Hey North East Coast we are heading your way Spring 2008.
Tour Lineup: Bobaloo, Elijah Black, Shannon Grady, Kendall, and Matthew Temple
We are in the process of looking for sponsors. We are very excited to announce that LOGO TV will be one of the sponsors for the 2008 tour.
For Sponsor information download pdf here. For more information about sponsor packages, or booking BOTR contact Shannon, or Bobaloo.
Bears On The Run has started a new adventure. We are looking at taking the tour to the east coast in the spring. Keep checking back for updates and where we will be next.
Shannon
(taken from my live journal) Okay, so it’s the DAY AFTER. That word conjures up all sorts of memories and thoughts for everybody. For me, it’s bitter sweet, yes there is nothing like being in your own bed. Yes there is nothing like taking a dump and having some privacy. Yes there is nothing like eating, drinking or peeing when you want. And OFCOURSE there is nothing like getting back to my home, watching my own shows and listening to my favorite music. But I’ll be honest, there was nothing in my life that will ever compare to being part of Bears on the Run (part 1 I’d like to tease ya about part 2, however my little brother Shannon will fill you in on that in the upcoming months I’m sure, including location).
Right now I am sitting in my office and wish I was gettin woke up by dad (usually before the time he promised he’d wake us up) getting ready to move on to the next town after just a few hours of sleep. I wish I was in the van smelling everybody’s ripe aroma that occurs naturally to big bears after a good night’s slumber. I wish I was at a club trying to work out sound problems that occured when I would tie into the club’s sound system. I wish I was shopping at a gas station for munchies because we weren’t sure if we were gonna have enough time to eat lunch or dinner. I wish I was with all my brothers huddled around Bobaloo’s computer watching the craziest, funniest youtube videos (yes even the gross ones he would pull up where men would insert bottles and even feet… well you can fill the blanks in here I’m just starting to get the vomit taste out of my mouth.. LOL). I wish I could get that feeling I had seeing reviews and videos posted on youtube about BOTR, standing in complete amazement that concert comers would post without us even knowing it. I am amazed that two woofy bears in ST.Louis would invite us to their home and make us the most wonderful meal we had in weeks. And I am amazed by the honor it was to perform with the most talented men I know (and trust me I know tons, I’ve opened up for Motley Crue, STyx, Ratt, Jackyll, Cinderella and more) and these guys brought it out every night. But nothing amazed me more than the joy I had singing for everybody that attended. I am amazed at just how motivated I am to get a new album done, so by the spring tour, I’ll have my disc finished with some of the new songs I wrote for this tour, yup including Better Man (Sammy’s Song)- sorry to everyone I made cry with this one. Peace, Love and Big Bear Hugs, Elijah
Thank you.
A giant thank you goes out to everyone who came to the shows and supported the first ever Bears On The Run tour.
Shannon, Kendall, Elijah, Matthew, Nakia, Josh and Bobaloo would also like to thank:
The Dallas Resource Center
Chain Drive - Austin
Tony’s Corner Pocket - Houston
Amsterdam-Atlanta
Blake’s - Atlanta
Mary Mac’s Tea Room - Atlanta
Atlanta Eagle
Southern Voice/David - Atlanta
The Rutledge - Nashville
Zen & Now Coffeehouse
Tradewinds II - Columbus
The Grid - Cleveland
Bears Like Us - Chicago
Spin - Chicago
J.J.’s Clubhouse - St. Louis
Tulsa Eagle
Club Glacier - Wichita
Houston Area Bears
Great Lakes Bears
Southern Bears
TimeOut Chicago
Also, big thanks and much love to:
JTCollective.com
Homopod Radio
Bear Podcast
Bear Party Magazine
100% Beef Magazine
Killer Bob Graphics
Woobie Bear Music
BearRadio.net
BigStar Trading Cards
We’s also like to thank anyone and everyone who bought our merchandise, helped lift and carry anything to our trailer, helped us with directions, bought us drinks, helped us in any way, shape or form. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Special thanks to Woofer and Matt in St. Louis for the special home-cooked meal. We appreciate it more than you know.
Stay tunes for updates and news about the next leg of the Bears On The Run Tour!
Okay, we’ve been having a great time getting strangers and friends and the concert crowds to yell, “Bears on the run , bitches!!”. We have been posting them on our website
BearsOnTheRun.com and also on YouTube.com. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. We are having a contest to hear the best “Bears On The Run, Bitches…” Make your video and post it on YouTube, then email Bobaloo at bobaloorocks@mac.com with the link. You can win our official 2007 Bears on the Run t-shirt, plus a bonus! As you can see, the ones we are using are really awesome, so give us your best!!
Hello.
Here’s a rundown of my experiences so far since Atlanta.
Atlanta’s show was hot. We had a great group of people show up for the show, and made a lot of new friends and fans. The Southern Bears were so supportive of our tour and our message, and we can’t thank them enough. Joel and Earl from the Amsterdam were amazing, and really showed us the true meaning of southern hospitality. If you are visiting Atlanta and need to go out and have a great time at the gay bars, please stop at the Amsterdam and tell them that the Bears On The Run sent you. Speaking of bars, also visit Blake’s in the gayborhood area. Ray, the manager/owner of Blake’s in not only a sweet man, but a cutie to boot. They rocked the house with us on Wednesday night. Their drag show was hot, and Gigi Monroe was a great hostess. We appreciate everything they did for us.
