Dan Bejar

Daniel Bejar (/ˈbhɑːr/; born October 4, 1972[1]) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the frontman of Destroyer, and was a member of indie rock band the New Pornographers.

Dan Bejar
Bejar performing with Destroyer at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California on May 19, 2008
Background information
Born (1972-10-04) October 4, 1972
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
OriginVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresChamber pop, indie pop, folk, indie rock
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, piano, tambourine
Years activemid-1990s–present
LabelsTinker, Granted Passage Cassettes, Merge, Endearing, Jagjaguwar, Locust Records, Rough Trade, Misra Records
Associated actsDestroyer, The New Pornographers, Sandro Perri, Swan Lake, Hello, Blue Roses

Overview

In 2006, he joined with Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes and Spencer Krug of Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade as part of indie supergroup Swan Lake.[2] He has also collaborated with his girlfriend Sydney Hermant[3] as the duo Hello, Blue Roses, whose debut album was released in 2008.

Personal life

Bejar was born in 1972 to a Spanish father and an American mother at Vancouver General Hospital.[4] Bejar's father was a physicist who grew up in Spain during the Francoist dictatorship and his mother was a teacher who taught the Spanish language.[4][5] His father died when he was 13 years old.[4] Growing up Bejar moved frequently and in adulthood has resided in Southern California,[4] Canada and Spain.[5][6] Bejar attended University of British Columbia for three years: "To my credit, I eventually dropped out; to my discredit, I waited three years to do it. I was taking mostly English and Philosophy classes, fooling myself into thinking I might be an academic."[5] He has one daughter[5] and currently lives in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Vancouver.[4]

In the late 1990s, Bejar had an acting role in his future New Pornographers bandmate Blaine Thurier's microbudget film Low Self-Esteem Girl.[7]

Miscellaneous

In March 2010, an article in The New Yorker touched on visual artist Dan Bejar's elaborate efforts at impersonating the singer of the same name, resulting in confusion and numerous errors in coverage by the media.[8]

Discography

Year Title Band Label
1996
We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge
Destroyer
Tinker Records
1997
Ideas for Songs
Destroyer
Granted Passage Cassettes
1998
City of Daughters
Destroyer
Endearing/Triple Crown Audio
1999
Offshore
Points Gray
Tedium House
2000
Vancouver Nights
Vancouver Nights
Endearing
2000
Mass Romantic
The New Pornographers
Mint (CA)/Matador (US, EU)
2000
Thief
Destroyer
Catsup Plate/Triple Crown Audio/Cave Canem Records
2001
Streethawk: A Seduction
Destroyer
Misra/Talitres Records
2002
This Night
Destroyer
Merge/Talitres Records
2003
Electric Version
The New Pornographers
Mint (CA)/Matador (US, EU)
2004
Your Blues
Destroyer
Merge/Talitres/Acuarela Discos
2005
Notorious Lightning & Other Works (EP)
Destroyer
Merge
2005
Twin Cinema
The New Pornographers
Mint (CA)/Matador (US, EU)
2006
Destroyer's Rubies
Destroyer
Merge
2006
Beast Moans
Swan Lake
Jagjaguwar
2007
Challengers
The New Pornographers
Last Gang Records (CA)/Matador (US, EU)
2007
The Szabo Songbook
Heartbreak Scene
Fayettenam Records
2008
The Portrait Is Finished...
Hello, Blue Roses
Locust Records
2008
Trouble in Dreams
Destroyer
Merge/Rough Trade
2009
Enemy Mine
Swan Lake
Jagjaguwar
2009
Bay of Pigs (EP)
Destroyer
Merge
2010
Together
The New Pornographers
Matador
2010
Archer on the Beach (EP)
Destroyer
Merge
2011
Kaputt
Destroyer
Merge
2013
Five Spanish Songs (EP)
Destroyer
Merge
2014
Brill Bruisers
The New Pornographers
Matador
2015
WZO
Hello, Blue Roses
Jaz Records
2015
Poison Season
Destroyer
Merge Records/Dead Oceans
2017
ken
Destroyer
Merge Records/Dead Oceans
2020
Have We Met
Destroyer
Merge Records/Dead Oceans

References

  1. Matt LaMay "Pitchfork Interviews: Destroyer", Pitchforkmedia.com, June 12, 2006
  2. Matthew Solarski, "Exclusive: Mercer, Bejar, Krug Join Forces as Swan Lake" Archived March 16, 2008[Date mismatch], at the Wayback Machine, PitchforkMedia.com, March 28, 2006.
  3. Hello Blue Roses' Bandcamp page , Bandcamp.com.
  4. Dombal, Ryan (January 14, 2020). "Destroyer's Dan Bejar Serenades the Apocalypse". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  5. "5-10-15-20: Destroyer | Features". Pitchfork. July 2, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  6. "An Interview with Destroyer's Dan Bejar". Freewilliamsburg.com. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  7. James Keast, "The New Pornographers: Mutual Appreciation Pop Society". Exclaim!, November 1, 2000.
  8. "Two Bejars". The New Yorker. March 2, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
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