“There’s always been a push and pull between the rigidity of electronic music and the fluid nature of playing live. It’s been a learning process.”

"I didn't start singing in front of people seriously until i was 24 years old. As a youngster it was my dream to be a singer and musician but I was always too afraid to try, fearing criticism and rejection. I'm now 29, and in the last 5 years i've put together a band and an album i can say i'm pretty proud of!" — Ellisa Sun

"If Afrolicious could live how we wanted, who’s to say we wouldn’t have a dope piece of land where we grow our own food and other things and have a big community that’s more outdoor-oriented. That’d be a beautiful future. We are of the earth, and that’s part of who we as musicians are. "

"Someone once described my vocal sound as Laura Nyro meets Aretha Franklin." — Mari Mack

“The banjo is always refreshing. Every time I pick it up, it just feels like something new and dangerous could happen.”

“I don’t think our setting is ‘Arghh Art! We will conquer art! We’re very serious!’ We’ve definitely got a goofiness to the sound, a lightheartedness.”

“The Make A Band Famous show gave us all these creative challenges; we were driving all over New York playing weird shows, and it pushed me out of my comfort zone in a way that felt creative. Like they gave us a box of toy instruments and we had to play a cover with those, so my bassist had a little Casio keyboard and I had maracas tied to my ankles and we were playing an Alanis Morrisette song at 2 in the morning.” - Chris Ayer

"Because songwriting is such an intimate expression, it was awkward when we were just friends and hadn’t really opened up in that way that’s necessary for writing good songs. Having a romantic involvement allowed us the intimacy to really open up in the songwriting process without fear of judgment…and our songs got much better”

"This festival is an elevated spiritual experience that’s based in a lot of love and relationship. That connects everyone from audience member to volunteer staffer to artist. Everyone there feels that web of compassion; to me that’s the special aspect of Bear Music Festival that I don’t think exists in a lot of environments."

"I know that for a fact music is going to be a part of my life forever, definitely. There’s nothing else that really compares to it, so why would you try to do anything else?”

“It’s a testament to your music if you’re playing in a really loud room and the place just shuts up 30 seconds into a song. And it’s like, ‘Ohhh. I’m doing something right.’”

"It’s one part celebration of guy groups from the '50s and '60s that used to dance behind the lead singer and wear the same outfits, and one part golden era 90s DJ Premier and Guru-type classic hip-hop show. When you combine all this with the sensibilities of The Simpsons and Monty Python, you get the Retar Crew”