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Want a MBR update?

headoncreativedesign@gmail.com (Danny James) — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 18:25:29 GMT

A MBR update - new albums, gigs and wot-not

Welcome back to MBR - we have an update for you

It's been a little while since we were here to give you an update, and there's been a lot happening since early 2020. You might have seen some of that, you were probably there. Something about face masks, staying in, not partying - or partying in secret ... anyway ...

Another thing that's happeneing is the rise of AI in every aspect of our lives. In a moment of lazyness we have decided to let the AI machine write us a blog. If it's any good we'll let it just take over and do everything, make every decision for us, go out to buy our food, and hopefully we can live the dream we were promised in our childhoods. Endless days dressed in jumpsuits playing ping-pong as the robots toil in the digital workhouses for us.

(i've just read it - I think that's a way off yet..apologies in advance)

And so, without wasting another second, strap yourself into the future for an AI ride ...

Musical Bear Records Presents: The Folkadelica Frenzy and More!

Are you ready to embark on a musical journey that combines folk, punk, political commentary, catchy hooks, and joyful alt-country swingalong barn dance fun? If so, mark your calendars for November 10th because that's when The Two Man Travelling Medicine Show's latest album, "Folkadelica," is set to hit the airwaves and steal your hearts.

Musical Bear Records (MBR) is thrilled to present this exciting release, promising an explosion of genres and emotions. "Folkadelica" is a testament to the eclectic spirit of MBR, and it's poised to become a fan favorite for years to come.

Folkadelica: A Genre-Bending Masterpiece

"Folkadelica" is more than just an album; it's an experience. The Two Man Travelling Medicine Show, led by the charismatic Mark Lyons, has crafted a musical adventure that transcends boundaries. With its fusion of folk, punk, and political commentary, the album delivers an energetic and thought-provoking performance that's complemented by catchy hooks and a joyful alt-country swingalong barn dance vibe.

From the moment you press play, you'll find yourself caught in the Folkadelica frenzy, swept away by the infectious rhythms and clever lyrics that tackle pressing social issues while keeping your toes tapping. This album showcases the kind of artistry that MBR is known for, and it's no wonder that fans are eagerly awaiting its release.

Musical Bear Records Live: A Night in Reading

But that's not all! MBR is all about celebrating its talented artists, and they've got a special treat for you. Mark Lyons, the frontman of The Two Man Travelling Medicine Show, will be taking the stage at the Face Bar in Reading on 28th October. He'll be supporting none other than Jason (a familiar face in the MBR family who has somehow managed to leave his mark on nearly every MBR act at some point) with Brit Pop favorites from the good old days, Bennet. They are reuniting for a one-of-a-kind show, and it's already sold out! Fans who managed to snag tickets are in for a nostalgia-packed evening filled with the songs that defined a generation.

As if that wasn't enough, another member of the MBR family, Uncle Peanut, will be supporting on the night, making it a true bear-heavy night in the Face Bar. Expect an electric atmosphere, unforgettable performances, and a sense of community that's at the heart of MBR.

What's Next for Musical Bear Records?

While "Folkadelica" and the Reading gig are the highlights of the moment, rest assured that there's plenty more in store from MBR. The label is always buzzing with creativity and passion, and they've hinted at a lot going on behind the scenes.

New music is on the horizon, and you can expect more groundbreaking albums that push the boundaries of music genres. Art projects are also in the works, promising unique visual experiences that complement the label's dedication to innovation.

So, if you're a music enthusiast looking for something fresh, exciting, and thought-provoking, make sure to dive into "Folkadelica" from The Two Man Travelling Medicine Show. And if you're in the Reading area, don't miss out on the Face Bar gig from Bennet, Mark Lyons and Uncle Peanut.

Stay tuned for more regular updates from Musical Bear Records. There's no doubt that this record label is a powerhouse of creativity, and they're not slowing down anytime soon. Whether you're a fan of folk, punk, or any other genre, MBR has something special in store for you. Get ready to be swept away by the bear-tastic music scene!

What have you been up to on lockdown?

Fri, 15 May 2020 14:06:25 GMT

2020 the year we all stopped going out

2020 started so well didn't it? Can you remember that far back, when we could walk to the shop, meet friends for a drink and ... see live music?

Back then through the fog of time, endless Netflix shows, box sets and Joe Exotic memes, we had several bands on the label completing albums and planning gigs. Kill Committee and The Mirror Pictures had both been working hard at the local Whitehouse Studio, and there were plans for label gigs at venues across the country. Those will still happen, but with a bit of a delay.

