LA Set List

"Again"
Written by Singing Bear
Performed by Singing Bear, Travis Porter de Leon, Kevin Njikam, and Ryan Lukas
Check out the Video at .. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqwYiLsFpqI

Again

This is a song about holding on. Too many people seem all too eager to let go because letting go is often easier than holding on. Then after the bridges have been burnt, we hold so gently the ghosts of our loved ones in our empty hands. We talk to the spaces where they used to be as if they are still there. We don't realize that love until we have lost it.

Hold On

We were out on a boat in the Exumas, Bahamas, when Michael suddenly shut down the engine. As the boat floated to a quiet quiver on the crystal blue mirror water, he turned to me, and sparking up a joint and cracking a Kalik he said, "Alright, Bear, time to write your next hit." The guitar slid gently into my hands. My slightly intoxicated fingers felt the familiar strings. I closed my eyes and listened. Then I began and these words came out ... "Lost on a boat in the ocean, with you." 

I CHOOSE YOU

Gold

With a voice like Sting, poetry that stirs the senses and awakens the mind, and a masterful band to back him, Singing Bear has wowed us all with this masterpiece. Every song draws you along with its captivating energy. The compositions are tight but with some room to breathe. The music is like a John Mayer meets Jason Mraz from the early seventies. 

This album was 
• Recorded at Renegade Studios in San Rafael (Jefferson Starship, etc.) 
• Mixed by Chris Garcia (Katy Perry, etc.) and CBS Studios (Tom Petty, etc.) 
• and Mastered by Sonic Vista Studios (Lady Gaga, Grizzley Bear) 


Review by Heather Miller-Rodriguez - Ariel Publicity

Bay Area artist Singing Bear may have grown up in Ohio, but with his conscious style, it comes as no surprise that he has found his audience in California, dense with New Age spirituality. His unabashedly awakened lyrics may prove too far out for some, but given a chance, Singing Bear’s superb musicianship and sensual vocals just may win over new fans and lead to new awakenings. For those already in a similar mindset, his new album Gold is a perfect mix of dance tracks and folk pop.

The title track of Gold quietly shimmers in with pads, acoustic guitar and Singing Bear’s hypnotic voice. Drums and harmony kick in on the line “lift me up” in a wonderful moment of prosody and the song turns danceable. The lyrics advocate reaching for dreams, not allowing anyone to get in the way of his and then promising not to get in anyone else’s way either.

“Believe” keeps the dance vibe going with a funky New Age rap about saying yes, and a soaring melodic chorus about believing and accepting the blessings of day-to-day life. The instrumental solo rocks out with wah-wah electric guitar. “Relax Intuit” begins with a scorching blues harmonica and chronicles the struggles of a seeker’s path, first breaking out of the programmed ideas of the system, and then frustrated with whether or not he is “meditating right”. As Singing Bear continues to find his way, the more he looks, the more he embraces the mystery. The song encourages him to relax, use heart and intuition to guide him through life, because spirit always knows what is for the highest good.

An atmospheric rock intro opens “Again”, which speaks to the hard times of today and the fear of what might come, but asks why be afraid of what we don’t know? The only constant is that everything is going to change again and again. Singing Bear declares he would rather sing out of tune than not sing at all, rather die trying than live a lie and asks us to go deeper into our own hearts. Slowing things down even further, “Beautiful Life” starts with sparse acoustic guitar and pads. Drums, vocal doubling, and harmony on chorus fill out the song to dreamy rock. As the lyrics “It’s a beautiful life, such a beautiful life” repeat, we believe, because Singing Bear acknowledges that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. We all run ourselves in circles and fall down from time to time, but we have each other to remind us to rise up again with gratitude. 

The rolling, shuffling, rhythm of “Walking and Dancing” picks up the pace with an infectious dance beat, a head-bobbing bass line and a hot electric guitar solo. Keeping things hot, the sensuous reggae of “Reach Back” with a thick bass line and tight drums, speaks to how we all grow on the same tree, are fruits on the same vine. If we reach back to the moment of creation we all started from the same seed. Smoking horns on the solo section turn the heat up a notch further.

Before burning us up completely, Singing Bear cools it down with “H2O”. The song opens with an American Indian Elder offering a prayer of thanks to water for how it sustains and nourishes all life on the planet. Very atmospheric, watery synth builds below Singing Bear’s almost chant-like continuation of the theme before breaking into a funky love song to the ocean. Following up with the slow, mellow rock of “Earth Song”, Singing Bear claims he didn’t write the song but rather just joined in with what the planet has been singing since the beginning. He elaborates to say we’re all singing Earth’s song whether we know it or not, and because of this there will always be music. Bluesy organ adds an extra layer of soul to the already soulful vocals. 

