Q&A with Tim Hart of Aussie Indie Rock-Folk Band, BOY & BEAR.

To say the past year has been a whirlwind for Boy & Bear would not only be a cliché, but also an understatement.  Since the band’s dulcet tones first hypnotized listeners across Triple J‘s radio waves in September 2009, Boy & Bear have found themselves in the spotlight.

Boy & Bear are an Australian indie rock-folk music band formed in 2009, consisting of David Hosking (vocals and guitar), Killian Gavin (vocals and guitar), Timothy Hart (drums and vocals), Jonathan Hart (vocals, banjo, mandolin and keyboards) and David Symes (bass). The band have released two albums, Moonfire (August 2011) and Harlequin Dream, (August 2013) both reaching the top ten of the Australian album chart.

Their single “Mexican Mavis“ had the industry whispering and music fans clambering.  Rumors of their live show quickly spread and Boy & Bear soon found themselves touring with the royalty of folk rock, Angus & Julia Stone, Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling throughout Australia.  Boy & Bear impressed, so much so that Laura Marling invited the band to tour with her through the UK. In fact, two members of Boy & Bear, Jake Tarasenko and Tim Hart, also did a stint doubling up as members of Laura’s touring band. Their live show takes the band to another plane.

The songs presented on the bands debut EP “With Emperor Antarctica” pack a bigger punch when taken to the live forum.  The honesty in each member’s voice is heightened, the emotion makes chests swell and the story in each song resonates somewhere between the heart and stomach.

Get to know Boy & Bear more through All Access Music writer, Nicole DeRosa‘s Q&A with drummer, vocalist, Tim Hart below.

Hi Tim! Can you offer our readers who don’t know that much about Boy & Bear, a brief journey of your musical career thus far? How was the band formed? How did the band’s name come about?

G’day. We became a band after Dave’s solo project became more a collaborative process. Killian and myself started helping out with the writing and we recorded a single called Mexican Mavis and needed a band name so Dave got a whole lot of name options from a band name generator on the internet… and we just chose our favourite. Not a great story but true nonetheless.

Did you all grow up in Sydney? How do you think you location influenced your style?

Yes we did. We love Sydney and it was a great place to grow up. I guess it may have influenced our style, but that is probably more subconscious than anything. We were more influenced by our parents and their musical tastes.

How do you guys capture the inspiration of a song when it comes to you? Do you need to be off in a cabin in the woods and shut the world out…or do you write on tour? What’s Boy & Bear’s writing process like? What comes first, the music or the lyrics?

Dave tends to be writing the bare bones of the songs whenever he can but more often than not this happens when we’re off the road. But no, he doesn’t need to be off in the woods. The music for us definitely comes first.

Your latest single is called, “Three Headed Woman.” That image alone is quite something! What was the inspiration for that song?

This was simply a break up song.

Do you have any upcoming radio appearances coming up? How has radio been treating you?

That is a good question. We just did some in New Zealand and I’m sure we have some more here in Australia as we finish our tour here. Other than that I have no idea. (sometimes its better not to ask Greg our tour manager… better to be in the dark on these things… less to worry about, haha)

It seems just like yesterday that Boy & Bear were just some local Sydney band who were featured on Triple J’s Unearthed and now you’ve grown to become an iconic and accomplished act that is touring the globe. What has been the best part of the journey so far?

I agree. Not about the iconic part, but just about it seeming like yesterday. The best part of the journey I think, has just been the fact that as this project grows and progresses we get to see a lot of dreams fulfilled and have a lot of fun on the way.

What has been your favorite gig so far, and why?

That’s a tough call. Playing a show at Red Rocks in Denver was pretty special. I think its always special too to play home town gigs. We’re about to play the Sydney Opera house which will be wonderful.

You’ve toured with famous acts like Angus and Julia Stone and Mumford And Sons in the past. Who would your dream gig be with and why?

I’d love to play with Peter Gabriel so we could do some synchronized dance moves while both wearing headset microphones. I don’t think you need me to answer the why part.

 What is your favorite song to perform live and why?

Southern Sun is great. One of the best part about playing live is seeing people enjoy themselves and that tends to happen with Southern Sun.

What’s on tap next for Boy & Bear this year?

We are back to the states in October, then November and December we go to UK/Europe again and we’re starting a new album in January.

Visit Boy & Bear’s website here to keep up with the latest band and tour info.