Bearin' Peace

Lately, I’ve been getting my inbox stuffed with emails from bands asking me to check them out. That being said, one band that had such persistence was a reggae band out of Bergenfield, NJ, called Bearin’ Peace. They recently headlined Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ, which is not an easy thing to do for any local band. Anyway, I’m not a fan of reggae music, but I don’t hate it. Nor did I hate what I heard on the self-titled 2008 Bearin’ Peace CD. I swear! I know that I say this a lot when I write about reggae bands, but Bearin’ Peace’s songs like “Drop Out,” “Cool Cat,” and “Lucky Bear,” really made me want to spark up a spliff, and sit back and relax while listening to their music!
Bearin’ Peace is a North Jersey-bred reggae rock band that is quickly gaining much notoriety for themselves thanks to the dwindling current music scene which was oversaturated with emo and one-hit-wonder bands. Growing up in Bergenfield, NJ, has helped Bearin’ Peace develop their style. Guitarist and singer Anthony “Bear” Restifo, guitarist Pete Stolba, and bassist Nick Paull, all live in Bergenfield and bring their own personal style and musical taste into the heart and soul of the band. Rounding out the band is their hard-hitting drummer, John a.k.a. J5.
Bearin’ Peace’s live show let’s their fans groove to their smooth reggae tune or dance to a swing song! They released their self-titled CD in 2008 and made it available on CD Baby for $13! If you want to give them a listen before you buy their CD, log onto cdbaby.com/cd/bearinpeace. If you want to see Bearin’ Peace live, then check out their MySpace page, myspace.com/bearinpeace to find out where these guys are playing next! Roll one up before you go though!

By Tim Louie
March 25, 2009 - Tim Louie

Up for a little reggae-rock? Poke your head in the B.B. King’s Blues Club and Grill on April 23 to support the sounds of a local Bergenfield act, Bearin’ Peace. The group has released two albums, Bearin’ Peace and I Don’t Care, with songs like “Cool Cat” and “Drop Out,” and they can always be counted on to put on a fantastic live show. Now they plan on keeping up their reputation while opening for Badfish, with doors busting open at 6 p.m. and tickets going for $25. - The Aquarian Weekly

An up-and-coming band with Bergenfield roots will be "bearing" down on Bergenfield High School’s Project Graduation.The group, Bearin’ Peace, will perform at a fund-raising concert from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27 in the high school auditorium. Two of its four members are Bergenfield High School alumni, and a third, bass player Nick Paull, is a senior at the school.

"We are really honored to be part of this," said Anthony "Bear" Restifo, the group’s lead singer and a 2005 Bergenfield High School graduate.

The other alumni member is the band’s guitarist Pete Stolba, who graduated in 2006.

The group performs a mix of reggae, soul, and rock.

"We really try to mix it up," Restifo said, adding that all the members have a variety of musical influences they bring to the table.

They have played at a number of top entertainment venues throughout the New York metropolitan area including, B.B. King’s in New York City, Maxwell’s in Hoboken, the Knitting Factory NYC, and the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey.

On Feb. 25, the group will be open for the legendary funk performer George Clinton and his group, the Parliament Funkadelic, at the Starland Ballroom.

Bearin’ Peace also shared the stage last year at a big outdoor festival near Albany with The Original Wailers, a band consisting of the original surviving members of the late reggae superstar Bob Marley’s band.

They have also performed a little close to home, namely at Tommy Fox’s Public House in Bergenfield. Restifo said his group has been together for the past two years, although he has been collaborating with Stolba for a longer period of time.

The group is currently putting the finishing touches on its second recording titled "Heroes for Sale," an independent release that was recorded at the Bennett Recording Studios in Englewood.

Restifo said that 100 percent of all of next week’s ticket sales for the fund-raiser will go directly to Project Graduation, which provides graduating seniors with a safe, all-night drug- and alcohol-free party designed to reduce the risk of drunken driving and other destructive behavior.

For more information on Bearin’ Peace, visit the Web at www.bearinpeace.com or www.myspace.com/bearinpeace.com.

Thursday, January 21, 2010 - STEVE KELMAN TWIN-BORO NEWS STAFF WRITER