Bear Suit Sucker Punch

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Our brand new song, Polka King, is now up and ready to download!  We are very excited and honored to be a part of this project with Door County Brewing Company in honor of a true Door County legend, Freddie Kodanko (AKA the Polka King).  They wanted us to write this song for the release of their new beer, the Polka King Porter, and with our history in Door County and love of craft beer, of course we had to jump on it!  Growing up there, I do remember Freddie a little, but I was fairly young and didn't know him personally.  Talking with my dad I actually found out that all of our wooden crates that we still have today were made by Freddie which I had never known before!  I also found a chapter in Norbert Blei's book Door Way all about him to be a good resource.  Anyway, make sure to check out the Polka King Porter and give a listen to the song (preferably at the same time for maximum dancing!)

If you pick up a bottle, there is a QR code to download the song, otherwise if you are reading this now, head here for your free download: http://bearsuitsuckerpunch.bandcamp.com/album/polka-king

For those who didn't know him, here is a link with some great pictures- http://www.wisconsinosity.com/Door/door_county_polka_king_unleashes.htm

Thanks to Austin at Renaissance Recordings and Rob Polaris for the recording/mixing, and John and Danny McMahon at Door County Brewing Co!

Lyrics: There once was a man everyone should know  Dancing through his life so I'm told  By day he crafted crates and even in old age  Nothing could stop him when he hit the dance floor  Let's drink to the king  Grab someone and dance the night away  Let's drink to the king  That's how he'd want it anyway  So cheers to the Polka King Freddie K  The night was slow at the bar Freddie had no car  Everyone was bored and going home  Then someone saw a light, a tractor in the night  Nothing could stop him we all hit the dance floor  And now he is gone, but together the legend lives on

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Ever wonder about the meaning of life? The answers are all here in our new video, a visual/audio masterpiece that has been called the "greatest hardcore pork-core song ever written."  You're welcome.

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New Songs (Free Download)

For those of you who haven't had a chance to pick up our single at one of our shows, we finally got the songs up online last week. Be sure to check them and download for free at http://bearsuitsuckerpunch.bandcamp.com/album/march-of-the-pigs-single.

Just wanted to say a few things about how these were written.  Tyler actually started Chasing The Night by coming up with the bass line, then we sort of built the song up from that.  We had the music pretty much finished before we even started the words and I remember we both sort of co-wrote the lyrics over several long nights.  In my mind the song is about people who are living their lives to go out and party at night, and as someone in their mid-twenties living in Austin, that seems to be just about everyone! (the song is at least partly autobiographical)  Ultimately though this lifestyle can become destructive especially when it's all you are living for, as the bridge asks "who's in control?"  The point of the song isn't to make a moral judgement though, just exploring the question.  Anyway that's my two cents, Tyler would probably have a different take on it and hopefully you do too!

March of the Pigs is one of those songs that we were able to write in just one or two jams. I remember we got home from our tour to Wisconsin last summer and I believe the day before our show in Austin Drew showed us the song.  The idea actually started with an acoustic song Tyler and Drew wrote called Pig on Parade (their side project Fagoose.. check it out haha).  What's the song about? That remains a mystery, see if you can crack the code haha.  Also, a music video will be out very soon!

Special thanks to Austin from Renaissance Recordings for recording, Rob Fogel for mastering, and Kyle Blaire for the artwork. All these guys were generous to donate their time/talents for free, and we are very thankful!!

-Hans

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Tour Rap-Up

Ok, back in sunny Austin now!  Took a day to catch up on rest yesterday (how do other bands do this for months at a time!) and now it's back to our crappy jobs haha.  As tiring as it was, we really had a blast on this tour and it really gets me excited to get back on the road this summer.  We had some amazing shows and got to hang out with some cool people as well as see lots of our friends who we haven't seen in a long time. Unfortunately looking through my phone I didn't really get a chance to take many pictures/videos. Here is a few from our hike at Horsetooth in Fort Collins (wheezing up the mountain haha), I think after several winters in Arkansas/Texas I may have lost my thick Wisconsin skin.

Most importantly we want to thank everyone who made this possible/fun! To everyone who let us crash at your house (only had to get a hotel room once!), to all the bands we played with, everyone who helped put the shows together, and everyone who came out to have a good time, we give you a big Oscar style thank you! Seriously though, you are awesome!

