recording of their first performance as a full band in four years entitled ''Egg and Two Books''. The band released their first album for five years, ''Golden Rhythm / Ink Music'', in April 2012.Houle, Zachary (2012)
Volcano the Bear: Golden Rhythm / Ink Music
,

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

, 18 June 2012, retrieved 7 October 2012Masters, Marc (2012)
Volcano the Bear ''Golden Rhythm/Ink Music''
, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'', 24 April 2012, retrieved 7 October 2012

Musical style

The band's music has been described as "avant-garde drone rock",Carlson, Dean
''Volve'' Review
,

, retrieved 7 October 2012 "avant rock", and on the album ''500 Boy Piano'' British folk influences were noted.Semprebon, Rolf
''500 Boy Piano'' Review
,

, retrieved 7 October 2012 Their 2012 album ''Golden Rhythm / Ink Music'' was described as pushing "well beyond the boundaries of rock music, incorporating elements of Middle Eastern music, American freak folk, jazz, and Dadaist literary absurdity". They have been compared with

The Residents The Residents are an American art collective and art rock band best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, ''Meet the Residents'' (1974), they have released over 60 albums, numerous music vi ...

, Nurse With Wound, and

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

among others.Wilson, Andy (2006) ''Faust: Stretch Uut Time 1970–1975'', Mute Publishing Limited, , p. 3

Discography

Compilation appearances

*'' Lactamase Bonus Compilation''

References

External links

Volcano the Bear at brainwashed.comOne Ensemble of Daniel Padden at brainwashed.comInterview with Volcano The Bear (2008)Beta-lactam Ring RecordsReview of Five Hundred Boy Piano at losingtoday.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Volcano The Bear English experimental musicians People from Leicester Rune Grammofon artists Misra Records artists