There are several bands who can be categorized as having a large range of influences and styles, but few embrace this characteristic with such a fervent pride as Bears in the City.
The Chapel Hill duo of Nick White and Jake Waits seem comfortable with the indie rock band’s cornucopia of musical elements, as the group continues to perform shows in the Triangle while recording a debut album.
Nick White leads the band with his emphatic guitar, crisp vocals and emotional songwriting. White said his music spans across a large spectrum, going from light and poppy while smoothly transitioning to a heavier or quieter sound.
“We are all about creating a show rather than actual songs,” White said. “I see the final player in our band as the audience, and when I’m in the studio I try and pretend like I’m on the stage at some venue and let the rest kind of take me.”
White said he is an emotional guy, and while a song can take on different meanings depending on when White is writing, recording or performing, it all adds to the experience of the music.
“You’re mixing all these emotions and then you try to create something that will never be the same in another performance.”
However, White’s arc of emotions is not the only inspiration driving Bears in the City’s assertive sound.
“We put a lot of energy into our songwriting,” drummer Jake Waits said.
“All of our songs have a different sound. Whenever a sound gets too commonplace, then it just naturally diversifies.”
The band currently has one single titled “Once Again” on its website, but plans to release two more singles this summer. In the meantime, the group expects to finish its debut album with Trickle Media by the fall.
White said it is difficult to hear the intricate layers to Bears in the City with just the poppy “Once Again” available, but the new songs had a contrast that let listeners know that one songs does not define the band’s sound.
“As a band our overall view is fun and upbeat, but once you start delving into it there are parts that are really sad,” White said.
The collaboration between band members appears to be nothing but natural and effective. While White said he is proud of his songwriting, he also thinks the musical arrangements bring everything together, sometimes unexpectedly.
“When we bring a song to the table I will think it is one style and then Jake will start playing something and then immediately it draws something out to me that serves more of a purpose,” White said.
“I have recorded before with me previous band and as a solo artist, but I have never been more happy with a product than with the album we are recording.”
White’s previous band was the Sexual Overtones, a similar rock/pop group that began in late 2011. However, the project proved to be unstable as the band fizzled out after it lost drummer Rob Dimauro and was left with White and original member Andi Morgan, the former bass player for Bears in the City.
“We played around town for a while and it was just me and whoever else I was playing with,” White said. “We lost our drummer Rob and then on that day we had the idea for Bears in the City, and we were a trio but now a duo.”
The idea for Bears in the City was brought to fruition when Waits heard White while he was playing at The Station in Carrboro last December for an open mic night. Waits said he was hesitant at first when he first heard White needed a drummer for his new band.
“I was at a point in life where I was really tired of getting overzealous about things that ended up going nowhere because of people who didn’t know how to handle things conceptually,” Waits said.
“But as soon as I heard him play and heard the quality of his voice with his stage presence I turned to my girlfriend and said ‘Yeah, absolutely I am with this guy all the way.’”
Bears in the City is a fundamental rock duo only by first glance. You see a guitar, a bass, drum set and sometimes a piano. But beyond the seemingly simple arrangement is an explosive passion and excitement that Waits says comes naturally for the group.
“Whether we are at a show or practicing in the studio, it is a combination of goofiness mixed with a professional approach towards our passion,” the drummer said.
“We are always trying to have fun and let that play into our music and encourage our audience to have fun.”
White said he agrees and making and performing music like this is the only it for a person like him.
“I mean a lot of people have stage fright, which is a natural thing to have. Now we are people who not only are not afraid but seek it and expect approval,” White said.
“Clearly we are just insane individuals. We have fun and do a lot of things, but we are just crazy people who wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.”
Bears in the City will be playing Thursday, July 4 at Southern Rail in Carrboro starting at 4:30 p.m.
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