The "West Coast Sound": Lauded Songwriters Grapple With Its Genesis

That's absurd, but, sure.

He said xylophones sound different.

Marcelo Krasilcic

Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields credits the climate.

Patryce Bak

Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear thinks that's absurd.

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More About

• The Magnetic Fields
• Grizzly Bear (Musical Group)
• Stephin Merritt
• Wildlife
• Nature and the Environment

That might be true.

I saw you perform as part of the "Songs from the City" songwriters showcase at Walt Disney Concert Hall a few months ago (which featured, among others, Inara George and Van Dyke Parks, John Doe, Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio and Bob Mould). What was that experience like?

That was actually my first time ever performing by myself. I'd never done that before, so I was a little bit — I mean, I wasn't nervous at all beforehand, but when I got there I was a little taken aback, because when I walked into the theater, Van Dyke Parks was soundchecking, onstage playing "Vine Street." I had heard he might be there, but I had no idea that he'd be performing "Vine Street." That album, Song Cycle, was one of my favorite records growing up, and I completely idolized him as a kid. So that was a little scary, having to play directly after Van Dyke Parks doing "Vine Street."

Disney Hall is such a different atmosphere from the clubs Grizzly Bear normally plays. Will you adjust your set accordingly?

Well, we've played those kind of spaces before when we opened for Feist. And a long time ago we played with this band Efterklang from Denmark, and that was all churches and sit-down theaters. When we've played theaters before, we end up playing a lot of songs that we don't want to play in clubs because they're too somber, or too textural, or quiet. So generally, when we have this kind of set-up, it means that we can actually play more delicate stuff. I mean, our sets usually work the same way: Songs bleed into each other, they flow in and out of moods and dynamics. Really, the only difference with this is that we would be able to keep it a lot more mellow at times, because people are sitting in seats and [Rossen laughs] are forced to pay attention.

Grizzly Bear performs at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sat., March 1. The Magnetic Fields perform at the Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theatre on Sun., March 2 and Monday, March 3.