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Bear Colony
No band on the Plantation roster embraces the Esperanza ethos of hope with more open arms than our newest addition 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 Griffins 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 collaboration 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 (of Unwed Sailor, on keys), Adam Putman (handling digital recording duties, alongside guitar and keyboard work), Adams 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 bands 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.