Perhaps wisely, the well crafted track listing of Gold saves the most “out there” songs of the bunch for the end, because by this time you are already a Singing Bear fan, prepared for whatever ride he takes you on. “Molecular Transport” starts out with a red-hot wailing harmonica. A seventies style ska flavored guitar vamps behind a lyrical ride through parallel universes and third eye openings. “Mind Sex”, encouraging mental foreplay, is a super funky throwback to Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”. An extremely deep voice both harmonizes and adds sexy commentary throughout, while an ethereal synth line floats over the low funk bass, giving further emphasis to the merging of spirituality and sensuality.

With a tight band that effortlessly moves through a variety of dance genres and a clear, confidant, and mesmerizing voice, Singing Bear is sure to continue building a devoted fan base. Having the musical chops to hold his own playing next to someone like Jason Mraz, some may misguidedly counsel Singing Bear to mold his lyrics into something more commercial, but in an age over-stuffed with commerciality, what the world needs is more Singing Bears. 

Believe

Beautiful Life

Walking and Dancing

With a voice like Sting, poetry that stirs the senses and awakens the mind, and a masterful band to back him, Singing Bear has wowed us all with this masterpiece. Every song draws you along with its captivating energy. The compositions are tight but with some room to breathe. The music is like a John Mayer meets Jason Mraz from the early seventies. 

This album was 
• Recorded at Renegade Studios in San Rafael (Jefferson Starship, etc.) 
• Mixed by Chris Garcia (Katy Perry, etc.) and CBS Studios (Tom Petty, etc.) 
• and Mastered by Sonic Vista Studios (Lady Gaga, Grizzley Bear) 


Review by Heather Miller-Rodriguez - Ariel Publicity

Bay Area artist Singing Bear may have grown up in Ohio, but with his conscious style, it comes as no surprise that he has found his audience in California, dense with New Age spirituality. His unabashedly awakened lyrics may prove too far out for some, but given a chance, Singing Bear’s superb musicianship and sensual vocals just may win over new fans and lead to new awakenings. For those already in a similar mindset, his new album Gold is a perfect mix of dance tracks and folk pop.

The title track of Gold quietly shimmers in with pads, acoustic guitar and Singing Bear’s hypnotic voice. Drums and harmony kick in on the line “lift me up” in a wonderful moment of prosody and the song turns danceable. The lyrics advocate reaching for dreams, not allowing anyone to get in the way of his and then promising not to get in anyone else’s way either.

“Believe” keeps the dance vibe going with a funky New Age rap about saying yes, and a soaring melodic chorus about believing and accepting the blessings of day-to-day life. The instrumental solo rocks out with wah-wah electric guitar. “Relax Intuit” begins with a scorching blues harmonica and chronicles the struggles of a seeker’s path, first breaking out of the programmed ideas of the system, and then frustrated with whether or not he is “meditating right”. As Singing Bear continues to find his way, the more he looks, the more he embraces the mystery. The song encourages him to relax, use heart and intuition to guide him through life, because spirit always knows what is for the highest good.

An atmospheric rock intro opens “Again”, which speaks to the hard times of today and the fear of what might come, but asks why be afraid of what we don’t know? The only constant is that everything is going to change again and again. Singing Bear declares he would rather sing out of tune than not sing at all, rather die trying than live a lie and asks us to go deeper into our own hearts. Slowing things down even further, “Beautiful Life” starts with sparse acoustic guitar and pads. Drums, vocal doubling, and harmony on chorus fill out the song to dreamy rock. As the lyrics “It’s a beautiful life, such a beautiful life” repeat, we believe, because Singing Bear acknowledges that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. We all run ourselves in circles and fall down from time to time, but we have each other to remind us to rise up again with gratitude. 

The rolling, shuffling, rhythm of “Walking and Dancing” picks up the pace with an infectious dance beat, a head-bobbing bass line and a hot electric guitar solo. Keeping things hot, the sensuous reggae of “Reach Back” with a thick bass line and tight drums, speaks to how we all grow on the same tree, are fruits on the same vine. If we reach back to the moment of creation we all started from the same seed. Smoking horns on the solo section turn the heat up a notch further.

Before burning us up completely, Singing Bear cools it down with “H2O”. The song opens with an American Indian Elder offering a prayer of thanks to water for how it sustains and nourishes all life on the planet. Very atmospheric, watery synth builds below Singing Bear’s almost chant-like continuation of the theme before breaking into a funky love song to the ocean. Following up with the slow, mellow rock of “Earth Song”, Singing Bear claims he didn’t write the song but rather just joined in with what the planet has been singing since the beginning. He elaborates to say we’re all singing Earth’s song whether we know it or not, and because of this there will always be music. Bluesy organ adds an extra layer of soul to the already soulful vocals. 