Despite the restrictions, The Ady Baker Sound has managed to record and release some new material - available on their 4 track EP ‘Modern Day Ruined’. Ady says from across the wires “It’s a DIY affair and Apart from one live track, all songs have been written, recorded, mixed and mastered during the lockdown period at home in a lounge, kitchen, on a boat & in the shed.'

Get it here:
Spotify
Apple Music

New bands and new sounds
Many of the local bands have found an outlet for pent up creative tensions in online collaborations, and one of these has resulted in the birth of a new act signed to the label. Herons came about from a late night disagreement about electronic music, a remix of a Kill Committee song and the time a world changing pandemic gave to sit at a laptop and form songs from sounds. From there, members of The Ady Baker Sound and Kill Committee sent audio files to beats and samples mastermind John Wills and Herons was set free to fly (albeit within the limits of responsible social distancing). Across the miles and leafy counties of south England, music was made, and it was good.

It does appear that people are starting to realise how much music means to them (did you list your top ten albums on instagram and Facebook? of course you did), and It's been good that people have had time to stop, collaborate, and listen (thanks Vanilla Ice), during this weird time, and here we'd like to share a few of those creative outpourings from the artists we like.

The Cloud Service

This is Sean Hewson (Head Drop, Monster Movie, This.), and Danny James ( Kill Committee ). They describe it as music done via walkie-talkie during lockdown. Shoegaze, dreamy reverb drenched vocals and layered guitars and some driving beats with a touch of Loopesque fuzz.

listen on bandcamp here

Last Place
Charlie (Cody Noon, Head Drop) and Sean (must have time on his hands) Hewson have created Last Place - drone, atmospheric soundscapes and dramatic BBC sci-fi synth with melancholic vocals that perfectly reflect these end of days.

listen on bandcamp here

Here Are The Young Men
H.A.T.Y.M had an idea, he was going to get all his friends together to create a song. He sent out a message 'give me your email address and I shall send instructions'. It's no surprise that many did, sent over their parts, and under the watchful eye of H.A.T.Y.M. 'Do the lockdown' was cobbled together into a bouncing anthem for us to dance around to in our homes.

You can read a review of the results, and listen here.

Richard Lucas
Rich is well known around these parts, having been in more bands than we can mention, and helping many more along the way, bit of a pointy shoe'd legend. He's been very busy making a series of lockdown covers, and this is one we are particularly enjoying.
A cover of Love and Rockets 'Haunted when the minutes drag'

Watch and listen here

Battle Habits
Another little slice of homemade musical goodness here from Battle Habits, that's Michael Matthews from This. Three and a half minutes (well done on the perfect song length) of relentless 80s post punk guitar and drums with a bit of disjointed spoken word thrown in for good measure. Slightly reminiscent of some of the less spooky graveyard Bauhaus output.

Listen here

Let us know how you've been keeping busy during lockdown, and send in your own contribution and we'll add it here.

stay safe, wash your hands etc etc etc

MBR

Musical Bear Live night Friday 17th August

headoncreativedesign@gmail.com (Danny James) — Mon, 07 May 2018 21:57:52 GMT

Join us for a summer spectacular as we host a night of live music at The After dark Club

Live performances from Shoals, Dharma Sunset, and Long Day Late Night at The After Dark Club

Musical Bear Records present another night of live music with three bands on Friday 17th August.

Here at MBR we care about great music more than anything else, and this means we put on gigs from bands whether they are on our label or not. For our August live music night we are doing exactly that, with all three bands hand picked to play.

Headliners Shoals last played for MBR to a packed out Oakford supporting Kill Committee, bringing a loyal following who sang along and danced to their jingle jangle indie tunes. Now freshly signed to the label, they headline their own show at the Legendary After Dark , ahead of the release of future indie classic (we know because we've heard it) 'When the news is bad'. Don't miss this, as Shoals bring the powerful harmonies and crashing chords reminiscent of The Byrds, The Beatles, and more recent hits of 90s indie.

Dharma Sunset are another local act with a collection of rock and pop songs full of hooks and melodies.

Long Day Late Night are from a little further out of town, but with a number of London dates under their belt, and two EPs out already, you won't want to miss them. Don't let their fresh faces fool you, their songs are crisp, intelligent indie and they know how to put on a show. We saw them just a few weeks ago at the Reading Fringe, bringing a brash confident set to a damp summer afternoon. If you like your indie with a bit of swagger, and a touch of rock, this is for you.

