Category Archives: contests

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Contest: Win Tickets to see Frightened Rabbit with Plants and Animals (San Diego)

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By now you probably understand the sheer awesomeness that is Frightened Rabbit, so allow us to sing the praises of another excellent band: Canada’s Plants and Animals.

The group just released its second LP, La La Land, in April, and the album’s balance of mellowness and electric fuzz is the perfect companion to Frightened Rabbit’s whisky-soaked Scottish blues. Plants and Animals’ first LP, Parc Avenue, was shortlisted for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize and nominated for two Juno Awards in 2009. (And speaking of Juno, they share a hometown — Halifax, Nova Scotia — with Ellen Page.) For a sample of the band’s sound, check out the song “The Mama Papa” (MP3).

We’re offering two tickets to see Frightened Rabbit and Plants and Animals at San Diego’s House of Blues on 10/14. To enter the contest, just comment below, and include your email address in the form (your email won’t be visible to the public). The winner will be chosen at random on October 12, 2010. Plants and Animals tour dates are below.

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Contest: Win Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs on Vinyl

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“The Month of May” is a standout track on Arcade Fire‘s stellar new album The Suburbs, but it ain’t got nothing on the month of August.

So far this month, the indie rock sensations have played two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden — one of which was webcast under the direction of film auteur/Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam — and their performance at last weekend’s Lollapalooza was the festival’s most talked-about event (ok, second most talked-about). Oh, and did I mention that The Suburbs just beat out some guy named Eminem for the best-selling album in America?

Not too shabby, and the month isn’t even halfway over yet. To keep the awesomeness going for the rest of August, our friends over at Merge Records are giving away a copy of The Suburbs to one lucky Owl and Bear reader. And this isn’t some CD or 8-track or whatever format you kids listen to nowadays — this is a freshly pressed double-LP of pure vinyl goodness. Top that, Slim Shady.

For your chance to win Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs on vinyl, send an email to contest@owlandbear.com with “Arcade Fire Contest” in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body. The winner will be selected at random on August 30th.

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Contest: Win The Moviegoers’ New 7-inch

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Inventions like the iPod and Pandora can reduce music to a blurry background din, yet no matter how jaded we become, certain songs can still pierce the fog.

“Avalanche,” by San Diego’s The Moviegoers, is one of those songs. From its moving spoken-word verse, to its soaring chorus — which features lush harmonies by band members Richard Hunter-Rivera and Jessica Monday — the track is a stirring triumph, and one of the best songs to come out of San Diego in recent years.

“Avalanche” was originally featured on the band’s out-of-print Be A Man EP, but it’s been re-recorded for inclusion on the their new 7-inch, which will be released on August 12th. And as good as “Avalanche” is, it’s only the record’s B-side; imagine how great the A-side, “Big High School,” must be.

The 7-inch was recorded by local knob twister-extraordinaire Keith Milgaten, of Jamuel Saxon/Black Mamba/The Vision of a Dying World fame. Mangoose, the label partially run by Hunter-Rivera, will release the record. The band will celebrate the fruits of their labor with a release party on September 4th at the Tin Can Ale House, but if you can’t wait until then to hear the songs, don’t despair: we generous folks at Owl and Bear are giving away a free copy.

For your chance to win The Moviegoers’ new 7-inch, send an email to contest@owlandbear.com with your name and mailing address. The winner will be selected at random on August 30.

Contest haters and the perpetually unlucky can pre-order the 7-inch here.

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Video: Electric Tickle Machine Live at KEXP

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NYC psych garage rockers Electric Tickle Machine debuted Blew It Again in October, and they’ve been accumulating fans ever since. The album, produced by Matt Boynton (Gang Gang Dance, Bat for Lashes) is a multi-faceted piece of work, ranging from compulsive singalong pop (“Part of Me”) to modernized Highway 61-esque tracks like “Bones.” Blew It Again is a hoot to hear, and the band’s energy on record implies that their live shows are a hell of a time.

Electric Tickle Machine also just participated in a wide-ranging interview with ABC news. In the interview, band mastermind Tom Tickle explains that their odd moniker is “a reference to the evolving relationship between humanity and technology and the vessels through which we process our culture, our art, our entertainment, and how we can look at doing something artistic within the context of a world where we already know the output.” If that hurts your brain too much, maybe simply consider Mr. Tickle’s disclaimer that Electric Tickle Machine “is not a euphemism for a vibrator.”

We at Owl and Bear are proud to offer a vinyl copy of Electric Tickle Machine’s debut album, Blew It Again. For a sample of their work, check out “Gimme Money” (MP3). Then, follow the instructions below.

To enter the contest, just comment below and include your email address in the form (your email won’t be visible to the public). The winner will be chosen at random on August 1, 2010.

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Contest: Win Tickets to see Robyn on 7/22 (San Diego)

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Swedish electronica chanteuse Robyn will play the Belly Up Tavern on July 22, and we have two tickets to give away.

Known for her late 90s singles “Show Me Love” and “Do You Know (What It Takes),” Robyn is set to release three records this year. The first, the 8.5 Pitchfork-rated/Best New Music’d Body Talk Pt. 1 was released in June. The next two (try guessing their titles) will be released in September and December.

We have here two tickets to see Robyn on July 22 at the Belly Up Tavern. For your chance to win the tickets, send an email to contest@owlandbear.com with your name, phone number, and mailing address. The winner will be selected at random on July 20.