Even voorstellen - Chinese American Bear Announce New Album, ‘Dim Sum & Then Some’

08/05 (moshi moshi/konkurrent)
LIVE 22/09 BOTANIQUE/BXL

May 26 “i wanna go home” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H5aW3rOMW8april 26 "Turn up The Radio (把收音机开大点)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTfjjjrg2yc
march 26 "All The People (所有人)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1qWWVvICjI

Chinese American Bear, the duo of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, today announce their new album Dim Sum & Then Some, due out May 8th via Moshi Moshi Records. The announcement arrives alongside the release of groovy, buoyant lead single "All The People (所有人)." The album is a positive and lighthearted collage of the duo's life together - exploring all the things they love: food, appreciating small joys, the Chinese-American upbringing, love, and fairy tales. 

All The People (所有人) is probably my favorite song on the album," Barsten says. "It’s so fun, light, cool, and a little weird. It’s a song for everyone. All the people. It has some fantasy vibes, musically and lyrically." 

The track is also accompanied by a video directed by Barsten–he explains: 
“The original idea for this music video was to build giant costumes for people to wear, but that quickly became too ambitious of an idea, haha. Then it dawned on me one day to use puppets! It'd still have that tactile/physical feeling, and I could have multiple characters. I made it in my parents basement actually, which feels hilarious to say. I felt like a little 12 year old gremlin, working every day in the depths of the basement.”

“The ‘La La’ characters are all stop motion, frame-by-frame, and then hand puppets are filmed live. I honestly didn't even write out a script or anything for this. I just knew I wanted the puppets singing in a theatre, I wanted the ‘La La’ characters to be like these goofy squads of backup singers, and I wanted puppets to shoot beams of light out of their mouths that turn into a heart for the final build of the song. I had like two tiny lights my dad gave me to light the puppets, but mostly just used the overhead lights in the basement. The whole thing is real DIY, like most things we make, but I put a lot of love and time into giving it life. I think with the coming of AI, it feels even better to make things like this. To be hunched over in my parents basement for hours, excited and inspired, using my hands, and brain.”

Tong expands on the inspiration behind the track: "When Bryce first showed me the sounds for 'All The People', it immediately reminded me of a fantastical setting with castles and fairies so I leaned in that direction with the lyrics. It was fun to write about a topic we hadn’t explored much before. I’ve written a lot on our favorite foods and Chinese culture but hadn’t explored much fantasy. We’re actually both huge fans of fantasy in general (Bryce puts on the Lord of the Rings movies at least twice a month in our household, it’s his comfort background noise).  I also recently started getting into 'Romantasy' (A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing, etc.) so I was also in that mindset."

The sounds on Dim Sum... are more musically dense and exploratory, marking a sonic evolution for the duo. The band finds themselves delving much further into experimental territory, while also incorporating more traditional pop elements than they ever have. There's a nice mix of sonics on this album, featuring warbly guitars, hints of psychedelia, pop, disco, and strings, while also incorporating synth driven, electronic, sounds, as well as droney, hypnotic elements. The LP is a true reflection of the Chinese American Bear ethos: open, curious, and lighthearted. 

Chinese American Bear is a lighthearted and quirky mandopop duo from Seattle, creating fun & eclectic bilingual English/Chinese ear candy. Comprised of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, the married couple creates groovy, and infectiously fun tunes in their home studio together. Their sound, resulting from the intersection of Barsten's fondness for MGMT, The Flaming Lips, Pond, and Sly Stone, with Tong's classical piano training and love for all things pop (Taylor Swift, Jonas Brothers), have allowed them to carve out their own brand of indelible indie pop. They've earned tens of millions of streams, global acclaim, and have been featured in VOGUE+, Paste Magazine, Under the Radar, celebrated by BBC Radio and KEXP (#1 album), and spotlighted across major Spotify playlists including All New Indie, Indie’s Top 50, Fresh Finds (#1 cover track), Bedroom Pop, Chill Vibes, and more. They toured internationally with the release of their second album Wah!!! including 15 cities in China, multiple trips to the UK, dozens of festivals, and support for the pop star/internet phenomenon Poppy (USA), and Greer (USA). Their music has been featured in the film The Wedding Banquet, Apple TV series Platonic, EA’s new “Skate” video game, an Apple commercial, and more. 

