Shake That Bear

Shake That Bear is more than just a few guys that jam out in a basement a few times a month. Within the seven months since solidifying their lineup, the five members that form Shake That Bear have transformed their creation into one of the worst-kept secrets of northern New Jersey. Since their first show after finalizing their lineup with the addition of vocalist Brandon Zemel, when they took the stage at Starland Ballroom, they have been on the warpath, leaving new fans in their wake wheneve...

Shake That Bear is more than just a few guys that jam out in a basement a few times a month. Within the seven months since solidifying their lineup, the five members that form Shake That Bear have transformed their creation into one of the worst-kept secrets of northern New Jersey. Since their first show after finalizing their lineup with the addition of vocalist Brandon Zemel, when they took the stage at Starland Ballroom, they have been on the warpath, leaving new fans in their wake whenever they blow through town. The band, made up of frontman/vocalist Zemel, guitarists Chris Vuoncino and Sean Mulligan, bassist Jim Sabino, and drummer Frank Massanova, released their first single, “King Of The Castle”, prior to their show at Starland Ballroom in May 2011. After the show, they re-entered the studio to continue and complete the recording process for their debut EP, “Bedsheets and Alibis”, which was released on iTunes and Amazon, along with physical copies on the band's official webstore, on August 5, 2011. The release coincided with the band's first tour. On August 4, 2011, they embarked on the BroDown The Coast Tour with New York-based band City At Dawn, with the second show of the tour, held at Architekt Music in Butler, NJ serving as the CD release show. Upon returning home, the band put renewed effort into booking in-and-out of state shows. Their hard work finally showed signs of paying off when they were offered a slot as direct support for Trivium on the main stage of Crocodile Rock in Allentown, PA. At the same time, they began to receive management interest, and in October signed with CB Entertainment for management representation. The band continuously writes new material and, unlike many bands, doesn't wait for it to be recorded before playing their new songs live. “We get so into our songs that we really don't want to wait to play them live,” frontman Zemel says. In addition to the excellent feedback received on “Bedsheets And Alibis”, Shake That Bear's live show has drawn rave reviews from fans and promoters alike. Their powerful, energetic, and sometimes comical performance captures the attention of everyone in the room, from the nothing-short-of-retarded comments by guitarist Vuoncino, to silly string fights, to Zemel climbing onto anything within reach. The band is currently in the early stages of planning their next tour, and as always, continues writing new material. Shake That Bear is rising through the ranks of the scene, and fast. The only question that remains is, when is Shake That Bear coming to your town?