Bear Cub
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"Their name might be Bear Cub, but their aggressive melodies and stage presence have the qualities of a full grown Grizzly Bear... " - Black Vinyl Magazine
"The album I want to gush over is the Limited Release EP by Bear Cub. This band consists of pop-punk vocals and folk-y instrumentation. If someone were to say that to me, I would ask “How does that work?” but it does. The lyrics are full of emotion, and every song tells a story. I have never heard such a strong fulfillment of every musical criterion. I tend to look for melodic vocals/instrumentation and interesting lyrics, and Bear Cub goes above and beyond. I can’t describe how well the songs penetrate an audience’s awareness. You immediately feel the lyrics. I’ve seriously listened to this album three entire times." - KMNR Radio New Music
Jesse Hall left the city he loves and a promising pop-punk band to follow a girl to Austin.
All he got was a broken heart, a long trip back and the seed for one of the best albums to come out of Pittsburgh this year.
Pieces of the debut record from Bear Cub were written on that 2,000-mile car trip back home and, in indie-folk/Americana style, it chronicles the singer-songwriter's ill-fated romantic venture south.
The son of Pittsburgh rocker Buddy Hall, Jesse started his musical pursuits with his best friends in The Composure, a band that drew comparisons to Weezer and Saves the Day. The Composure, a band that showcased at SXSW, had been on track with a Chicago record producer to try to break nationally. The band worked so hard and played so much, he says, his ears are still ringing.
In the midst of that, Mr. Hall's girlfriend was finishing her graduate degree in fiction writing at Pitt and moving to Texas in the summer of 2009.
"I quit the band so I could move there. And this girl," he says, "she turned me on to a lot of music I'd never heard. I was pretty closed in. I grew up on NOFX and a lot of punk bands, and the Beatles. She turned me on to Townes Van Zandt and John Prine, a lot of blues music like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. I got down to writing stripped-down songs with a pop sensibility and more straight-ahead lyrics."
In terms of a relationship, Texas "was a disaster from the word go."
After a few months, Mr. Hall packed up and left Austin, stopping on the way to visit friends in Nashville to write down some of the songs and "get my wits about me."
Bear Cub
With: Sean Atkins.
Where: Thunderbird Cafe, Lawrenceville.
When: 9 p.m. Friday.
Admission: $10 (includes copy of CD).
"When I started writing, it was not meant to be as autobiographical as it is," he says of the album. "I don't preconceive anything when I write a song. I just grab a guitar and it's whatever comes out. I always tell people songwriting is one of the most honest forms of self-discovery. You figure out where you're head is right at the moment. The first two months I was back, I was just a mess."
He fought through the depression to get the songs down on tape with the help of his dad, who plays a variety of instruments. Recording was an emotional experience all its own.
"I cried a lot while doing the vocals," he says. "On the next-to-last song, 'Eastern Time,' you can actually hear me sniffling quite a bit. Generally, I would sing a song five times and we would take the best parts and piece them together. With that song, I couldn't even get through it, so I decided to just scrap this song. We ended up using it for what it is."
The singer-songwriter vents his sorrows with the regret-laden ballad "I Told You So," where he concludes "I love you but you're impossible to know," and "Tennessee's Calling," where he declares "Goodbye Texas, you never did fit." Another standout is the tequila-powered adventure "Mexico," reminiscent of a rollicking Bright Eyes tune.
The singer-songwriter planned on making the record and heading back to Nashville, but then he ran into a drummer friend, Matt Gray (Buzz Poets), who knew a bass player (Rich Condon). They got a banjo player (Charles Rocha) and pianist (Dylan White), and the next thing he knew he had a band that could rock these songs -- even sitting down, as they do.
"I didn't think there would be any market at all in Pittsburgh," Mr. Hall says. "I didn't think anyone would come to the shows and if they did, I thought we'd get booed off. So far, we've had a great reception. We played at the Thunderbird a month ago, and it ended up being sold out."
The frontman says Bear Cub is ready to hit the studio for the first time as a full band in the next month or so with a new batch of songs.
