September Gurl - Clients - Lucinda Black Bear

LUCINDA BLACK BEAR http://www.myspace.com/lucindablackbear Publicity: Patrice Fehlen at September Gurl, patrice at septembergurl.com Booking: Kris Kerry at Lost Barrio Artists, kris at lostbarrioartists.com Radio Promotion: Ariane Trahan at Organic Entertainment, ariane at organicentertainment.net [BIOGRAPHY] [PHOTOS] [PRESS] [TOUR DATES] [AUDIO]

BIOGRAPHY Lucinda Black Bear is the new project led by Christian Gibbs (aka C.Gibbs) and fleshed out with instrumentalists from the Brooklyn melodic folk scene : Mike Cohen (Soft Explosions, Killer Elite) on bass, Kristin Mueller (Gloria Deluxe aka Cynthia Hopkins, Caulfield Sisters, Ports of Call- solo project ) on Drums, Chad Hammer on cello, and Clare Burson ( solo artist) on violin. The band was conceived when Gibbs had a batch of homerecorded songs that he felt needed some new blood and new instrumentation to augment his piano-guitar based, loop laden songs. He met Mueller (all decked out in denim) at a party in L.I.C. and upon learning she played drums, asked her if she would be interested in lending her talents to a new project. Gibbs then recruited multi-instrumentalist and plaid shirt afficianado Mike Cohen to play bass. They had crossed paths many-a-time in various rehearsal rooms and clubs scattered around Brooklyn but had yet to collaborate together. Knowing these songs needed the melancholy tug and pull of strings, Gibbs had mentioned to a cluster of people outside Brooklyn's Southpaw that he was looking for a violinist when Clare Burson responed "I play violin." Next Gibbs sought out a cellist he had heard great things about, a bleach blonde mohaked school teacher named Chad Hammer. The band scheduled a show at Petes Candy Store and got to work. Born from minor keys and a heavy dose of melody, Lucinda Black Bear evokes the rapture and sorrow of a motherless cub. The new album "capo my heart and other bear songs" frolics the musky musical landscape with palatable sonic morsels incorporating cellos, feedback, loops, pianos, drums, and oddly tuned acoustic/electric guitars. L.B.B. have just finished their first video "You Got it Blue" and the official U.S. release of "capo my heart and other bear songs" is set for Oct 18th 2007 with a NYC release show at Joes Pub. The record will also be released in Switzerland on Noi Recordings Oct 13th where the band will tour this Fall followed by a tour of the States. Gibbs has received rave reviews for his solo work in Rolling Stone, Spin, NBC News, Billboard, Alternative Press, No Depression, Harp, Guitar World Magazine, and many other notable publications. Songs like "Capo My Heart" , and "Fought the Bear" with their plaintive, understated Elliott Smith meets Radiohead meets Chet Baker ruminations, are attracting new music lovers the world over.

