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The Bear

by Walter Martin

supported by
mika haha
mika haha thumbnail
mika haha My 8 year old son and I listen to this album every night while he falls asleep and I can't think of anything more complimentary than that. Favorite track: The Crow Symbolizes Love.
chanib
chanib thumbnail
chanib Sometimes you hear a song where it feels like the musician has peeked in a secret window into your heart and written down what they see. For me, this album includes many songs like that - especially The Song is Never Done. Favorite track: The Song is Never Done.
jamesallen_
jamesallen_ thumbnail
jamesallen_ a warm and weathered hand on your shoulder Favorite track: The Song is Never Done.
Ebbe Scovdahl
Ebbe Scovdahl thumbnail
Ebbe Scovdahl I rarely order records from America, because postage hurts my perineum, but I’m willing to take the nausea and watery eyes for this. I absolutely love these songs! I should have ordered the rest of the records now to save on postage, but I’m too poor! I’ll be back though, it’ll be worth the wait! Favorite track: The Crow Symbolizes Love.
Finthecat4055
Finthecat4055 thumbnail
Finthecat4055 This is not just a dad's album but it's a wonderful album for dads. Just gorgeous. I haven't heard Walter's solo work before and now I'm a new fan! I bought this album before I even finished listening to it. Favorite track: The Song is Never Done.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    New pressing of The Bear on luxurious white vinyl!

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Bear via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $25 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

  • T-Shirt/Shirt

    'Hiram Hollow' lyrics from THE BEAR.
    Lovely 100% cotton "soft-style" T's.

    "I tell the old stories but no one believes
    They think there's some trick hiding up in my sleeve
    But I do declare, my uncles ate bears
    And my aunties made rings with their teeth"
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $30 USD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 12 Walter Martin releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Concert at Coco's, Le Chanson Francaise, O Alaska, The Bear, We're All Young Together, The World at Night, Quarantine Boogie (Loco), Green Beans & Tangerines, and 4 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $42.90 USD or more (35% OFF)

     

  • The Bear 180g Vinyl + Companion Book (Batch 1)
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Out March 25. These limited edition LPs). 180g vinyl. Artwork by American painter, Hollis Heichemer. Each copy signed and numbered by Walter Martin.
    Each copy comes with special 19 page "What's the Story with the Bear" a listener's companion written by Walter Martin including lots of album information, jokes and photographs.

    These were rush ordered in order to get them in time for release so they cost me a ton to make so that's why they are more expensive than usual. Please understand. thx - walt

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Bear via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • The Bear 180g Vinyl + Companion Book (Batch II)
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    180g VInyl with 19 page listener's companion. Only 200 copies in Batch II. This is the second vinyl edition of new album The Bear. Each LP is stamped "Batch 2" and signed and numbered by Walter Martin. The listener's companion "What's the Story with The Bear?" has a new introduction for Batch II. All copies signed and numbered.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Bear via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
2.
First Voices 00:35
3.
New Green 03:17
4.
5.
The Bear 04:23
6.
Hiram Hollow 03:16
7.
Easter 04:10
8.
9.
10.

about

As a solo artist, Martin exists in a peculiar space outside the traditional music industry, a place that’s allowed him to remain remarkably pure, if largely under the radar. Eight albums in, though, and he finds himself breaking through despite his best efforts. Take a listen to The Bear and you’ll see why. There’s obvious touchstones from past generations—Jonathan Richman, Randy Newman, the kind of artists who’ve followed their own voice to create unique universes independent of the ebb and flow of the culture at large—but one would be hard pressed to find a contemporary songwriter quite like Martin, who’s released a wide and striking body of music over the last decade: some serious, some humorous, some for children, some definitely for midlife crises, but all with a singular perspective that hits at something bittersweet and human. At the heart of Martin’s work is a plainspoken sense of wonder and beauty and gratitude, a take on life that feels both funny and sad and somehow manages to leave you feeling genuinely okay about the fact that we’re all going to die.

“The Bear feels like the kind of album I’ve been building towards for my entire career,” Martin reflects. “I don’t think I’ve had the nerve to be this honest, this autobiographical before, but more than anything I’ve ever written, these songs explain who I am and why I make this stuff.”

credits

released March 25, 2022

Walter Martin - vocals, guitar
Emile Mosseri - piano
Harrison Whitford - guitar
Sean O’Brien - lap steel
Josh Adams - drums (tracks 1 & 5)
Sam Kassirer - piano (track 10)
Josh Kaufman - guitar, mandolin (track 5)
Eric D. Johnson - harmony vocals (tracks 1 & 5)
Quentin Stoltzfus - harmony vocals (track 9)
Walter Martin - additional drums, bass, harmonium

recorded by Walter Martin at Hiram Hollow (Gansevoort, NY)
and Sean O’Brien at Knobworld (Los Angeles, CA)

mixed by Sam Kassirer
at MEFFA

track 5 mixed by Sean O’Brien at Knobworld
mastering by Chris Colbert at National Freedom

additional recording by:
Sam Kassirer
Josh Kaufman
Emile Mosseri
Eric D. Johnson
Quentin Stoltzfus

cover painting by Hollis Heichemer
design by Shawn Carney

all songs written by Walter Martin, Family Jukebox (ASCAP)
(c) and (p) 2022 Family Jukebox LLC, New York.

thanks to Melissa Martin

2022 Ile Flottante Music, New York

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Walter Martin New York

Walter Martin is a multi-award-winning songwriter. Martin has released seven studio albums since embarking on a solo career in 2014. His solo career follows many years of writing, playing and touring in rock 'n' roll bands The Walkmen and Jonathan Fire*Eater. ... more

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