"I'm trying to write about her less, for certain," he says with a laugh. "There's a lot more up-tempo songs. You can stomp your feet to it." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Discography
Bear Cub - LP Self Titled (2010)
1. Hey Let's Get Out Of Here
2. I Told You So
3. Mexico
4. She Was My Rushmore
5. Tennessee's Calling
6. Railroad Song
7. Blue Melody
8. Annexation of Texas
9. Colleen
10. Your Answer
11. You Won't
12. Eastern Time
13. I'm Your Ghost
Bear Cub - EP Always Be Down (2010)
1. Cheer Up Chuck
2. She Sold Me Shoes
3. Central Time
4. Pulling Me Apart
5. Oh No No
6. Don't Get It Wrong
7. Always Be Down
Single - The Jinx (2011)
1. The Jinx
Photos
Bio
“Jesse Hall left the city he loves and a promising pop rock band to follow a girl to Austin, TX. All he got was a broken heart, a long trip back and the seed for one of the best albums to come out of Pittsburgh in 2010.” (Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Pieces of the debut record from Bear Cub were written on that 2,000-mile car trip back home and, in classic Americana style, it chronicles the singer-songwriter's ill-fated romantic venture south.
In terms of a relationship, Texas "was a disaster from the word go." After a few months, Jesse packed up and left Austin, stopping on the way to visit friends in Nashville to write down some of the songs and get his wits about him. "It was not meant to be as autobiographical as it is," he says of the album. "I don't preconceive anything when I write a song. I just grab a guitar and it's whatever comes out. Songwriting is one of the most honest forms of self-discovery. You figure out where your head is right at that moment. " Jesse’s style of writing is in a league of its own, with a copious flow of raw emotion, beautifully crafted phrasing, and incredible imagery. Digging through the dirt and grit, he discovers these true gems. He fought through the depression to get the songs down on tape in Pittsburgh with the help of his dad, who plays a variety of instruments.
Through friends of friends around PA, the band members found each other, and an ‘aggressive folk’ formula that works masterfully. Each member has widely different musical influences and backgrounds, which makes for a wonderfully unique, yet unified, fresh sound. They were soon playing shows and building buzz around Pittsburgh. With loads of inspiration still dangling on his sleeve, Jesse immediately started penning the follow up 7-track EP, “Always Be Down” a week after the self-titled debut was completed. Jesse co-wrote “Pulling Me Apart,” a standout track on the EP, with Nashville favorite Jeremy Lister, who encouraged him to make the move down to Tennessee. Jesse took heed of the advice, and the band followed suit in September 2010.
The Bear Cub boys have dug their heels in Nashville and are making their voices heard loud and clear around town. They are currently working on new material and winning fans over the old fashioned way – letting the music speak for itself and putting on a phenomenal live show. Bear Cub has been touted as “a hardcore indie rock band from Tennessee”, by Black Vinyl Magazine, “because the energy that comes from these bears - between the gut-spillin' lyrics to the full force instrument handling, pretty much gives folk a new identity."
"An indie-folk jaunt, for fans of Bright Eyes and The Avett Brothers, Bear Cub never wastes a note, flourish, or moment on the album's entire duration. It is simply stunning."
-BNAC music blog
"If you’ve had a chance to see Bear Cub live then you know exactly how good these guys are, if not then let me sum it up by saying they are the kind of band that will leave you jaw dropped & thoroughly entertained by their “aggressive folk” style. One minute they are a bit like the Avett Brothers & the next the Beatles. To hear exactly what I mean check out our free track this week “Pulling Me Apart”. It’s a little like the Avett’s “Shame” at the start but it reminds me a lot of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” through out most of the song."
Brad Fields - Music City Interactive
"The album I want to gush over is the Limited Release EP by Bear Cub. This band consists of pop-punk vocals and folk-y instrumentation. If someone were to say that to me, I would ask “How does that work?” but it does. The lyrics are full of emotion, and every song tells a story. I have never heard such a strong fulfillment of every musical criterion. I tend to look for melodic vocals/instrumentation and interesting lyrics, and Bear Cub goes above and beyond. I can’t describe how well the songs penetrate an audience’s awareness. You immediately feel the lyrics. I’ve seriously listened to this album three entire times."
KMNR Radio
"Bear Cub is one of the most innovative artistic forces to join our musical family."
Billy Block - Billy Block Live
"An indie-folk jaunt, for fans of Bright Eyes and The Avett Brothers, Bear Cub never wastes a note, flourish, or moment on the album's entire duration. It is simply stunning."
BNAC music blog
"Among the attendees favorites was Bear Cub, a hardcore indie rock band from Tennessee. Please note that I said hardcore, because the energy that comes from these bears - between the gut-spillin' lyrics to the full force instrument handling, pretty much gives folk a new identity."
Michelle Bird - Black Vinyl Magazine
"Jesse Hall left the city he loves and a promising band to follow a girl to Austin, TX. All he got was a broken heart, a long trip back, and the seed for one of the best albums to come out of Pittsburgh this year."
Scott Mervis - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"One could imagine Bear Cub opening
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