PHOTOS Click on a thumbnail to download that hi-res JPEG (suitable for publication):

TOUR DATES Apr 18, 2009 * The Bell House w/ Kaiser Cartel, Winterpills * New York, New York

PRESS Performing Songwriter Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs Christian Gibbs has been quite the prolific auteur of late, casting about in his guise of C. Gibbs and, most recently, the inexplicable nom de plume Lucinda Black Bear. Being something of an overachiever, this latest endeavor finds the onetime member of Modern English wholly responsible for the arrangements and the majority of the instrumentation, setting up similarities to Conor Oberst in his Bright Eyes guise. However, Gibbs knew these new songs needed a certain touch of melancholy, so Lucinda expanded into a five-piece band with emphasis on violin and cello. ‘Capo My Heart’ provides a prime example of Gibbs’ angular melodies, muted emotions and a heavy emphasis on varying tones and textures. While the lush, ethereal beauty of “Fought the Bear,” “Winterland” and “You Got It Blue” takes several listens to absorb fully, peeling away the shimmering layers makes those repeated encounters all the more intriguing. Prefix Magazine Score: 7 out of 10 Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs - by Elizabeth Rhodes Someone broke up with Christian Gibbs. The curly haired Brooklyn singer-songwriter has released several solo albums -- the latest a 2005 whisky-soaked, harmonica- and steel guitar-infused marriage of Neil Young and Tom Waits -- but required a band of four instrumentalists gleaned from his borough’s folk scene to record the haunting, if slightly unhinged, lovesick ballads on ‘Capo My Heart’ and Other Bear Songs. Perhaps he needed some moral support. Lucinda Black Bear spikes the sweet falsetto and desolate melodies of Elliott Smith and Sparklehorse with Nick Cave’s dark aggression. At first, Gibbs recorded these tracks alone at home, and their lo-fi, piano-and-guitar core is still audible. But it’s Mike Cohen on bass, Kristin Mueller on drums, Chad Hammer on cello, and Clare Burson on violin who prevent the surprising, complex album from rehashing Either/Or. Like a nineteenth-century German song cycle, Capo My Heart documents the erratic stages of romantic loss. “Fought the Bear” establishes the situation’s severity, evolving from an understated, melancholy tune into wild-eyed rant. Unevenly layered strings create tension, and Gibbs roars into the chorus amid crashing drums, crying, “Fought the bear with my bare hands!” The fourth track, “Capo My Heart,” is where Gibbs hits rock bottom. The minor, piano-driven ballad’s tempo plods along, as if the band might not have the will to hit the next note. It doesn’t ease up: The next song begins with, “Give me god, give me death.” And after pretending he has recovered on the playful, folksy “Noon Day Sun,” Gibbs spins into “Give U Nothin’” -- a crazed, bitter diatribe. Surrounded by dissonant chords and chromatic runs, reverberating, jangling guitar and off-beat hooks, he moans, “You’re going want me one day/ and I’m going to wait till that day/ and I’m going to give you nothing/ watch you while you bleed.” Gibbs began his career in the early ’90s when he arrived in London for a semester abroad, answered a help-wanted ad and traded college for employment as Modern English’s guitarist. He signed to Atlantic in 1999 for one solo album and then quickly returned to obscurity, recording under C.Gibbs Review, C.Gibbs and the Cardia Bros., and most recently as C.Gibbs for 2005’s Parade of Small Horses. “Here I Am,” is the most similar to Gibb’s recent solo work, as he drops into a scratchy baritone amid a honky-tonk climax of tickling piano and heavy drums. The song loses all sense, however, when it fades into a spacey, echoing Queen-esque coda. Bizarre codas are Capo My Heart’s primary flaw -- Gibbs needs to learn how to bow out gracefully. The worst is closer “Hibernation Song,” composed entirely of buzzing, hairy strings. Perhaps it’s meant to sound like the lonely nighttime forest depicted on the cover, after the bears have fallen asleep and the moon it out, but it has little in common musically with the other arrangements. Then again, maybe the entire album is about being unable to let go. The Brooklyn Rail Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs Music: Hank Williams in a Minor Key; Brooklyn's Lucinda Black Bear Goes where the Grunions Run - by Dare Dukes On the European leg of the tour for their new record, “Capo My Heart” and Other Bear Songs, Lucinda Black Bear added a cover of Hank Williams’ “Can’t Get You Off of My Mind” to their set of originals. The band’s soaring and lushly arranged songs weave together myriad strains of American music, old and new, so a Hank Williams cover was hardly