SPECIAL PERFORMANCE THURS NIGHT SEPT 5TH!
We’re 5 best friends from AZ. We love the desert, we love our city, its people, and we love each other. We love long drives, early mornings, late nights, dive bars, carne asada Tacos at 3 am, dirty jokes, and asking each other what we think about things. We’re just as likely to get down on Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan as we are Van Halen, and Kendrick Lamar. We love dogs, we love our van, we love playing together, and we love you – it’s true.
Barnaby Bright is an alt-Americana duo with electronic leanings, as if The Lumineers met Imogen Heap during the Civil Wars. Not easily defined, they come from the great tradition of American folk singer-songwriters but with diverse and contemporary influences that reflect their geographical journey from Brooklyn to Nashville to Kansas - with a little bit of London thrown in for good measure. Nathan and Becky Bliss (real names) create harmonies that only family can sing.
Read MoreFew bands arouse a crowd into a collective shake like Flow Tribe. The six-member band’s onstage chemistry reflects a seamless combination of soul and movement that hits the audience within the first few notes. Virgin listeners and avid fans alike are drawn in by the distinctive sound that feels both familiar and original. From major festival stages around the world to leading a parade down the street, this is a group of professional musicians who’ve found their passion, and are living a dream where everyone’s welcome. Flow Tribe’s high-energy performances turn every show into a celebration.
Read MorePreviously of the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet, also nominated for a Grammy for, “Best Instrumental Composition” in 2018, Jeremy Kittel has been a composer-arranger-collaborator for such diverse artists as My Morning Jacket, Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble, and Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn. He blazes through a Bach violin partita as easily as a Scottish reel, bringing the same intense focus and precision to both. For the last few years the Michigan native, now based in Brooklyn, has been diligently building his own repertoire of music for a wholly original new group.
Read MoreBorn and raised in Philly and crash-landed in Charleston, John and Kevin Shields are the minds behind the quirky indie hip-hop group Little Stranger. Performing as a duo, Little Stranger is a fresh hybrid of John’s singer-songwriter magnetism and Kevin’s hard hitting, in-your-face delivery. Stylistically reminiscent of Gorillaz and Twenty One Pilots, Little Stranger inhabits a relatively unexplored niche at this point in time. They’re all about originality, every song is a separate work unto itself with all the strangeness that their name implies.
Read MoreSang Matiz has been performing for seven years, fusing energetic World and Afro-Brazilian/Peruvian beats with contemporary rhythms such as Pop, Jazz, and Funk. They've perfected a unique combination of styles that is best described as catchy, syncopated melodies with flamenco-styled fingerpicking which, "sounds like the Gypsy Kings and Jamiroquai had a baby in South America!" Sang Matiz has been awarded grants by The California Arts Council Endowment for the Arts and The San Francisco Arts Commission for Cultural Equity and shared the stage with the legendary Cuban band, Buena Vista Social Club Orchestra for their final “Adios Tour," as well as the eclectic and distinguished LA-based band, Ozomatli.
Read MoreSpeakeasē, started by Adrienne Wickham-Gobert & Daniel Erik, began on a small stage in a Redwood forest up in Mendocino county. Shortly after kindling their musical spirits, Adrienne and Daniel grew the group into a 5-piece neo-soul, funk ensemble. Our sound is reminiscent of new bands like Hiatus Kaiyote, Moonchild and Grace Potter yet throwback vibes of Sam Cooke and Bill Withers. We blend soul, funk, rock, blues, and folk into a curated hot plate of musical vibrations that will be sure to move your soul and leave you dancing.
Read Morehe year is 2069! We are passengers aboard an intergalactic cruise ship, currently drifting through the galaxy after the unfortunate destruction of Earth. We are searching for a new home. Join space-folk duo Formerly Alien for an immersive musical experience that blends a sci-fi story with anthemic songs of love, loss, and hope for the future. Formerly Alien is a collective dream of Andy Barr (America, Cobra Starship), Amy Merrill (Mia Riddle Band, Lair Music Director 2005!) and you.
Read MoreAttending a MJ’s Brass Boppers shows is the next best thing to following a brass band down New Orleans’ famed Claiborne Ave. The swinging and singing brass-line is the Bay Area’s only New Orleans-style brass band whose founding members were born and raised in New Orleans itself. This group’s sound has been meticulously formed over years of practicing and experimenting together from concert halls to street corners, fusing classic cultural New Orleans performance with funk, jazz, modern pop, and a second line twist.
Read MoreThe boutique, under-the-radar music festival, Bear Music Fest, announced a major partnership today to make this year’s festival the most Instagrammable ever. Looking to capitalize on the success of pop-up experiences such as Museum of Ice Cream, 29Rooms, Color Factory and The Museum of Pizza, Bear Music Fest 2019 will place a massive focus on creating ultra-realistic and hyper-immersive environments.
