Blue Was A Bear

Born in the fall of 2004, Aaron Rauch and Kyle Bellinger began writing and performing songs that would communicate those feelings that go along with coming of age and a loss of one’s innocence. They played a number of shows throughout that year and into the next, covering New York’s Rockland County and the surrounding areas. In that span of time they took on the moniker, Blue Was a Bear. In the spring of 2005 they recorded, “Ghost Between the Walls,” a five song demo showcasing the vocals and acoustic guitar work of Rauch with Bellinger backing him on the classical guitar. However, constant last-minute preparation for performances and the prolonged dissatisfaction with the limited capabilities of a duo, the two came to the conclusion that they needed to get serious and form a full band. In December of 2005, Rauch and Bellinger enlisted friends, Bryan Casey and Urban Eisen-Miller. Since that time they have built a small following in the Tri-State area. The summer of 2007 saw BWAB recording their first EP titled, "Ghost of Greater Things." Recorded, mixed and mastered at Bluebrick Recordings by Rochester's Jesse Sprinkle (Poor Old Lou, Dead Poetic, Demon Hunter) and featuring the vocals of Bethany Johnson (Stately English), these six songs represent BWAB's eclectic nature and insatiable desire for pure, unabridged expression. At the inception of BWAB, was only the desire to express those thoughts and emotions that go along with crossing the threshold that divides childhood and adulthood. They continue in that same spirit of the victories and struggles that accompany all twenty-somethings. Their influences run the spectrum from Radiohead, Pedro the Lion, Jeff Buckley and early Carlos Santana to blues and jazz giants in the same vein as Muddy Waters, Miles Davis, Art Tatum and John Coltrane. With their “anything goes” attitude, look for BWAB to start making ripples in the NY scene.