Sam Killed the Bear rocks out
Sam Killed the Bear has released a new single from their upcoming EP, available now for your sonic perusal at the band’s website (samkilledthebear.com)
The tune is “Are We Alone?” and this being my first time hearing the band, all I can say is once again I am blown away by how much quality music is being produced in Chattanooga.
I’m not going to dwell too much on the song itself here, not yet anyway, but I will say that it hearkens back to the blistering guitar driven radio rock of the early to mid-nineties (when radio rock was a very good thing.)
I like to listen to a band first before delving in to their bio or “about us” comments so that I can draw my own conclusions without the influence of what the band *wants* me to hear. In this case, I think I could have written the band’s bio almost word for word based off what I hear in their original music. Smashing Pumpkins, Incubus, Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse…the influences are all there and the music takes me back to that era.
The EP itself isn’t scheduled for release until March 1st at JJ’s Bohemia, and while that seems like a long way off to be talking about it now, there’s a reason. Sam Killed the Bear, along with Antler Hopkins, is kicking off a short tour (The March Down South) with that release and is offering a unique promotion. For $100, you can join the band on the tour with all expenses (besides food) covered in that low, low price. Travel from TN to GA and on down to the coast where the tour culminates in an open jam beach party in sunny old Florida. Travel, lodging and entry to the shows as well as a commemorative “I was there” t-shirt are part of the package.
Simply put, this is one of the cleverest promotions I’ve heard of, and I’m telling you now because there is a very limited amount of space available. You need to make a $50 deposit by February to reserve your space. Kids, you can’t buy a bus ticket to the beach for $100, yet here is an opportunity to travel from show to show with a thoroughly kick ass band and dip your toes in the Atlantic when it’s all said and done.
Head over to their webpage, listen to their music, then make the right decision!