Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears

Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears like things big. While they are, first and foremost, a pop band, the Brooklyn, New York-based quintet leaves no stone unturned, mixing elements of psychedelia, classic rock, indie, and prog into their sonic stew. The group has earned glowing comparisons to legendary icons—The Beatles, The Kinks, The Move/ELO, Queen, XTC, Yes, and Frank Zappa, amongst others—as well as contemporary stars—including The Flaming Lips, Ben Folds, and Of Montreal—all within its first year of existence. Combining classic pop melodies, inventive chord structures, elaborate vocal harmonies, dazzling musicianship, and a quirky lyrical concoction of clever wordplay and outlandish third-person narratives, Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears are poised to claim their own spot in the rich lineage of pop music. The group consists of Mike Acreman (keyboards/vocals), Brian Bauer (drums/percussion), Graham Norwood (guitar/vocals), David Ostrem (bass/vocals), and Bryan Scary (vocals/keyboards/songwriting). Beginning with their first live show, Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears have attracted a rabid fanbase thanks to their wildly energetic, prop-and-costume-filled performances. Indeed, FILTER Magazine called the band’s October 31st, 2006 live concert debut "one of the most impressive live performances [we’ve] seen in quite awhile," and Scary and the Tears have continued to pile up impressive accolades for their highly theatrical and somewhat deranged live act. BUST Magazine called the band’s August 2007 performance at Union Pool in Brooklyn "the best live show [we’ve] ever seen," and the group drew raves for its appearance on the popular Daytrotter.com. Over the course of their first 12 months together, Bryan and the Tears have played shows spanning every corner of the continental United States. Their resume to date includes headlining two national tours (presented by PureVolume and FILTER Magazine), showcasing at the CMJ Music Marathon, and playing during the South by Southwest Festival. Early 2008 will see the boys supporting a major national tour, bringing their genre-hopping, mind-bending live spectacle to new fans throughout the country. Prior to the formation of The Shredding Tears ensemble, Bryan Scary began his recording career as a one-man band, playing every instrument but drums on his debut solo record, The Shredding Tears. The album quickly spread through college/satellite radio as well as the blogosphere, receiving rave reviews from sites such as Pitchforkmedia.com (who gave the song "The Ceiling on the Wall" a 4-star review) and Popmatters.com (who called The Shredding Tears "one of the best records released in the last couple of years…a masterpiece"). Scary’s debut even came to the attention of famed celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who called Scary "incredibly talented" and predicted " he’s going to do very well." Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears recently completed the follow-up to this much-celebrated debut. The record is entitled Flight of the Knife, and is due for an April 1st release on LA indie Black & Greene Records. Like its predecessor, the new album is chock full of infectiously catchy hooks and intricate vocal harmonies. A sky-borne song cycle, the record expands upon the original sound, adding the frenetic rock and roll energy of the band’s live show to the mix. The group’s musicianship, songcraft, and singular eccentricity will surely earn the attention of an even wider national and international fanbase in 2008. Listen at Last.fm