Sorry this show has been cancelled.
Abandoned by Bears
All great things have humble beginnings and ABANDONED BY BEARS is no exception. Sharing the same love of music, bass player Gustav Eriksson and singer Fredric Andersson met in early 2012 with a mutual passion to create energetic, aggressive yet fun, digestible music. “We started to play with the intention to mix the dynamics from hardcore and metal music with the tone and feel you get from pop punk,” mused Gustav about the ideas that lead to the bands formation out of Gothenburg, Sweden.
With the fusion of electronics and classy pop-punk, ABANDONED BY BEARS were not limited by the frames music is typically written. “We don’t follow the norm or what is right or wrong, we follow what we think sounds good. Our songwriting process is very unorthodox in a way, since we record everything ourselves, we can basically decide when we want to record and that gives us a type of freedom which shines through in the songs. All of us have the ability to play and understand each others instruments, so everyone writes, whether it’d be melodies, lyrics, guitar leads or drum fills.”
2013 saw the release of their four track EP Bear Sides, which included the first ever recordings of “You Need To Stick Up” and “We Can Break Loose.” Those first demos were released through the bands YouTube channel which quickly gained fans from around the world. “After the ripple effect started to spread, this was what convinced us to keep working on ABANDONED BY BEARS,” continues Ericksson.
After several more singles were released, along with the album When Nothing Goes Right, Go Left!,ABANDONED BY BEARS caught the ears of Victory Records and signed with the Chicago based label in 2015. The band took their DIY premeditation into the studio, self-producing their upcoming release The Years Ahead. On the title Gustav laments, “It’s basically the years we have ahead of ourselves as a band together, and the music we can’t wait to share with fans new and old. We want people to get good vibes when they listen to it. Even though some of our lyrics can be melancholy, we think people will find the contrast interesting. We want to share a feeling people can relate to, with both our lyrics and instrumentals.”
The Years Ahead is a reflection and reaction to the past 12 months of the bands life. With the recent addition of drummer Max, ABANDONED BY BEARS is set to continue carrying the torch for memorable sing-alongs, thumping beats and bouncing energy to fans worldwide. “It’s hard to say without sounding cheesy, but it’s amazing how much our fans support us. We can’t wait to get this going and finally be able to meet some of all the amazing people we’ve talked to on the internet during these years as a band. They make us proud to be a part of this.”
Save the Lost Boys
In the three short years as a band, SAVE THE LOST BOYS have never known the meaning of the word stop. Under the former moniker The Lost Boys, the Dayton, Ohio four-piece began piecing their pop-punk empire back in 2013. “We are suburban kings, we are the skater kids who caused havoc at the mall,” cracks Lee Weiss (vocalist/guitarist). “We were the class clowns, not the cool kids, but the ones who got you to laugh. We write songs about our lives, which are relatable to anyone in middle school going through puberty, getting your first adult job after college, or filing for divorce.”
Attending law school, Weiss started the band in the summer of 2013, after the end of his old band Life After Liftoff. Teaming up with bassist Josh Hall, the pair spent countless hours writing, recording and searching for drummers. Brandon Koflowitch heard the call for a sticksman, and drove out from New Jersey to try out for the band just as they were to leave for a run on the 2014 Vans Warped Tour. “Once we returned, Brandon went back to New Jersey, kidnapped Anthony (DiCaro, guitar), and brought him to Ohio for a weekend of try-outs for the other guitar position. Off the bat we all just clicked and the band was complete,” explains Weiss. “To be able to play with this group of players and create a new project was exciting, thrilling and a challenge to us that we had to take on!”
During Warped Tour the band released an independent EP Sleepless Nights, selling all 1,000 units in just four days. The EP included early versions of the tracks found on their new release Temptress. The songs on Temptress came together by Weiss and Hall writing in basements, living rooms, and parks for a year and a half. “Without a doubt, these are tales about old girlfriends and relationships we had been through and also real life experience,” confesses Weiss. With the collaboration of friend Tyler Smyth (Dangerkids), SAVE THE LOST BOYS recorded and released their first song over social media, and continued building what would become Temptress.
The album explodes with that song, “Wasting My Time,” a Blink 182 homage, and zigzags around other groups like New Found Glory that Weiss and Hall worshipped. “Those bands started everything for us in the late 90’s – the snotty vocals, pissy lyrics, crunching guitars with the softer side of modesty and melody – those elements were the benchmark we looked at when writing music,” says Weiss. The semi-eponymous track “Lost Boy” writhes with the honesty that ‘these words are my truest confession,’ while “Bad Names,” like the title indicates, calls out the one that gives all girls bad names.
Temptress overall relates to the lyrics in the song “Overreaction” – all about real life situations and stories the band had experienced and wanted to tell. But Temptress is the first installation in a bigger story SAVE THE LOST BOYS is telling. Weiss goes on, “There are a bunch of clues throughout the record, from song titles to one-liners throughout. The album cover is actually a huge clue in the story that is being told. We are the lost boys, but our character (The Lost Boy) is who is representative of both Josh and I on a hero’s journey throughout the record.”
“We wanted to release music that had a message, but sometimes we think we are a musical comedy act opening for Mel Brooks – we think we are hilarious but only half the time. We want this record to remind people of an era of music that they grew up in before Facebook.”