If Bears Were Bees

mp3s: sunglasses | the black arts | clean getaway | i don't know what i expected

"When Grant really rears back and belts it out, that weird, ironic, smart-guy delivery gets delightfully lost in real emotion... that's why If Bears Were Bees' ironic quotation marks are so powerful: When they come down, you feel like you've been hit in the chest."
-The Stranger, Paul Constant

"T.J. Grant’s voice is dripping with so much raw emotion that even the cynics linger around the outskirts of their shows, and bicycle-cops dying for an opportunity to bust up an unsanctioned and impromptu concert are melted into submissive idolatry."
-Subterfuge Seattle, Molly Bennett

"They have that one indescribable quality that just really grabs you."
-Seattle Times, Jensen of Tooth & Nail Records

"Fiona Apple with an adams apple"
-Maui Times, Gena Gammie

Free from genre but with clear indie rock, punk, country, and hip hop influence, if BEARS were BEES consistently produces creative, fun, and passionate music. The wordy and catchy songs of songwriter TJ Grant are accompanied by a mess of instruments - clarinet, piano, french horn, banjo, trumpet, etc. - depending on the friends around at the time. The lyrically driven songs possess the sweetness of the children’s book to which the band name refers, the melancholy of Winnie the Pooh as an adult, and the intensity of growing up. If Bears Were Bees is for fans of Modest Mouse, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bob Dylan, or those with a need to get uncomfortably honest.

Doing the work himself, TJ has performed with iBwB and former punk band, The Dramatics since 2001 and has built a dedicated following in and out of the Seattle area. He has produced 10 records (5 under the iBwB name), performed west coast tours in 2005 and 2009, and before age 21, won 10 first place titles at various Battle of the Bands including a 50 band "Battle of Seattle".

The BEARS live band is:
TJ Grant - Vocals/Guitar/Piano
and Marcus Buser - Standup Bass/Banjo/Vocals

References :
Derek Smith (Former owner of Club IMPACT / Beloved Productions) - derek@clubimpact.org
Nick Foster (Musician in Skinny People Kissing) - fosterandi@cwu.edu

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.WA venues performed.
Bob's Java Jive, The Blue Moon, Cafe Allegro, Club Impact, Club Motor, The Comet, El Corazon, Ground Zero, Hell's Kitchen, The High Dive, KTUB, Liberty Theater, The Paradox, The Premier, Redmond Firehouse, The SLAB, Studio 7, The Sunset, Tower Records, and more highschools, coffee shops, and community centers in strange Washington towns than a Seattlite could name.

.shared the stage with.
Acceptance, Amber Pacific, Daphne Loves Derby, Destruction Island, Devon Williams, Emery, Ghosts and Liars/Some By Sea, Head Like A Kite, Idiot Pilot, Matty Pop Chart, MXPX, Nerf Herder, This Providence, Ruckus, Siren Sisters, Skinny People Kissing, Slow Skate, Speakeasy Tiger, Tex, Tiny Vipers.

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.discography.

if BEARS were BEES
Songwriter, Producer, Engineer, Performer:
The Black Arts [45:00] 2009
Take Care of Me [49:24] 2007
I'm Not A Poet, I'm A Liar [53:54] 2005
Harriet and Tree EP [11:53] 2004
Songs About Songs [33:36] 2004

The Dramatics
Songwriter, Producer, Performer:
Life is My Friend [17:18] 2003
About:Blank [19:06] 2002
Self Titled [24:20] 2001

Natalie Murphy
Producer, Engineer, Performer:
Rain and Flowers [32:24] 2006

Nick Foster
Producer, Engineer, Performer:
What Happens When You Leave Your Friends [30:40] 2005

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