Category Archives: contests

Contest: Win Shapes of Future Frames’ New 7-Inch

Photo credit: James Norton

Don’t let the name fool you — Shapes of Future Frames are a band whose time is now, and interest should only grow after they throw their release party at the Tin Can Ale House on Saturday, July 10th. For your chance to win a copy of the new record, keep reading. Continue reading

Contest: Win a One Eskimo Prize Pack, Including Tickets to Anthology 7/1, T-Shirt, & CD

London-based four piece One Eskimo gained prominence last year after touring with Tori Amos and dropping a well-received debut LP, and they’ve been getting major airplay in England ever since. The band is now on a U.S. tour, and they’ll bring the indie rock to Anthology on July 1.

In anticipation of their show, we have here a One Eskimo prize pack, and it quite possibly has your name on it. The prize pack includes two tickets to the 7/1 Anthology show, a One Eskimo t-shirt, and a copy of their self-titled debut LP. For a taste of their sound, check out the above video for “Kandi,” the single from the album.

To enter the contest, send an email to contest@owlandbear.com. In the email, include your name, phone number, and mailing address. (The information will NOT be shared for marketing purposes.) The winner will be chosen at random on June 28, 2010.

Video: Califone – “All My Friends Are Funeral Singers”

In the early 2000s, art/folk/experimentalists Califone played a few shows in which they improvised accompaniment to silent films. The sessions were documented in the Deceleration series, and though the discs are quite good, they seemed like a different side of Califone, rather than a natural path.

Enter 2009 and All My Friends Are Funeral Singers. Tim Rutili set out to make a movie using only cell phone cameras. Things changed, ideas grew, and a feature film was born. This time, it had a Califone soundtrack and Califone stars, and the film itself had the Rutili touch. Funeral Singers is a remarkable, wildly imaginative film that — along with the band’s 2009 album of the same name — sees Rutili at a creative high point. All My Friends Are Funeral Singers premiered at Sundance, SxSW, and Sarasota film festivals. Paste magazine called it one of the highlights of Sundance, a “whimsical movie…full of fascinating characters…directed with a light, deft touch.”

To win a copy of All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, 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 July 12, 2010. Califone tour dates are below…

Poetic Memory: Balmorhea (List)

Back in January, we described the sound of Balmorhea (pronounced Bal-mor-ay) as “patient and sprawling, meditative and mysterious…it speaks to the world we live in (and beyond).”

Since then, we’ve heard their entire critically acclaimed new album, Constellations, so we’re extra pleased to announce that they’ll be stopping in San Diego on May 6.

And we’re extra extra pleased to have received a list of Balmorhea’s Top 5 Country/Western Records. I’d like to personally congratulate them for putting Townes Van Zandt in the number 1 spot. Balmorhea’s Poetic Memory is below.

Contest: Win ‘Songs of the Young Sinclairs’ on Vinyl

The Young Sinclairs just released The Songs of the Young Sinclairs, and with May on the way, their 1960s-influenced indie-folk promises to be the ideal companion to your summer chillaxation.

We have three vinyl pressings of the LP cooling on the O&B windowsill, and we’re giving them away to our loyal readers for — wait for it — free. And with three copies to give away, you’d be a fool not to enter. All fools at peace with their foolishness, but who still like good, free music, can also enter. You’re practically guaranteed* a copy.

If you’re unfamiliar with the sound of The Young Sinclairs, check out “Tribe” (MP3) from The Songs of the Young Sinclairs.

To enter this contest, just comment below and include your email address in the form (your email won’t be visible to the public). The lucky winners will be chosen at random on May 10, 2010.

*Actual odds of winning rest comfortably between “you’re practically guaranteed a copy ” and 1:ten duotrigintillion.