Some really cool shows coming up i the next few months- Red 7 with Threes Away March 23, and Headhunters with The Murder Junkies (yes GG Allin's band, I am as excited as I am terrified haha) June 2. Also, We've been selling the new songs on the tour, and I'll get them up online now so you all can finally here them too!

-Hans

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Tour Update 3

Wow!! Saturday night's show in Denver was just crazy! We played at 7th Circle Music Collective which is a local all ages DIY venue. When we rolled up I wasn't really sure what to expect and we haven't played a place like this in a very long time, so it was nice to change things up from the bars/clubs we've gotten used to playing. There ended up being 5 other bands and I can honestly say there wasn't a bad one in the bunch! There was really only one unexpected problem (always something..), Drew's voice. He woke up with a cold and could barely talk the whole day. I think we were all hoping that once we started playing he would magically pull it off, but as soon as we started the second song it became clear that he wouldn't be able to really sing at all unfortunately. In the end it didn't matter too much, we had our friend Kurt come up and sing a couple songs (Maxwell Murder and Knowledge) and I sang a couple of his parts so I don't know if people really even noticed. Everyone was dancing/moshing/ singing along, basically having a good time, and I can easily say it was the craziest crowd of the tour/one of the best ever! It's so rare these days to find venues like this, and I know I would have killed to have a something like this back in the day to hang out and play music. Kind of reminded me of the house shows we used to put on in college except on steroids. Anyway, we were happy to be a part of it and want to give a huge thanks to everyone who came out, the other bands, and all of the volunteers who make that place possible! After spending a delightful evening in the "van" (Honda CRV) we have already broken down and got a hotel haha. Catching up on some sleep now before our Fort Collins show tonight, should be a good time! -Hans

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Hey guys So we made it to Colorado yesterday for our show at the Triple Nickel Tavern, "Colorado Spring's Infamous Punk Club." Talked with the guys in the local openers American Mourning, they were cool guys and I liked their set. We played next and despite some sound issues I thought we played pretty well. The crowd was pretty chill and sometimes it is difficult for me to tell if people are into the music but it seemed like everyone was having a good time. The highlight of the night was getting to see and hang out with the guys in Pitch Invasion and Horace pinker. They've been playing punk rock for over 20 years and I thought their sets were amazing! It was also crazy talking with them because Horace Pinker has done some really cool stuff over the years including playing at Fest this year, playing Groezrock in Belgium, and playing the Brazilian warped tour! Pitch Invasion also just opened for Pennywise a couple weeks ago which is one of our favorite bands! Despite this they were all super down to earth and fun to hang out with, hopefully we can play with them sometime again! After the show we drove out to Denver and crashed at Kurt's uncle's house. They have been super hospitable, and we are all grateful to have a bed to stay in! It has pretty much been dark since we got to Colorado so it was crazy to wake up to this view of the mountains in the morning (they stretch on forever both ways)! Also, awoke to this view in his basement for all you guitar gear heads. Denver show is tonight at the 7th circle Music Collective, can't wait! -Hans

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Tour

Alright well we just kicked off our tour with a beauty of a show in Amarillo, TX at Leftwoods. The motto of the city seems to be "at least it's not Lubbock," a statement that proved to be true as far as I could tell. Upon arriving we were asked to do two 45 min sets which is a Bear Suit impossibility but we still had a blast and met some awesome people. The amazing Kurt Armstrong of Use The Boost sang a couple songs with us and Cameron opened up for us and hooked us up with some delicious brews. Today we're heading to Colorado Springs to play with some more awesome bands and embarrass ourselves in front of another crowd of 3 people. We're planning to update this with each show so stay tuned, mom. Special thanks to our closest pal Evan for putting up with us and giving us a bed to spoon in. We'll be back soon! -Tyler

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So excited for this, less than two weeks away!

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Meet our new drummer, Walter White

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Colorado Tour/New songs!

