Spotlight on the WXPN 24-Hour Song Challenge Finalists: Best Bear – WXPN

What is your hometown? Where are you currently based?

In short: I grew up between Pennsylvania and New Jersey! For the last five years I have lived mainly in Philadelphia itself.

How long have you been performing? Are you mainly a solo artist, do you also play in bands?

I’ve been making music in some form for 20 years!

I started out primarily as a solo folk artist, performing and releasing records under the name “Jeanette Lynne.”

For the last decade, in addition to studio work, I have also dabbled in being a “mercenary” bassist for local and touring bands. The Sonder Bombs, Biitchseat, Hit Like a Girl, Spirit Weak, The Side Chicks, Community Center (2015-2018) and the list goes on!

My biggest dream was to be the frontman of my own rock band (Adrianne Lenker meets Big Thief style) and to sing, write the songs and play the guitar – and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing since the pandemic with my band Best Bear.

What inspired your interpretation of the keyword “summer time”?

I knew I wanted to write something upbeat, similar to the songs I crank up during a spontaneous beach day or road trip. I was born in December and generally enjoy the colder, more introspective months of the year. For me, the best summer scenario (aside from dog-sitting in a West Philly mansion with the AC on full blast) is packing up the car and driving to the beach, blasting music down the highway, running in the sand, and causing trouble on oceanfront boardwalks. Why not throw a little avoidant romance into the mix while we’re at it?!

What I also liked about this song challenge was that I found common ground with my own fear of love (summer love – love that doesn’t last) after experiencing so much heartbreak over the past few years. So when the line “You’re a firework and I’m a dog” came out of my mouth, I knew I resonated with this song on a deeper level.

Can you tell us a bit about your process? Do you write lyrics first, then hooks, etc.?

I usually sit down with my acoustic guitar and play around with a few chords and different ideas until I get some melodies in my head. Sometimes these become guitar lines, sometimes they become the melody of the lyrics. Then I try to piece together a story and just freewrite or allow myself to “dummy text” and mumble ideas into the voice memo app on my phone. Sometimes I just record the guitar sections and loop them until these dummy texts take shape and structure.

When I write, I always try to find interesting rhyme schemes, paint strong images, and stick to some sort of standard song structure – I LOVE pop songs. I remember coming home from band practice at 5pm the day the song was released and sitting in my room working on the song until I finally recorded the video around 5am that same night. It felt so good to be fully into it.

Are you playing live somewhere this summer where our audience can see you?

Friday, August 23 – Kung Fu Tie – Philadelphia PA – Best Bear, Super Cassette, Glass Prince

Best Bear is technically headlining this show! Super Cassette is touring from Oakland, CA, and Glass Prince (former members of Philly band TIOGA) is opening.

Friday, September 9 – Wilmington Brew Works – Wilmington DE – Blue Barnett (Solo), Jamie and the Guarded Heart

Featuring a solo set, this is one of JATGH’s last performances.