Don't forget to check out all the bands on the label, we have a few releases out now and soon - and some exciting label news just around the corner!

That's all for now, but remember to check back for more news and updates about what we're up to at MBR

Kill Committee album launch - Oakford Social Club

headoncreativedesign@gmail.com (Danny James) — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 18:55:00 GMT

Join us for the official launch party for The Things We Nearly Saw

Live performances from Kill Committee and special guests The Doops and Shoals at The Oakford Social Club

Find out more about the event here .

It's been a while coming, but the Kill Committee album is finally available with a release date of 30th March, and to celebrate they are having a launch party at The Oakford Social Club, and playing tracks from the new album live.

If this wasn't enough, there are two other bands playing on the night, and they'e been hand picked by the band. Firstly we have The Doops (we first heard these when they joined Kill Committee at the MBR night at The After Dark in December) and Shoals. Shoals have been around on the local scene a while but took some time out recently, and now they are back sounding better than ever. This is a night not to be missed.

You'll also be able to buy a copy of the album on the night, and hear some of the tracks live (and a few brand new ones due for album 2 ...)
You'll be able to download your copy from all the usual places ( Amazon , Apple , Spotify )and we are very excited to say that you can also buy your vinyl copy via our friends ay KeyMailorder .

You can catch Kill Committee at The Purple Turtle this month supporting Palace Winter on 19th March (you will probably have heard these being played on 6Music recently), it's a free gig, but you'll need to register for your ticket here . Don't miss it.

Actors - single out now

The latest single from Kill Committee is out now, and can be found online. We've had a fantastic response to the single with over 5k views of the video on Facebook, along with the great comments. There are four songs available for download - only one of which is on the album, so check it out now and either buy or stream on your favourite device. Watch the video on youtube here .

Were you there for the After Dark MBR night last month?

Last month Musical Bear Records put on our second night hosting live music. We are very happy to say it was another huge success promoting local talent and showcasing exactly why live music is important to the town.

We were lucky enough to have the night reviewed by The Whitley Pump, and that can be found here - take a read.

That's all for now, but remember to check back for more news and updates about what we're up to at MBR

What's that? Another gig at The After Dark?

headoncreativedesign@gmail.com (Danny James) — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 22:22:23 GMT

Musical Bear Records host another night supporting unsigned bands

Join us again on February 24th at The After Dark for a night of exciting new music

If you were lucky enough to be among the crowd at the packed After Dark last December, you'll know what Musical Bear Records are all about. We love great music, and supporting unsigned bands along with the acts on our label - followed by the usual 'Loaded Live' DJ Set.

On Saturday we have four acts taking to the legendary stage at The After Dark. We start early at MBR, so don't hang about, doors open at 7pm and until 7.30 it's FREE entry. After then it's £8 on the door so get in early, see the bands and save a few quid for an extra drink or two.

Get advance tickets for £5 (plus booking) here

The Final Clause of Tacitus - Something a bit heavier here from our well established headliners
Doops - If you were lucky enough to see them at our first MBR night you'll know they're not to be missed
Harroland - don't miss this - these chaps are making a name for themselves, and with good reason.
The BJ Bevy - a bit like Jack White, kind of. Get there early to catch this

But that's not all that's been happening ...

We have more gigs across the country from our MBR acts , and right here in our hometown of Reading.

Kill Committee are playing a free gig at The Purple Turtle supporting 6Music favourites Palace Winter. It's free, but due to demand you'll have to book your ticket in advance. It's also Kill Committee member Danny's birthday, so bring a card.

They also release the debut album on 30th March with a launch night at The Oakford Social Club. Support from Shoals - who're back after a break - and sounding better than ever.

We have a lot more planned for the year, more acts joining us and more releases - so pop back and visit us to find out.

That's all for now

See you Saturday, MBR

A very special festive treat

headoncreativedesign@gmail.com (Danny James) — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 23:22:48 GMT

Let us help you get into the spirit of Christmas

A very special Christmas gift for friends of Musical Bear Records

It’s very nearly Christmas and we couldn’t let this most special times of year go without giving you all at least one special festive present.
We’re very excited to announce that legendary all round entertainer and personal friend of Valerie Singleton, Lenny Beige, will be releasing his truly special cover version of Greg Lake’s "I Believe in Father Christmas" as a free download single via Musical Bear Records on Christmas Eve!

