*Article by Adam Barnett — buzz Music Editor*
Note: This interview took place after 80/35 Music Festival in Des Moines, IA, and is being repurposed to preview Bear Hands’ set at Pygmalion Music Festival
Everyone likes to have that band that only he and a handful of people have ever heard of; I refer to this as a “hipster claim to fame.” For seventh grade me, I was jamming to 30 Seconds to Mars before their self-titled record sold above 8,000. I was the first of my friends to purchase Hamster Dance: The Album. So you can say that I’ve always been a pretentious, hipster douche bag (minus the hourly PBRs). That’s where Bear Hands comes in for me now. Bear Hands is slowly picking up momentum, and I’m proud to be a very avid fan before they break out.
They’re what you get when you mix a post-punk influence with dance-y, twee pop/electro beats. Frontman Dylan Rau’s falcetto on songs like “Crime Pays” fuses flawlessly with every synth bass burp and guitar strum the band can muster on the band’s most recent effort Burning Bush Supper Club. Even in his “normal” range, Rau can pack quite the lyrical punch on songs like “What a Drag.” A bit after Bear Hand’s set at 80/35 Music Fest, Rau and I discussed some pretty pressing issues (that last bit was a lie, but the dialogue is definitely worth takin’ a peek).
buzz: First of all, I want to tell you that your set was probably one of the best I’ve seen at the festival so far.
Dylan Rau: Thanks so much.
buzz: How do you think your set went?
DR: It was good. Yeah, sometimes playing outdoor festivals is hard, because soundcheck isn’t usually great, and the air, the wind — I don’t know. But this one was better than average.
buzz: On the record, you do some of your songs in this really cool falsetto, but I noticed that you seem to chill out on that live. Is there any conscious decision not to do it live?
DR: Yeah. I can’t control my falsetto very well, and what you hear on the record is a lot of takes of me singing it until I can get it right and doubling it and that kind of thing. I just think that I’m not ready as a singer to just break out. I mean, occasionally I do it, but I like to adapt the parts to some place where I feel more comfortable.
buzz: And it does end up working really well.
DR: Thank you.
buzz: I was reading in an interview you did with The Aquarian that once you guys started using keyboards and programming and effects, your music experienced a kind of natural growth. But why did you make that switch in the first place?
DR: I guess keyboards were probably more indicative of the style of music we were enjoying and listening to on a personal level. I guess we were just listening to a lot of guitar rock, and you always want to play whatever you’re listening to.
buzz: You also said you started listening to different genres and trends in music. What kind of stuff do you listen to now?
DR: I think a lot of the band listens to a lot of rap and dance music, and Val’s really into super obscure old punk … I’ve been listening to dance-y shit and hip-hop. I’ve been listening to J Dilla and Robyn. Those are the two people I’ve been listening to the most probably in the past couple months.
buzz: What’s your favorite kind of bear?
DR: Panda Bear.
buzz: Any particular reason?
DR: I like his music.
buzz: And if a bear happened to approach the band, how would you handle the situation?
DR: I think by playing dead. That’s the common wisdom I heard. It depends on how big it was. If I felt like I could take it, then game on.
buzz: What if a panda bear approached the band?
DR: We would try to take it in, probably, as a pet. Domesticate it.
buzz: Would you get it to perform with the band?
DR: No. I think that’d be cruel.
buzz: And what are your expectations for the rest of this tour and just Bear Hands in general?
DR: This tour is going on for probably another three weeks. We’re going to the west coast. I’m psyched to go out and play California again. And then we’re gonna get back and try to do some preproduction for the next record. And we’re also gonna go to Australia in September and play there for the first time.
buzz: Do you have anything else that you want to add?
DR: I think everyone should study astrology. There’s a lot to be learned … So look into that for awhile, and then get back to me.
Who: Bear Hands, The Capston Shafts, The Parson Red Heads, Horrible Things
Where: Krannert Art Museum – Link Gallery
When: Thursday, Sept. 22 @ 6:00 p.m. (Bear Hands @ 9:00)
Cost: Free!
Bear Hands – “Crime Pays”
buzz Magazine: Music 
September 19th, 2011 → 12:11 am
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