Read More“I worried that my hopes for the fest were simply too high. I’d come to imagine BMF as a transcendent odyssey, complete with incredible music, an awe-inspiring natural setting, and a vibrant community of kindred spirits. That’s a lot to expect from a second-year festival. Hell, I’d gone to Bonnaroo with equally lofty hopes only to end up dehydrated, underwhelmed, and many dollars in the hole. What if Bear Music Fest ended up being a bust, too?
Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.”
Read MoreWe've got five more artists to introduce you to this week! Artist Spotlights will be coming soon, but in the meantime browse through the links of these incredible folks you’ll be spending the weekend with in Sept.
Read MoreWhether traveling to gigs on horseback or by tour bus, Americana mavens The Brothers Comatose forge their own path with raucous West Coast renderings of traditional bluegrass, country and rock ‘n’ roll music. The five-piece string band is anything but a traditional acoustic outfit with their fierce musicianship and rowdy live shows reminiscent of stadium rock concerts.
Read MoreEver since the members of San Antonio-forged, Tex-Mex/Pop-Rock outfit The Last Bandoleros can remember, they’ve been surrounded by dynamic and diverse musical influences. From Diego’s early Rock ‘n’ Roll collection to Emilio’s Beatles re-issues and the Tex-Mex music of their father to the Country-Blues of Jerry’s guitar tabs and Derek’s Jangly Brit-Rock records, the sounds around the members of The Last Bandoleros have always had an urgency and emphasis on songs and songwriting.
Read MoreKate Kay Es is an Adelaide born, Brookyln based musician. She was raised by the likes of Whitney Houston, Luther Vandros, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Crosby, Stills Nash and Young. Kate is a jazz pianist, vocalist and saxophonist as well as a songwriter. She has performed with artists such as Joss Stone, Mavis Staples, Ricki Lee Jones, James Morrison, Ghost Face Killah (Wutang Clan), Jamie Foxx, Macklemore among others. Kate has most recently been on tour with Kesha playing keyboards and singing in her band. Kate releases her new EP in 2018.
Read MoreThe T Sisters are a genuine sister group based in the creative hub of Oakland, California. The group is made up of Erika (guitar, vocals), Rachel (guitar, banjo, vocals) and Chloe Tietjen (percussion, vocals). Distinguished by close harmonies, catchy melodies and potent lyricism, the T Sisters’ sound represents a continuum of music: from roots to pop influences, moments of stunning a cappella to swells of groovy indie folk. The sisters' contemporary yet classic sound invites a range of likenesses, from the Pointer Sisters and the Everly Brothers to modern family bands like the Avett Brothers and First Aid Kit. With their soaring sibling harmonies, sassy stage presence, and inventive songwriting, these three sisters embody a fresh and soulful take on folk/Americana.
Read MoreWe will be announcing our 2018 lineup over the next few weeks. We like to give you only a few at a time so you can take a moment to explore in the uniqueness and diversity of music you'll get at this year's festival. As you enjoy this Memorial Day weekend you can also enjoy the anticipation of hanging out this fall in the beautiful Sierra mountains with the amazing folks below.
Read More“We grew up listening to Radiohead and the Beatles and Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd,” says Griffin Sherry, guitarist/singer in The Ghost Of Paul Revere. “Everyone assumed we were a bluegrass band because we were playing these traditional instruments, but we weren’t writing traditional music. We were just writing songs with the instruments we had.” Building on their triumphant appearance at the iconic Newport Folk Festival, Maine’s own Ghost of Paul Revere will bring the call-and-response melodies, sing-along hooks, and densely layered harmonies of their unique brand of “holler folk” west to the California mountains. Bear Music Festival audiences can count on being invited into the band’s essential sense of musical camaraderie, which, in the words of the Boston Globe, "creates the type of foot-stompin’ music for which festivals are made." If you are headed toBottleRock this weekend, check them on out Sat afternoon. Feel free to mention after the show, "see you at Bear Music Fest!"
Read MoreTaking the Cello on a joy ride! Helen Gillet is a both a singer-songwriter and surrealist-archeologist, equally focused on the worlds of synthesized sound and acoustic cello, who’s known for her eclectic palette – which includes avant-garde jazz, French chansons, funk, alternative rock, and the bohemian flair of the Velvet Underground. Though Gillet had already begun to experiment with improvisational music prior to her arrival in New Orleans, she’s since flourished into one of the most unique, talented, and beloved artists in the Crescent City. She’s worked with artists including Arcade Fire, Kid Koala, Cassandra Wilson, Dr. John, and Marianne Faithfull and not surprisingly, is a regular at New Orlean's acclaimed Jazz Fest. With her onstage arsenal she fabricates each song with a true mastery of live looping technology and conjures a different side of New Orleans in the Sierras.
Read More
