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Bear Lake is not a place for big names or single hits, but for memorable experiences. It is a place that changes upon each return visit; a place where no-one is pushing or shoving themself into the limelight, and where everyone contributes equally to the auditory scenery.
Bear Lake is a band of six lifelong friends (Jon Rice, Matt Hines, Brian Kwasnik, Steve Stetson, Erik Pederson, Keith May) who have played in shifting rock outfits, together and apart, since the sixth grade. The members took these early years to sculpt and perfect their songwriting crafts individually. Once each member had accumulated a large collection of their own songs, they knew they were ready to begin working collectively on the musical conglomeration now known as Bear Lake.
The band frequently found respite from the busy Detroit scenery in a cabin on none other than "Bear Lake," in the woods of Northern Michigan. It was here that they found inspiration in the clashing imagery of city and country life; imagery that can be felt heavily in the contexts of Bear Lake's Music; imagery that is difficult to find outside of Michigan's aquatic borders.
Bear Lake was able to turn this inspiration into art, and they quickly found themselves with a vast array of music that needed to be released into the musical stratosphere. At the hands of fate and thanks to a chance encounter, Bear Lake met Al Sutton and Eric Hoegemeyer (Rustbelt studios - Songe, The Go, Electric Six) who immediately shared their artistic vision and helped to make Bear Lake's music available to the general public.
Though they have garnered positive attention from press and local radio as of late (being compared to such bands as The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, and The Shins) Bear Lake is constantly working to break molds and diversify the skills and soundscapes they put on display.
Currently, Bear Lake is about to release their second album, "Places on the Side" to the world, as well as getting ready to go on their first major Midwest tour in January 2009. They will be coming to a place near you soon, so please come out for a night at the lake.
Thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoy.
METRO TIMES REVIEW-
See the full review at http://metrotimes.com/music/review.asp?rid=24750
BY BRETT CALLWOOD
Named after the Manistee County lakeside town that the six lifelong friends in this band call home, Bear Lake first earned mass critical acclaim with its debut album, Catch the Sun. Since then, the band's continued to pull in new local fans at an impressive rate, thanks to its ethereal live shows.
To refer to Bear Lake as "indie rock" is accurate but it's also irritatingly lazy; the secret of this band's thought-provoking and deliciously emotional sound is that the group's not at all afraid of minimalism and, conversely, also knowing the perfect moment to fill out a song part to epic proportions. They're mildly reminiscent of Manchester bands like the Stone Roses or even the Verve in that they don't shy away from electronic toys and loops but still manage to sound very much like a rock 'n' roll band. Taking all of that into consideration, it's fair to say that Bear Lake is probably the closest Michigan gets to our own Radiohead (if Michigan indeed needs its own Radiohead).
For those that were fortunate enough to discover the band through the debut album, there will be little in the way of surprises on this disc, though that isn't to say that it isn't a hugely satisfying record. The shared songwriting has taken a dramatic leap forward, notably on songs like the title track, "The Best One" and "Where Do We Go From Here," all of which see lead vocalist Matt Hines crooning with a delicate ease and a magnificent sense of subtlety. His vocal parts find him keeping things simple, yet they also soar throughout.
The best song on the record, though, is the closing "Just Because You Can," a track that inspires the listener to shut the lights off and smoke a cigarette while simply letting the head sway. It's very much like The The or, once again, Radiohead.
The music business is notoriously unpredictable, especially these days, but, given the right backing, Bear Lake has every chance of swaying heads nationwide and beyond.
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