Perhaps wisely, the well crafted track listing of Gold saves the most “out there” songs of the bunch for the end, because by this time you are already a Singing Bear fan, prepared for whatever ride he takes you on. “Molecular Transport” starts out with a red-hot wailing harmonica. A seventies style ska flavored guitar vamps behind a lyrical ride through parallel universes and third eye openings. “Mind Sex”, encouraging mental foreplay, is a super funky throwback to Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”. An extremely deep voice both harmonizes and adds sexy commentary throughout, while an ethereal synth line floats over the low funk bass, giving further emphasis to the merging of spirituality and sensuality.

With a tight band that effortlessly moves through a variety of dance genres and a clear, confidant, and mesmerizing voice, Singing Bear is sure to continue building a devoted fan base. Having the musical chops to hold his own playing next to someone like Jason Mraz, some may misguidedly counsel Singing Bear to mold his lyrics into something more commercial, but in an age over-stuffed with commerciality, what the world needs is more Singing Bears. 

Reach Back

Singing Bear has been wowing audiences in California, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona for the past two years since his move to San Francisco. He has become recognized for his poignant lyrics, which remain uplifting and positive even with such delicate topics as war and society, his soulful voice which tugs at the heart and his tight acoustic jams. He is on the fore front of the consciousness movement spreading the message of sustainability, co-existence, and love. His songs have been featured in several compilation CDs, independent films, and showcased at events such as Raw Spirit in Sedona, AZ and Dreamtime Fest in Paonia, 

" . . . about as funky as you can get with an acoustic guitar." Eric Leighton Athens News 

"His songs are like roadmaps for the next generation." Stephanie Bone Singer 

Wade Hutson is an incredible composer, singer-songwriter, and performer. He was born in Deleware, and went to music school in Connecticut, spending tireless hours studying musical relationships andrhythmic structures. He actually designed a "grid" outlining the mathematical relationships between all scales. He teaches workshops in music theory, musical sacred geometry, and sound healing. He is also an incredible on several instuments including the bass, djembe percussion, and keyboards. He is featured on all three in the album "Supported" and has an unreleased electronic album which has some great tracks. Wade and Singing Bear met in January 2007 in Farifax, CA at 19 Broadway playing their very first set at an opne-mic. Four months later they recorded "Supported" which has already reached far and wide. 

Kevin Njikam is a spiritual sorcerer of the electric guitar and keyboards. He is a smooth, seamless composer and performer of a sort of Wes Montgomery, Herbie Hancock, Jerry Garcia School. He moves in and out of rifs with amazing ease and has, along with Wade, composed several of the Aumnibus original jazzy fusion jam tunes. Most of his electric guitar work that is featured on "Supported" was done in one or two takes with very little pre-production. Together Kevin and Wade formed Aumnibus in Connecticut with a slant towards electic tribal jazz. They both met Singing Bear in January and following their intuition, fused their variety of music with his more folky, reggae, world beat style. Now they have emerged as a combination of all of it, a brand of music they call, World Tribal Folk Jazz Fusion.

This Moment

Limitless

The thing that sets Singing Bear apart from other musicians ... his Lyrics.  Like many he is beautiful with a great band and has a very captivating and magnetic stage presence and a wall dropping bitter sweet and powerful voice.  But honestly, what makes it different is the words ... the poetry.  Truthful, real, written by him. 

His live performances are magic because he allows himself to go beyond his recordings.  He freestyles new lyrics and speaks lucidly as if channeling from another time and space.  On stage, he is on fire, a presence, a spirit, a voice of the people, a muse, a witness, a visionary, a comedian, a star.  Yes, he jams the acoustic guitar, harmonica, keys and percussion with flawless skill and funky style. Yes, he has incredible music sensibility and can orchestrate his band with a sort of ESP.  Yes, the sings angelic and moves elemental, like liquid velvet.  Yes, he has all those talents and charms, but the things that everyone really comes for are the words ... the lyrics ... the poetry ... the vibe.

Singing Bear was named by his mother - Anthony Singing Bear - and he is part Native American but does not flaunt it.  In 2005 he moved to SF from Ohio where he had a band called "Forealious" ... since then he has been performing non-stop, and has performed as some of the largest festivals on the West Coast including a slot at Mystic Garden Party where he played just before Michael Franti and all with no management, agent, or promotional team.  He has sold over 3500 CDs by himself and continues to elude Labels and Managers with his covert style.  He recently teamed up with producer and writer Jesse Boleyn to record "Gold"  - Recorded at Renegade Studios (Jefferson Starship), Mixed by Chris Garcia (Santana, Dido, Katy Perry) and Mastered at Sonic Vista Studios (Lady Gaga, Grizzly Bear) ... - All Independently and Produced at the highest level ...  This new album introduces Bear to the world as an Independent World-Class Artist and is certain to become a classic.
