Musically-inclined comedians the Bare Handed Bear Handlers will celebrate the release of their self-titled EP with a party at New Orleans’ Drifter Hotel on Thursday, June 29.
Comprised of Owen Legendre and Dave Davis, the duo has built a following on the strength of off-kilter, parody-laden music videos for songs like “Whiskey and Milk,” “Oh Bitch It’s Christmas” and “Meat Sweats.” They’ve also produced and starred in the film Pensacola Prophet: The Story of Pecan Pinwheelie, as well as a 2014 Dat Dog commercial.
“When Dave and I recorded the EP, we actually wrote and recorded about 15 songs over the course of a couple weeks—with our producer Miles Felix—and narrowed it down to the five we knew we could make music videos for,” Legendre said. “Ultimately, our favorite hat to wear is the filmmaker hat, so naturally the songs were written with strong visual concepts in mind. I don’t like calling it comedy music because it’s more fun than funny. And the comedy-music scene, especially in New Orleans, is corny as hell with the exception of a select few, obviously. I think R. Kelly’s TP-2.com is a funnier album than anything Weird Al has ever done, and it actually bumps so let’s call that the big inspiration.”
While the album isn’t actually slated for release on Thursday (it’ll be on Spotify and iTunes by the Fourth of July), the gathering at Mid City’s recently-opened Drifter Hotel is sure to be a good time nonetheless. In addition to hearing the new Bare Handed Bear Handler tunes, attendees will be treated to poolside performances by The Quintessential Octopus and Sea Battles, along with an Italian disco-focused DJ set from Jake O’Donnell.
“At the end of the day, we don’t want to put out anything that isn’t going to make people smile a little bit and I think we all need that right now,” Legendre added. “I joke that making silly music and videos is me doing nothing with my life, but this is the only way I know how to give back and make the world a better place. If Dave and I can coax a giggle out of someone during the three minutes it takes to watch a video, or listen to a song, then we’ve done our job.”
The pool party will go down from 6pm to 10pm, and admission will cost $5. In the meantime, the hilarious video for Bare Handed Bear Handlers’ new single “Rosé” should give you a taste of what’s to come.