Chinese American Bear Bio:
As Chinese American Bear, married musicians Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten know that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. “I remember learning a little Chinese for when I first met Anne’s family, and it was so amazing that you don’t say ‘how are you?’ or ‘what’s going on?’ when you’re greeting someone, you say ‘have you eaten yet?’” Barsten smiles. So when his previous band disbanded and he and Tong started working on music together for the first time, the Seattle-based duo turned to that intimacy and warmth to lyrically match the musical soup of Flaming Lips, Beach Boys, Bee Gees, B-52’s, and Teletubbies that they had been cooking up, peppering their songs with food references to reinforce the filling emotional resonance. And through that fusion, Chinese American Bear started writing music that exposes new listeners to Chinese flavors in their indie pop delicacy and provides a sumptuously nostalgic glow for countless fans in the Asian diaspora who had been craving representation.

“When we started this project, we never intended to have me sing in Chinese, or even for me to sing at all!” Tong laughs. At first, the songs were a pandemic project, Tong just being a “supportive partner” helping Barsten with some ideas and teaching him how to speak a bit of Chinese. But the further along the songs got, the more confident Barsten felt that his wife’s voice just made everything sound better. While she studied classical piano through college, Tong had never trained as a vocalist or sung in a band, but somehow it just fit. 

After moving to the US in elementary school, Tong grew up with a complex relationship to her heritage. She spoke Chinese at home, but she sometimes felt embarrassed to speak it in public. “Kids of immigrants often just want to fit in, to assimilate, especially in school. Japan really exported their culture in the '90s, and in the last 10 to 15 years Korean culture has become huge,” she says. “But we’ve heard from so many fans that hearing me sing in Chinese has made them feel proud to speak Chinese for the first time.” But Chinese American Bear isn’t standing as some self-serious cultural icon. Instead, many of Tong’s lyrics are joyously direct and full of references to dumplings, noodles, and boba tea, both because food is so central to the culture and it’s the perfect way to tap into the nostalgic joy of that special cuisine. “It’s also true that I have a limited vocabulary in Chinese and we love to eat, so it just makes sense,” Tong laughs.

On their single “Take Me To Beijing”, the ties to China hit an even more sentimental root. Built on a clap-along beat, burbling electronics, and washes of synth, Barsten’s composition feels like Architecture in Helsinki by way of Beach House, while Tong’s lyrics recall her beloved childhood summer trips to visit family. “Take me to your hometown/ Let’s drink some oolong tea/ Show me where you first loved/ Show me your family,” she glows, grabbing onto her memories and sharing them with the listener through each new sensation. “I've had Chinese-American fans tell me that the song has made them tear up a little bit, feel emotional,” Tong says proudly.

While that emotional reaction may be a surprise for listeners who first find themselves just grooving to the pristine indie pop, Chinese American Bear’s very existence remains an unexpected adventure for its members. “We truly never set out to be in a band together, and we almost approached it at first as a bit of silly fun,” Tong says. “It was a way to try something “alternative ''after a lifetime of classical music and a strict upbringing pushed towards a traditional career path. And for Bryce it was a way to reset his approach towards songwriting and find his original child-like joy in creating music after spending several intense years in a band that he took much too seriously..” But now that the couple are fully leaning into the project, they’re finding that their fun and passion are joined beautifully in the adventure.

Barsten, meanwhile, grew up on a llama farm in Washington state, playing in a long-running string of folk and rock bands. He and Tong met in high school in Spokane, and dated through college and post-grad time in New York and Chicago before getting married in 2018. And whenever Barsten’s bands weren’t busy in that long stretch, he taught himself how to produce and took odd jobs producing and mixing for other bands. That diverse experience helped him achieve a sound at once immediately familiar and dizzyingly new for Chinese American Bear.

After releasing their first self-titled album Chinese American Bear on their own in 2022, Chinese American Bear first signed to a label in China, while simultaneously building a fervent following in the United States and Europe.  They then signed with Moshi Moshi who released their sophomore album Wah!!! in 2024 and are set to release their third album Dim Sum & Then Some in May 2026.  

Complete with mascot-headed dancers, backup vocalists, and endless enthusiasm, the band’s concerts have been compared to punk shows for toddlers. “We wish we had a budget for a full on giant noodle monster to take the stage. Flaming Lips-esque,” Barsten says. “We just constantly embarrass ourselves on stage in the best way, trying to keep that levity and goofiness.” Consistent with the rest of Chinese American Bear’s work, even that levity has a purpose: bringing a burst of childlike wonder. And by bringing that joy to audiences alongside Tong’s memories and heritage, it feels all the more real. Every slurp of noodles and sip of tea feels at once like a misty ideal and immediate reality translated through Barsten’s immaculately dreamy compositions. "Recording in our little home studio, we could write about what makes us smile on any particular day: food, love, friends, and funny bits about our lives," Tong says. "We are so excited to share that, to play these songs live and put on crazy concerts with an army of dancing dumplings."

