Musical Bears Dare To Crush! 

The first annual Beartaria Times National Festival was a musical success.

Remarkable, considering the Bears were entering uncharted territory. Bear Musicians came from all over the United States, each having studied the music remotely, putting on great shows, despite minimal rehearsals in person. Anchor Bear and many others blew away bears of all ages as the performers gave their all.

This year, the lineup is three times larger!

Bear Headliner 

Once again, Anchor Bear is the Headliner, bringing his bear-famous brand of soul and energy! Owen Benjamin enthusiastically chose to have Anchor take the stage after his Saturday night comedy special filming. Thanks to the fresh setlist, Bears will hear their favorite Anchor Bear songs, even if they might have to stay up a little later than usual!

Bear Legends

The rest of the musical lineup is spectacular. The Vox Day/Dark stream contingent is represented beautifully by our very own Cactus Eater Bear doing Booster Patrol songs in the unique Vox-inspired Punk-Metal/Shred/Boomer Rock style. Many other long-time Bears are featured doing bear-themed originals and some great covers. The schedule features Flo Cal Bear, Grungy Blues Bear, Copper Bear, Cano Bear, and yes, even Jackobat doing acoustic versions of his unique originals, to be joined later in his set by Guest Bear artists!

Bear Variety

The hits keep coming. Colorado’s Music Bear does a run of his Nature Soul/Alternative. Husband-wife Accordion/Guitar duo “A Couple of Yahoos” showcase their front porch Folk. Missouri Band “Simply Prodigal” brings their original Praise Rock, while Crrow777Radio Co-host/ Producer Jason Lindgren returns with this original Pink Floyd-inspired Rock set. 

Bear Wedding

History is being made this year; Wobbly Bear and Hometown Bear’s wedding is happening at the festival! The WobblyTown Wedding Band will play special music for the newlyweds on the main stage as the couple has their first dance and the Bears celebrate the happy couple. 

Bear Band

Backing many of these Allstar Bears is a world-class group, with Bandleader Telecaster Bear and Drummer Peacemaker Bear returning from last year. Featuring Atlanta Guitarist Anthony Cappolino, Bassist Sea Level Bear, Music Bear on various instruments, Drummer Hoodilidaddle Bear, plus Surprise Guests.  

Bears making music memories is a beautiful thing! Onward. 

Bear Roster:

Make sure to pick up your tickets at BeartariaTimes.Events!

When I first listened to OliveTreeBear’s newest song My Tribe, I was blown away by its anthemic energy coupled with catchy hooks and brazen synth sounds.

The song starts out with a quick piano and white noise volume swell done by automation. This pulls the listener in only to be immediately hit a soft whispered “go” before large bass and brass combo and bouncy drum beat smack the listener dead in the face. This vibe continues as Olive Tree Bear throws vocal sample after sample at us over this heavy footed beat plays.

The vocal melody shines in the verse with whole note steps up and then back down as he details the makings of his tribe — the bears. This matches perfectly up with the large bear names zooming past in the music video.

As the pre-chorus hits the energy slowly begins to swell as vocal harmonies are added — along with a trembly synth that fills the previously vacant mid frequency range of the instrumentation. The vocals get some cuts on beat to the words “i-i-immortalize” to once again add additional production spice. The beat drops to leave you with just the vocals shining through.

As the chorus hits, the bouncy beat is suddenly stabilized with a loud chunking high hat with an enormously large synth pad. The chorus continues with some trembling strings to carry the minor third chord (iii) back to up to the Major IV — a chord that has yet to show up in this piece thus far. By OliveTreeBear leaving the key of this piece ambiguous up to this point, it allows the listener to feel a sense of relief as the vocals sing the “where I belong” lyric.

During the post chorus, the anthemic “army of legends” line is repeated as “grow” is chanted in the background. This aggressively shouted line is the first appearance of some grit to this song thus far. And this attitude gives us a preview of what the second verse will hold. The post chorus ends abruptly without the melodic line resolving. This creates some tension as the second verse comes in.

The second verse is even more stripped back than the first once the brass was removed. This brass was playing a key role in the call and response pattern between vocal melody and instrumentation. With it removed, the song feels incomplete once again. This is quickly resolved as the second verse begins its ascends back to the chorus. Heavily delayed vocals fill the stereo field as the beat comes back in. Gritty shouted vocals that we saw in the post chorus come in along with the chorus’s strings. The toms are now highlighted as the bass drops out.

The prechorus comes in once again. While the instruments remain the same as the initial pre chorus, you will find some nice additions to make it feel more whole now. We now hear much more gritty vocal doubles, large strings, and and an off-beat hi-hat. This is a major shift from the minimalistic first prechorus we heard before. The second pre chorus ends with the vocals going up in vocal register for some belted lyrics that were before whispered. This goes along with the song’s overall theme of transforming from someone who has a timid whisper to someone now roaring with confidence after finding his tribe to connect with.

These notes carry into the final chorus. The final chorus is very similar to the first with the addition of one key vocal line held out belting notes in the background that ties all the previous chorus’s empty spaces together.

The song ends with a final prechorus that contains a higher vocal register playing a crucial role in the new lyrics “this is a –“. The resolution of this song is the click-y 32nd note rolls and a cymbal scrape and a beat with the kick and snare. For a song that’s been blacking the presence of high end and mid section, this ending is satisfying to hear and definitely shows the progression that’s been made through the past 2 minutes.

Words don’t do this song justice. Check it out for yourself.

Hailing from Chicago, it is he, Anchor Bear! He grew up playing in bands–rock, punk, and pop. However, he was truly starting to live out a more traditional lifestyle with a loving wife and children. He weaned off of making music due to the scene’s trajectory, but the Bears supporting Owen in the wake of ‘cancel culture’ from Hollywood and Twitter was the inspiration to once more create music–this time for the Bears!

He is now creating original content about homesteading and truthfulness. With this medium and publication he aims to assist Bears with mixing, critique, and ideas of making their own music. Music is a powerful force, dear readers. It is an amplified method of communication that helps people understand a message rudimentarily due to its effectiveness of relaying a message beyond the bounds of the written word.

Anchor Bear found himself early on–as most young people do–reflecting messages and sounds of mainstream artists like a mockingbird. Now older, it’s his imperative to follow through with positivity, start to finish. Be mindful of the instruments that you choose for your message, O’brothers!

It shall be the sonic gravy, my dear readers.

Readers of this section of Beartaria Times can expect reviews of music from fellow Bears and musicians in the truth movement. He will highlight upcoming acts, new songs, and break down the psychology and messaging of certain songs to help people learn the ways music can be utilized for higher levels of communication, be it interpersonal or for large audiences. The goal is to promote music that resonates with the messages and themes that the Bears put out.