Hey guys, hope you all had a great holiday season!  We each got a chance to take some time off from Austin to rest and spend time with our families, but we are now all back and ready to hit the new year running!  We've been working hard and have a couple exciting announcements:

WINTER TOUR We are very excited to head north next month on a small tour to Colorado! Here are the dates we've got lined up so far, more info will be up soon- Feb 14- Amarillo, Tx                    Leftwoods Feb 15- Colorado Springs, CO    Triple Nickel Tavern Feb 16- Denver, CO                    Seventh Circle Music Collective Feb 18- Fort Collins, CO              Surfside 7

NEW SONGS So yes it has taken us a VERY long time to finish up the Chasing the Night/March of the Pigs single, but we just finished mixing this week and now we just need to complete the mastering phase.  I am promising that they will be finished and released BEFORE THE TOUR! we are very happy with how they turned out and can't wait to share them with you all! (Also a music video is in the works)

Our next local show is coming up this Saturday Jan 19 at Headhunters (Metal and Lace). There's a great lineup with Bass Line Bums, Gally West, Shitty Advice (hehe..), and Secret Identity. It's also free so come and hang out!

Huge thanks to everyone who has made playing in this band such a great experience! To anyone who's ever come out to a show, to all the bands we've shared the stage with, and to anyone who has helped us out in any way in the studio/on the road, this would not be nearly as much fun without you all!

-Hans

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Here is a Christmas song we just recorded for our friends over at Jeb Kennedy to go along with their "12 Days of Jebmas."  We had a lot of fun making this one and did all of the recording in our room on a laptop. Definitely miss these guys, we used to all hang out at school back in Arkansas where the band was started.  Be sure to check out their blog at http://jebkennedy.com

Download the song for free at http://bearsuitsuckerpunch.bandcamp.com/album/the-12-days-of-jebmas

Have a great Christmas everyone!!

-Hans 

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Headhunter's Holiday Show

Hey, just wanted to give a HUGE shout out to everyone that came out to the show Friday night at Headhunters. We moved to Austin a little over a year ago and literally did not know a single person, and to have 20 friends we all know by name show up to support is just amazing and it really means a lot to us!!  Also big thanks to Ziggy from Gridlox Productions for putting on the show as well as No Holiday and the rest of the bands that played.

This will be our last show of the year and we are all taking some time off for the holidays to be with our families.  We've got some awesome things already in the works for next year that we are very excited about and hopefully 2013 will be just as fun as this year was! Hope you all have a great Christmas!

-Hans

Also, be on the lookout for a Christmas song coming out in the next couple days..

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Chasing the Night on Balcony TV

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BalconyTV interview/new podcast

Last night we got to do an interview/performance on BalconyTV Austin.  We played one of our new songs Chasing the Night and the video should be up sometime in the next week or two.  This is our second time doing something like this and it seems like one of those things where no matter how ready you think you are, as soon as the cameras come on a part of you starts to panic haha.  It is way different than a show because you don't really have an audience to play to, just a couple cameras circling around you while you pretend its just a normal show.  I don't know about Drew or Tyler but for me it took about halfway through the song before I started to feel comfortable.  Anyway, it was a lot of fun and we are starting to get the hang of it.  Big shout out to Stephanie for being a fun host and Joe for having us on and doing all the technical stuff!

Also, after the show we started arguing about nothing as we seem to do and someone had the genius idea to turn on a mic and just make it part of Drew and Tyler's new podcast.  Things definitely get a little weird/personal/inappropriate, but hey that's basically who we are. It also drags on a bit long, but if you're interested check it out here http://thedrewnes.blogspot.com/2012/10/let-boys-be-boys-podcast-ep-002.html

-Hans

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Podcast

Ever wonder what is going on inside the brilliant minds of Drew and Tyler? So I got home late last night after work only to find that they have apparently started a podcast. Check it out at Drew's art blog at http://thedrewnes.blogspot.com/2012/10/i-have-podcast.html, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll release your bowels, and you just might learn something new!  Some takeaways that I learned:

-Drew was apparently stung by a bunch of bees recently

-Tyler's "poo doesn't stink"

-There is a professional hockey league

-"Drew is the brown honey boo boo"

-coming out of the closet as Kevin James fanboys

-Hulk Hogan has a sex tape

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Great album from a great band, with a BSSP makeover by Drew and our friend Matt Stuck!

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Here's a taste of one of our new songs from our show last weekend.  Had a fun time playing and of course no show at Headhunters is complete without stopping by the Irish pub next door for some Strongbow/car bombs. Also, we are still working on finishing up the recordings, and they should be out soon!