a stretch. But something about the up-tempo number didn’t quite fit until Christian Gibbs, the band’s songwriter and soft-spoken front man, suggested they play the song in a minor key. “When we did that,” Gibbs explains, “it became a Lucinda Black Bear song.” Click here to read the rest of the article from The Brooklyn Rail! New York Press Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs Music: A New Wave one-hit wonder, Christian Gibbs turns to barn-storming country songs with his band, Lucinda Black Bear - by Elizabeth Rhodes Basting and bored, Christian Gibbs still had hours to go. It was summer, and the Brooklyn singer-songwriter had just begun a 12-hour security guard shift by the Whitestone Bridge in Queens. Sitting alone in his sticky van and watching bread trucks emerge from a nearby factory, Gibbs pulled out his guitar. He began playing a clipped, minor riff. Slowly, he sang a series of short, fragile phrases in a light tenor: “Fought the bear, fought the bear with my bare hands/Whitestone bear, at the factory’s idle hands/It’s lonely here, loneliness is big like bears/Fought the bear, fought the bear with my bare hands.” Click here to read the rest of the article from the New York Press Village Voice Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs Live: Laura Marling + Lucinda Black Bear at Union Hall - by Michael D. Ayers Headlining the evening was Lucinda Black Bear, a rock-noir outfit headed by C.Gibbs (a/k/a Christian Gibbs). Gibbs is neither awkward, nor young; in fact, he’s extremely confident in commanding this five piece he’s recently assembled, who're bolstered by a cello and a violin. Gibbs has been around the game awhile; he flirted with a major label release in 1999, and has subsequently released two records this decade. He’s received accolades over the years from high end places such as the New York Times and NPR, but seemingly has failed to catch on with those most likely be his fans—those who appreciate Okkervil River or Magnolia Electric Company / Songs: Ohia. Unlike Marling, Lucinda Black Bear sing songs about fighting bears. Well, just one song, really, involves a throwdown: “Fought The Bear” is a large sounding rocker, a full-on assault of Gibbs crowing and crescendo’ing about a quick brush with death, something that fits his band's morose vibe. He passionately convinces us that this bear fight (with his bare hands) really happened, something that as we get older, we don’t even consider possible. There was a time, decades ago, that fighting bears seemed like a real possibility as did playing professional sports. Another one of the staples in Lucinda Black Bear’s catalog is “Kites,” a slow, twangy ballad that highlights Gibb’s abstract storytelling. It’s not a carefree kite flying song (although flying kites, is in fact, referenced) but instead comes off a bit bitter, a bit jaded, and dejected, as Gibbs describes coming to terms with losing a friend. Gibbs himself puts this into his performances, a downsized version of himself that the jaded and the heartbroken can appreciate—those with imagination, yet who were never rewarded for that quality. Lucinda Black Bear might be just getting off the ground, and Gibbs has assembled a talented backing band. But his song arrangements (like on the album) would even lend themselves to a larger ensemble, maybe a piano here and there, and a banjo or mandolin would even sound appropriate—but for Union Hall’s tiny stage, a five piece was enough for the moment. The Owl Mag Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs - by Kiri Oliver The Brooklyn-based band Lucinda Black Bear is led by singer-songwriter Christian Gibbs, who has received acclaim for his solo work in the past. Gibbs is an enormously talented songwriter, and the five-piece band (comprising guitar, bass, drums, cello and violin) provides full, powerful arrangements for his minor-key pop songs. Influences by Elliott Smith and The Beatles drive some of the album’s best tracks, including the gorgeous, immediately memorable "Fought the Bear" and the laid-back, acoustic guitar-driven "All She Wanted" and "Noon Day Sun." "Kites" recalls Radiohead's best pop melodies, and the sprawling, poetic "Here I Am" is a track worthy of Beck’s album Sea Change. The songs do a wonderful job of capturing the beauty of sadness, with the string section pitching in to create the album's darkest, most affecting moments. "Capo My Heart" and other Bear Songs is a musical achievement that is not to be missed. Harp Magazine Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs - “Harp Endorsed” Another vector for the haunted folk rock tunes of Christian—or C.