Friendly Fire event - Danny Vera met speciale dag naar Klokgebouw Eindhoven

Danny en vrienden terug in speciale setting met Beggin’ For More Trouble Part 2 
Na een geslaagde editie in 2024, keert Danny Vera terug naar het Klokgebouw in Eindhoven voor een speciale dag: Beggin’ For More Trouble Part 2. Op 31 oktober 2026 kan men genieten van een middag- en avondvullend programma, zoals hij dat zelf graag zou willen bezoeken. Vera nodigt verschillende muzikale vrienden uit, er zijn (culinaire) verrassingen, een muziek- en merchandisewinkel, workshops, gezelligheid en nog veel meer. Uiteraard afgesloten met een optreden van Danny zelf. De kaartverkoop via www.dannyveralive.nl

Twee jaar geleden trad Danny Vera ook op in het Klokgebouw. Die avond, waarin hij een speciaal in-the-roundconcert gaf, werd uiteindelijk een stuk groter dan vooraf gepland. Wat begon als een optreden van Danny, werd uiteindelijk een half festival, met een tweede podium, maar ook een cocktailbar, merchstore, muziekwinkel en foodtrucks. Dat was zo’n succes dat er uiteindelijk ook niet één, maar twee avonden kwamen. Dat krijgt nu een vervolg onder de naam Beggin’ For More Trouble Part 2, waarbij hij het nu in één keer groots aanpakt. Danny: “De vorige keer was het echt gezellig in het Klokgebouw. Tof om terug te keren naar Eindhoven en ik hoop dat iedereen er weer bij is. Tijdens Beggin’ For More Trouble Part 2 hebben we fantastische artiesten gedurende de middag en avond staan en nog veel meer!’

Beggin’ For More Trouble Part 2
Op 31 oktober organiseert Danny zijn favoriete muziekavond zoals hij die zelf wil beleven. De deuren gaan om 16:00 open en het event duurt tot laat in de avond, met een afsluitend optreden van Danny Vera zelf. Het Klokgebouw is omgetoverd tot een sfeervolle muziekvenue met optredens in meerdere zalen. Er is echter meer dan muziek. In een mooie ambiance staan foodtrucks, picknicktafels, er zijn workshops, Danny Vera’s Kiosk (zijn merchstore), een platenzaak en een cocktailbar. Uiteraard is er ook muziek; naast het afsluitende optreden van Danny Vera met zijn band zijn er ook shows van muziekvrienden. Zo zullen onder andere Mell VF, Marlon Pichel, Blue Grass Boogiemen & Pieternel, Sam Bettens en Ian Siegal optreden. DJ Miss Twist zal er ook weer bij zijn voor de muzikale omlijsting. Meer artiesten en andere gekkigheid worden later nog aangekondigd.

Eigen koers
Danny Vera is een artiest die zich niet laat leiden door conventies. Hij volgt zijn eigen koers en maakt connectie via zijn muziek met liefhebbers die net als hij muziek vanuit hun gevoel beleven. Optreden is voor Vera een van de meest essentiële onderdelen van artiest zijn. Naast de grote optredens in onder andere Ziggo Dome en Ahoy doet hij ook kleinere concerten waarbij hij een bijzondere invulling geeft aan de show. Daarvoor kiest hij graag bijzondere locaties, zoals theaters of de bijzondere solo-reeks in de Oostkerk in Middelburg, zodat de muziek en de connectie het best tot hun recht komen.

Geen concessies
Danny Vera is een van de populairste en bijzonderste artiesten van Nederland. Hij debuteerde in 2003 met zijn karakteristieke sound: uit het hart gespeelde nummers, live gespeeld op echte instrumenten en geïnspireerd door de Amerikaanse country, blues en rock 'n' roll. Met zijn nummer Roller Coaster uit 2019 brak hij door bij het grote publiek. Sindsdien staat er geen rem meer op zijn carrière; het liedje stond op één in de Top2000, hij verkocht meermaals Ziggo Dome uit en scoorde platina platen. En dat alles op eigen voorwaarden, zonder concessies te doen aan zijn visie op hoe zijn muziek moet klinken of worden uitgevoerd.

Danny Vera met speciale dag naar Klokgebouw Eindhoven
31 oktober 2026
Klokgebouw, Eindhoven
Tickets kosten €62,72 (excl. 10% servicekosten en transactie- en/of verzendkosten) en zijn verkrijgbaar via www.dannyveralive.nl

www.friendlyfire.nl