The show was great. I won’t lie, and say everything went 100% great…but for the most part, we rocked it out. The only problems that I saw were the acoustics in the room and my failed rock guitar pedal. The acoustics were great if you were within the first half of the space we were in, but the second you walked to the bar in the back of the room, it was a bit muffled. That’s why I kept encouraging people to come up and sit in the front where all the chairs were. The pedal I was going to use needed a new battery, and we didn’t even think of it until I stomped my foot on it and it went dead. Oh well, lesson learned! Overall though, we felt great about it, and we loved ATL! We hope to come back soon!
Nashville was mind BLOWING. The Rutledge really helped us make a great show happen for all of you. The sound guy (Frank, I believe) was on point and really made the sound perfect. Thanks to Freddy Freeman and his Acoustic Ensemble for opening the show! They sounded terrific. Everyone had a great time, including our female friends, the Cougars! Sideshow Bennie’s ladies were rocking out as well, and we love them for it. The crowd was super responsive and we got a ton of great feedback from people. Thanks also to Chris, Dan and Craig from driving from Knoxville to rock with us! We have a great recording of the show on video and audio, so stay tuned for that. The Rutledge was a great place for music, and really, if you are in Nashville, go and visit them and catch a live show!
Cincinnati? OMG. The Zen & Now Coffee House was a GREAT place to perform. Granted, it was small and intimate, but we really had an attentive crowd. Special props to Chris and Gary for being so sweet to us. We had a lot of bears, but also straight folks, 19 year olds who are also musicians and even Shannon’s niece and boyfriend showed up! They really enjoyed it. Please support the Zen & Now Coffee House when in Cincinnati! They whip up a mean Jasmine Green Tea Frappe! Thank you to Chris Glass who took some amazing photos. You can check out his site, wireandtwine.com and check out his photos HERE. Mikie from Chicago took some awesome photos as well, and when I get a link I will post it here.
Columbus ruled. The Tradewinds II was a great place, and the crowd was having a good time. We had a good sized crowd and once again, they all really seemed to enjoy the show. The staff at the Tradewinds was so awesome, buying us pizza for after the show, and serving up delicious cocktails and shots. The manager, Joe, was a great guy and bent over backwards to help us make the show a success! The drag show afterwards was top notch as well, with props going out to the hostess letting us judge the Halloween contest. Venus and Serna Williams won! Great to see so many faces from the Live Journal land there also.
Tomorrow we are setting sail to Cleveland, and we can’t wait to see you there!
Bears go Dutch
Bears on the Run tour rolls into Atlanta
By ZACK HUDSON
OCT. 19, 2007
It was bound to happen eventually.
Here in the time of queer burlesque troupes, drag kings and gender variant rockers, the deceptively simple idea of a gay male performance troupe singing, dancing and telling jokes to a nightclub crowd almost seems a little too back-to-basics for Atlanta audiences.
But really, it’s a pretty wild show, according to Kendall, a New York-based performance artist and one of five members of the Bears on the Run tour, which plays Amsterdam Atlanta on Oct. 25.
“My background is in drag, and in break dancing, and in a lot of other kinds of performance. My show reflects all of it,” the artist promises.
Kendall puts his talents as a songwriter, dancer, speaker and singer to good use as an interactive part of the show, which includes comedian Bobaloo as emcee, rocker Elijah Black, acoustic rocker Shannon Grady, and folk troubadour Matthew Temple.
The bears, who are scattered across the country, plan to hit Atlanta in a passenger van after playing three dates.
“It’s cush. I can’t wait,” jokes Bobaloo, a stand-up comedian and actor from Los Angeles who opens the bears’ shows and serves as emcee.
“And we’ve got a hitch trailer for all our stuff so we can put in all our luggage and all my shoes,” he says.
Bobaloo’s brand of comedy includes a collection of stories and pop culture anecdotes he prepped specifically for the tour.
“My hosting skills have been honed at different events — bear events, other events — over the last six years of doing this,” he says. “I can keep the audience up, and I’m going to keep it all together.”
ONCE THE BEARS REACH ATLANTA, they’ll spend a couple of days scouring the streets to promote the show. Early word on the tour is strong, according to Elijah Black, a featured musician.
“We’ve been promoting it like crazy,” the rocker says. “We’ve been trying to create a buzz, because we know, and we’re very confident, people will enjoy it once they come out and see it.”
Black spent the ’80s in an opening band for metal acts like Motley Crue and Ratt. He retains the rock energy, even as his solo show has him playing a 12-string guitar.
“For this show, it’s just me and my 12-string most of the time,” he says. “I love performing, so with or without a band, I’m going to have a good time if I’m giving a show.”
The tour marks the first time all of the bears perform together, though most know each other or worked together playing bear events elsewhere.
“I wanted to be on tour, and I started calling a couple of my friends and asking if they think it’s a crazy idea,” explains Shannon Grady, an acoustic singer-songwriter and one of the tour masterminds.
“Six months ago, it was just a dream,” he says.
Despite the natural draw for bear audiences, the performers maintain that straight, lesbian, trans, or any other audience segment will miss out if they skip the show just because of the way it’s billed.
“Matthew Temple is a true American folk-singer,” Black explains. “He sang with Duke Ellington, and is really everything you would think of about a folk musician. And there really is something for everyone in this show.”
| 9th – | |
| 10th – | Buffalo |
| 11th – | Albany |
| 12th – | Provincetown |
| 13th – | Boston |
| 15th – | Baltimore |
| 17th – | DC |
| 18th – | Philadelphia |
| 19th – | Asbury Park, NJ |
| 20th – | NYC |
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