Bear Tone

Soulfood 76

In the mid 1990's the Seattle based band Soulfood 76 was one of the most eclectic and forward thinking bands in the alt-christian underground. Their bold experimental guitars, in-your-face rhythm section, and vulnerably idiosyncratic lead vocals garnered them a dedicated indie following.

Modern ears hearing the psychadelic power funk sound of SF76's 1996 release 'Original Soundtrack' for the first time will be pleasantly surprised at how well this album coexists sonically alongside bands like The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, and The Black Keys. It's difficult to pin them down on one particular sound, however. Dial up the racous fuzzed-out bass line on 'Zebra 3' followed by the the falsetto chill track 'Huggy Bear', or the tender faux closing track 'Purple' and you'll see that this band has a lot of influences and the versatility to pull off a lot.

At Old Bear Reissued we are pleased to be releasing 'Original Soundtrack' for the first ever time on vinyl in our gorgeous special edition packaging. Whether you've been a fan since seeing them at a festival 25 years ago or you've just heard of them today, we think this album will blow you away and is a must-have for your vinyl collection!

Twin Sister

In this latest episode of the Bear Tone Podcast we do a deep dive on Old Bear's latest reissue: Star Wars tribute band Twin Sister.

A long time ago in a garage far away... Some friends from different bands started trading punk and funk riffs back and forth and somebody told Todd Fadel to step up to the mic and sing something over it. And all he could think of where Boba Fett lines! This 'rebel scum' explosion of fun gave kids at their shows permission to not take themselves so seriously and Twin Sister soon became the hottest act in Portland's mid-90s Alt Christian scene.

Frontman Todd Fadel is here to tell the story as well as Bradley Swanson, who is a curator for that particular music scene (check out the BandCamp page 'The Corral On Spin Cycle' to explore a really cool era). As always, our Bear Tone hosts Anthony Hoisington and Lukas Iverson are the 'scruffy looking nerf herders' at the helm of the pod.

Jonas Woods

Old Bear Artist Jonas Woods is a singer songwriter from New England.  His sound covers multiple styles and musical landscapes.  We had a chance to chat about life, music, art, family and the making of the "Whispers" record.  We hope you enjoy this episode.  

Legend Ozora

Legend Ozora is a worship leader from Minnesota with a heart for the local and global church and a soul much older than her 18 years. Old Bear Records is proud to introduce you to her. Legend’s tender vibrato sits perfectly amid an ethereal vocal soundscape on each song she sings. In this episode we talk about the decisions to produce her songs using the human voice as the primary instrument.  Grab her new EP "Come Close" available now!!

Bear Tone Reissued featuring Chris Hoisington

Old Bear Records is branching out into exciting new territory in 2019 as we begin reissuing some of our favorite retro indie music! Certain bands and artists over the years released some incredible albums that maybe didn't get the promo or attention they deserved, and we want to help more people discover them. Some of these records have a ton of indie credibility but haven't been easy to get your hands on - until now! Plans are in place to re-issue 4 classic albums on vinyl this year by artists like All Saved Freak Band, The Trees Community, Twin Sister (Three words: Star. Wars. Grunge.), and James Duke's All the Bright Lights. Check out this brief episode of the pod for previews and more of the heart behind the reissue endeavor from Chris.

Bear Tone Season #1 Recap

Here we are, the end of season one of The Bear Tone Podcast!  Ten episodes that give you insight into what Old Bear Records is all about.  Recording session stories, details about songs and many, many other fun behind the scenes Old Bear Records folk lore tales.  Here it is the final episode of season one recapping our adventure this year. Thanks for coming on the journey with us! See you again in season two. 

Weston Skaggs

Old Bear Records recently invited recording artist, Weston Skaggs to join hosts Lukas Iverson and Anthony Hoisington on the newest episode of Bear Tone Podcast.  Together, they discuss what it was like to be the first artist to record with Old Bear; who some of the influences that shaped his sound were; how to keep things festive while recording a Christmas album during the summer; how a rare organ found on the side of the road became the main instrument on Weston’s album; and more!  Get to know Weston through this new episode of Bear Tone!

Ed Chilungu (EP 8)

Old Bear releases one of our favorite Bear Tone podcast interviews to date with our good friend, Ed Chilungu.  Ed talks about his first time meeting Anthony; Pappy McClurg’s influence on his life; how listening to a jazz album led Ed into his first experience in Christian worship; his struggle with mental illness; what he thinks of Thelonious Monk’s musicianship; his inspiration behind some of the songs on his new album “Soundtracks” and much more.   As you’ll hear in the interview- we had a lot of fun with Ed and shared some very honest and vulnerable moments together.   Don’t miss  this episode of Bear Tone Podcast out today!

Ryan Clair (Bonus Episode)

This bonus episode is some extra content that we put together from our interview with Ryan Clair.  We hope you enjoy it!  As always please subscribe to hear more of our podcasts and be notified when future episodes become available. 

 

Ryan Clair