Keep an eye out on our twitter and Facebook pages for more details as the big day draws near.

What have MBR been up to in 2017?

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 21:07:56 GMT

The Musical Bear Records end of year roundup

It's the end of year Musical Bear Records Roundup!

It's been an exciting year at MBR, and we've seen new additions to the label (more of that in 2018), new faces on the team (Mark and Oli) and several releases getting some attention nationwide.

Kodiak Island

Congratulations to Kodiak Island who have been receiving national airplay on 6Music’s Gideon Coe show with their ‘Orange E.P’. He’s already played two of the tracks….fingers crossed he lets the nation hear the other two soon.

If you couldn’t make the show at the After Dark on Saturday and buy a copy on CD, it’ll be available on our soon to open online store….or you can buy it digitally at all the usual sites right now.

H.A.T.Y.M & Uncle Peanut

Against all odds, Musical Bear’s very own ‘anti pop star’ duo have been picking up some excellent reviews for their second long player ‘This is the Standard Life’.

'A n album that explores all manner of malcontent, from the personal and political, to the musical –all with a kind of self-awareness that delivers the residual humour of the survivor . For their latest album we award Here Are The Young Men & Uncle Peanut one half-pint of Cider and Black to throw at the jukebox when Ed Sheeran comes on.' – POPBOLLOCKS.COM

A glorious 22 minutes of spiky guitars, stuttering drum machines and venom-tongued rants . – JOYZINE

It’s nothing short of fucking brilliant, short and anything but sweet. The use of swearing alone is commendable. A sort of vitriolic, generation X middle-aged series of rants on what we’ve lost, what we are set to lose and what we could do without. (Album of the year) – MONOLITH COCKTAIL

Find out the inside take on the album from the twisted mind of Uncle Peanut here

Again, a limited edition CD copy will be available via our store, or you can buy it digitally today.

Kill Committee

After two years, a false start (seeing the band record, then abandon the first attempt), and a bunch of live performances that are gaining them a loyal crowd, the debut album 'The Things We Nearly Saw' will be released in the first part of 2018.

This is the first vinyl release on MBR, and the band and label are very proud of it, and excited to get it out in the world for all to hear - and hold the record.

The Musical Bear Records Live Revue at The After Dark Club

We'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone who turned up Saturday, we had an amazing evening at the After Dark!

Thank you to all artists who made our revue a success! The After Dark has already asked MBR to return in the new year, so look out for our next night come 2018!!

We raised £150.00 to Launchpad helping homelessness in Reading. If you would like to donate, it's not too late as you can do it easily, just CLICK HERE to find out how.

You can find out more about the great work they do here

Read the review from The Whitley Pump

Thank you to ...
Ed Morrison - Doors
Oliver Gatherer - Merchandise table
Steve Reynolds - DJ
PA - Nico and Crew

Bands:
Kill Committee
Nobodies Birthday
H.A.T.Y.M & Uncle Peanut
Kodiak Island
Doops.

Zahid/Marie - The After Dark

All ticket holders! THANK YOU!

See you all soon... Musical Bear Records

Musical Bear Records website launch

headoncreativedesign@gmail.com (Danny James) — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 21:21:35 GMT

It's official, we have a website, and a blog and (probably) know how to use it.

We have finally decided to take the plunge and add a blog to the new MBR site. We wanted an easy way to share information with you and we're excited to start this journey. Keep coming back to my site and check for updates right here on the blog.

Record Label launch night

headoncreativedesign@gmail.com (Danny James) — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 21:21:35 GMT

Join us for the official launch of the label for a very special gig

Its time we got noticed, and we think you'll agree

We've had a great couple of years releasing records, putting on events and generally having a lot of fun being Musical Bear Records, but now is the time to shout a bit louder, let people hear who we are, and have a bit of a party.

Party with us at a legendary venue on 2nd December

The words 'legendary' and 'venue' can only mean one thing in Reading ... The After Dark.
Yes you heard it, we are taking over the After Dark for one night to celebrate with you, some of our acts and music to bring you all into the MBR family.

Confirmed so far from the label are Kill Committee, playing songs from debut album The Things We Nearly Saw (and you can buy your limited edition vinyl copy at the gig), HATYM and Uncle Peanut, and Kodiak Island.
We also have local favourites Nobodies Birthday, and while they are not on the Musical Bear label, they are friends and we are very happy to have them join the party.

Get your tickets now here