—Gibbs, LBB (which features singer-songwriter HARP fave Clare Burson on violin) takes a different instrumental tack, crafting spectral, more atmospheric contexts to go with Gibbs' descriptive epistles on the self-released Eastern Spurs. NPR’s Second Stage Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs - 3 stars Brooklyn's Lucinda Black Bear (http://www.myspace.com/lucindablackbear) is a new project led by Christian Gibbs. They play carefully written folk rock with stunning sonic arrangements. Lucinda Blackbear's debut CD, Capo My Heart and Other Bear Songs, is a melancholy collection of songs that are expressive and moving. With Kristin Mueller on drums, Chad Hammer on cello, and Clare Burson on violin, they paint lonely, deserted images with dark minor chords and complex melodies. The stings and acoustic instruments blend well with distorted electric guitar and subtle feedback. On the title track, slow guitar and piano play along with Gibbs' dreamy vocals: "if I could build a tree up to the stars / I'd lay there forever". The last track, "Hibernation Song (Blue it Got You)", is an instrumental piece that features dissonant, droning strings. Christian Gibbs has also played in a number of other notable bands including Foetus, the Morning Glories, and the '80s pop group Modern English. The Sunday Paper - Atlanta, GA Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs - 3 stars Christian Gibbs, aka C.Gibbs, hides behind another moniker as the auteur of Lucinda Black Bear. Here he trades his Neil-Young-in-Brooklyn country folk for winsome, string-enhanced, indie pop with lovely, heart rending results. As inferred in his band’s name and the album’s title, this is a song cycle about, well bears. But don’t let that deter you from delving into this gorgeous, wistful chamber pop that is both subtle and dense. Gibbs’ lyrics are too obtuse to say anything directly, so what seems to be a somewhat cumbersome concept isn’t a hindrance. The album isn’t a fairy tale and follows no linear storyline, but is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Gibbs’ fragile, yearning vocals drift over songs that flirt with melodies but float through choruses that take a few spins to reveal themselves. Like the video for “You Got it Blue” (included on this “enhanced” disc), the sound is bathed in shadows, exposing just enough charms to beckon you back for another listen. How this melancholy, thought-provoking and delicate music will fare in the typically more raucous, PBR-drenched confines of the Star Bar is unclear. Pieces driven by the cello and violin, such as the trance inducing album closing instrumental “Hibernation Song (Blue it Got You),” seem to be geared to a more controlled, even seated, environment. Regardless, Gibbs is a talented and complex singer-songwriter who isn’t hiding behind a mask so much as creating a fresh palette on which to paint his obvious talent and watercolor charms. THREE STARS—Hal Horowitz Time Out - New York, NY Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs Lucinda Black Bear is a new quintet led by Christian Gibbs, a veteran local singer who really knows his way around a dark, country-inflected pop melody. Gibbs has had brushes with fame before - he used to play with Modern English-- but the striking, melancholy tunes on LBB's new disc, 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs, could push him over the top. babysue® / LMNOP® - Chattanooga, TN Lucinda Black Bear - 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs So many bands lately with the word "bear" in their name...and the odd part is that none of them are groups of fat hairy guys (?!?). Hey, what gives? Bear bands, bear bands, everywhere...and not a stitch of homosexual fur. Lucinda Black Bear is a new band led by Christian Gibbs. There's no denying that the songs on 'Capo My Heart' and Other Bear Songs bear a strong resemblance to early Neil Young...the vocals are particularly similar. But instead of merely rehashing an old sound and style...Gibbs and his associates breathe new life into plaintive, yearning, soft pop. In addition to Christian, this band consists of Mike Cohen (bass), Kristin Hammer (drums), Chad Hammer (cello), and Clare Burson (violin). The soft, dreamy tracks on this album sound mighty fine indeed (excellent sound quality throughout)...particularly after you've heard them a half dozen times or more. Instead of going for easy, predictable pop...the folks in Lucinda Black Bear present mature modern music for smart listeners. Cool groovy cuts here include "Kites," "Capo My Heart," "You Got It Blue," and "Here I Am." We really like the way this album ends with the tripped out strings on "Hibernation Song (Blue It Got You)"...really neat. (Rating: 5++)

AUDIO Click on a clip of an audio track below to download a mp3: Lucinda Black Bear - capo my heart and other bear songs [2007] Capo My Heart [mp3] - 1.05 mb You Got it Blue [mp3] - 1.03 mb