My blogs

Straw Bear - Gigs

Straw Bear - Black Bank

Blogs I follow

Straw Bear - Black Bank

About me

Introduction	School friends Ian Ray and Chris Gray formed Straw Bear in 2004. The fledgling band took its name from the Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival, which takes place near where the pair grew up. Tom Shipp came aboard the project in 2005 after meeting Ian Ray at journalism school in Harlow and drummer Pas (The Ghears, King Kool) joined in 2008. The quartet began writing new material and performing across the country with high profile gigs at Brighton’s Concorde 2 and Cambridge’s The Junction as well as a string of dates on the London circuit. Straw Bear recorded their new album 'Black Bank' at Blue Barn studios nearly Ely. Blue Barn resembles a giant blue lego brick rising out of the Cambridgeshire Fens. The big skies and swampy vistas inspired Black Bank an earthy sound. Anchored around Ian Ray’s soaring melodies the record delivers infectious songs with smatterings of 60s psychedelic jangle, folk and country influences, and off-beat pop sensibilities. Cate Wicks joined the band in 2010 on bass and guitar duties to help realise Black Bank’s ambitious, textured instrumentation live.

Introduction

School friends Ian Ray and Chris Gray formed Straw Bear in 2004. The fledgling band took its name from the Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival, which takes place near where the pair grew up. Tom Shipp came aboard the project in 2005 after meeting Ian Ray at journalism school in Harlow and drummer Pas (The Ghears, King Kool) joined in 2008. The quartet began writing new material and performing across the country with high profile gigs at Brighton’s Concorde 2 and Cambridge’s The Junction as well as a string of dates on the London circuit. Straw Bear recorded their new album 'Black Bank' at Blue Barn studios nearly Ely. Blue Barn resembles a giant blue lego brick rising out of the Cambridgeshire Fens. The big skies and swampy vistas inspired Black Bank an earthy sound. Anchored around Ian Ray’s soaring melodies the record delivers infectious songs with smatterings of 60s psychedelic jangle, folk and country influences, and off-beat pop sensibilities. Cate Wicks joined the band in 2010 on bass and guitar duties to help realise Black Bank’s ambitious, textured instrumentation live.