If you’re searching for a band making articulate, heartfelt rock music, then you owe it to yourself to look up Little Bear.
Steven McCool (bass and vocals), Mark O'Doherty (drums), Ryan Griffiths (guitar), and Conor Mason (piano) are behind this Northern Irish four piece who write music with a reputation for turning listeners’ hearts into putty.
Since hooking up at the end of 2011, the group’s reputation for soul-baring lyricism and soaring guitar sounds has endeared them to many. They blew away crowds at last year’s Other Voices festival as a last minute stand in for Two Door Cinema Club and have just released their ace first single with Smalltown America records, a double A-side of Night Dries Like Ink and Killer.
M caught up with them ahead of this week’s Independent Venue Week (IVW) gig to get to know the band a little better…
We first started writing music because…
We really enjoyed being creative. One of the best feelings in the world has to be when you throw out an idea and hear what comes back from the rest of the band, or when they bring something new in and hearing it for the first time. There's always an excitement about where it could go.
We have been making music since…
Late 2011 as Little Bear. Three of us had been working together for a number years before that and Conor was the last piece in the puzzle.
Our music is…
Honest. The one thing about listening to a lot of music is you learn what clicks with you. It tends to be a song that people can relate to rather than some nonsense about anything. The one thing we promised ourselves was to try to write from the heart.
You'll like our music if you listen to...
This is a hard question to answer. I'll name some bands that we have been compared to. Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, Bombay Bycicle Club, Arcade Fire, Villagers, Band of Horses, Dawes, Delta Spirit and Local Natives.
Our favourite venue is…
I don't think we have one particular favourite. There's just been experiences in venues that we will always remember. The Black Box, Glassworks, St Columbs Hall and Wilton’s Music Hall have all been venues where we've had absolutely amazing nights.
Music is important because…
It affects everyone and everything. There is not a person on this planet that isn't influenced by it in some way. It can speak to you at the height of happiness or during a terrible sadness. I genuinely don't think there is anything else like it.
Our biggest inspiration is…
Good music, haha! We all have so many different influences to even begin listing them would be crazy.
Our dream collaboration would be…
Phil Ek (producer with the Shins and Fleet Foxes) and David Fridmann (producer with the Flaming Lips and MGMT).
To try us out, listen to my song…
Night Dries Like Ink.
If we weren’t making music we’d be…
Probably doing something creative, whether it's writing computer code, producing/mixing music, writing and teaching. We'd all still need that creative outlet.
In 10 years time we want to be...
Still heavily involved with music.
www.facebook.com/LittleBearOnline
www.twitter.com/littlebearmusic
Little Bear played the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast this week as part of IVW. Check out our interview with the centre’s main man Stuart Bailie to discuss the project and the health of live music in Belfast.
Steven McCool (bass and vocals), Mark O'Doherty (drums), Ryan Griffiths (guitar), and Conor Mason (piano) are behind this Northern Irish four piece who write music with a reputation for turning listeners’ hearts into putty.
Since hooking up at the end of 2011, the group’s reputation for soul-baring lyricism and soaring guitar sounds has endeared them to many. They blew away crowds at last year’s Other Voices festival as a last minute stand in for Two Door Cinema Club and have just released their ace first single with Smalltown America records, a double A-side of Night Dries Like Ink and Killer.
M caught up with them ahead of this week’s Independent Venue Week (IVW) gig to get to know the band a little better…
We first started writing music because…
We really enjoyed being creative. One of the best feelings in the world has to be when you throw out an idea and hear what comes back from the rest of the band, or when they bring something new in and hearing it for the first time. There's always an excitement about where it could go.
We have been making music since…
Late 2011 as Little Bear. Three of us had been working together for a number years before that and Conor was the last piece in the puzzle.
Our music is…
Honest. The one thing about listening to a lot of music is you learn what clicks with you. It tends to be a song that people can relate to rather than some nonsense about anything. The one thing we promised ourselves was to try to write from the heart.
You'll like our music if you listen to...
This is a hard question to answer. I'll name some bands that we have been compared to. Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, Bombay Bycicle Club, Arcade Fire, Villagers, Band of Horses, Dawes, Delta Spirit and Local Natives.
Our favourite venue is…
I don't think we have one particular favourite. There's just been experiences in venues that we will always remember. The Black Box, Glassworks, St Columbs Hall and Wilton’s Music Hall have all been venues where we've had absolutely amazing nights.
Music is important because…
It affects everyone and everything. There is not a person on this planet that isn't influenced by it in some way. It can speak to you at the height of happiness or during a terrible sadness. I genuinely don't think there is anything else like it.
Our biggest inspiration is…
Good music, haha! We all have so many different influences to even begin listing them would be crazy.
Our dream collaboration would be…
Phil Ek (producer with the Shins and Fleet Foxes) and David Fridmann (producer with the Flaming Lips and MGMT).
To try us out, listen to my song…
Night Dries Like Ink.
If we weren’t making music we’d be…
Probably doing something creative, whether it's writing computer code, producing/mixing music, writing and teaching. We'd all still need that creative outlet.
In 10 years time we want to be...
Still heavily involved with music.
www.facebook.com/LittleBearOnline
www.twitter.com/littlebearmusic
Little Bear played the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast this week as part of IVW. Check out our interview with the centre’s main man Stuart Bailie to discuss the project and the health of live music in Belfast.
