California Grizzly: An Interview with Bear Fight
The city of Coachella, California is nearly 29 square miles
of desert, located 68 feet below sea level and 130 miles east of Los Angeles. Although
it is home to the 78-acre Empire Polo Club – the host of the infamous Coachella
Valley Music and Arts Festival – it is also home to a four-piece indie/rock
band by the name of Bear Fight.
“It’s always someone’s grandparents live out here so that’s
usually the way it goes,” vocalist Michael Ramirez jokes. “Yes, there are
people indeed who live out there. We were some of those people.”
While Ramirez and drummer Ryan Cenicola have been friends
since they were toddlers, their group – including guitarist Evan Boydstun and
drummer Matt Sutton – have known each other since high school. After
discovering one another’s love for playing music, jamming together was a
no-brainer. By having the influences of the festival on their side, learning
about the industry early on is what helps them stand apart.
“I think that being in Coachella humbles you in a way
because there’s such big artists that come through and you have to keep your
head down early on and really, really work hard because you realize how tough
it is to make a name of yourself in the industry,” Ramirez said. “There’s
hundreds and hundreds of bands that have played Coachella so we learned early
on to set yourself apart. That’s the main thing we’ve learned throughout the years
is that you need to be unique; you need to set yourself apart. Don’t go chasing
genres, don’t go chasing fads or a certain thing. Just stick to your own and
success will come from that so that’s what we did… We adapted our style around
that in a way and learned from a lot of the artists that we would see come
through.”
Putting a genre label on Bear Fight is far from simple. Their
influences stem from a variety of sounds including blues, soul and classic
rock. “Everything that we make together has our own twist on it,” Ramirez said.
“That really inspires us when we’re making our music because that music you
could have played it 50 years ago or you can play it 50 years from now and it
will still have an amazing impact.”
By not pigeon holing themselves, they’ve been able to
release two tracks this year that abide by that timeless theme they’ve tapped
into. “She” originally came from a poem and was put to three chords in a means
to be short, simple and powerful. Written around the same time was “Harlem”, a
song with vintage past and present.
As news of a record release anxiously awaits those who have
heard the two tracks, Bear Fight continues to test the boundaries between
genres. These four friends have something unique on their hands, and it’s only
a matter of time before the rest of the world tunes in to see what’s next.
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