Arizona stages. Hip-hop, dance and everything between.
Original flyers, photographs and correspondence trace Bear the Astronot’s place in Arizona’s live music scene—from mixed-genre bills in Tempe to the Summer of Sound award and performances with The Cosmonauts and DJ ERL.
“Various rhythms, underground goodies, and assorted flavors.” This Grab Bag bill brings Ryan Poulson and The Skacas together with Bear the Astronot, Lakai, Foreknown Apostolic and Glad2Mecha. The flyer’s mix of reggae, acoustic roots, dub, ska and underground hip-hop makes the series’ eclectic purpose explicit. Bear identifies The Grab Bag as a recurring event he organized through Optimix Prime Productions. A contemporary Eventbrite ticket dates this event to May 16, 2008 and explicitly credits Optimix Prime Productions as host.
Billed artists Bear the Astronot · Ryan Poulson · The Skacas · Lakai · Foreknown Apostolic · Glad2Mecha
Archive source: Original front and back flyers, matched to a contemporary Eventbrite ticket supplied by Bear Cole. Ticket states May 16, 2008, 10 PM through May 17, 2 AM at The Big Fish Pub, hosted by Optimix Prime Productions. Flyer separately advertises the show starting at 11 PM. No edition number is assigned.
Bear the Astronot joined the SummerFest ’08 bill featuring Bionic Jive and Roween, alongside The Shallow Type, Tribal Path, Zeusophobia, The Hounds and The Overpass. Organizer Ron Kennedy confirmed a 9:30 PM Club Red slot on May 18 and wrote that he was looking forward to Bear and his dancers performing live. In the booking correspondence, Bear described the act as Indie/Hip Hop/Rock—an early statement of its range.
Billed artists Bionic Jive · Roween · Bear the Astronot · The Shallow Type · Tribal Path · Zeusophobia · The Hounds · The Overpass
Archive source: Original flyer and May 17–21, 2008 booking correspondence supplied by Bear Cole.
Gallery Blu re:DEF’s Tuesday hip-hop night billed Verbal Kent (Molemen), Glad2Mecha, Lakai and Bear the Astronot, with resident DJs Reflekshin and Emcee. The flyer identifies Bear with Tucson, Arizona, placing his music within a wider Arizona hip-hop network.
Billed artists Verbal Kent · Glad2Mecha · Lakai · Bear the Astronot · DJ Reflekshin · DJ Emcee
Archive source: Original dated flyer supplied by Bear Cole.
Gallery Blu re:DEF with Verbal Kent · original event flyer
Bear the Astronot organized Altitudes and Elevation at Hollywood Alley in Mesa, bringing Arizona artists together with Denver’s INPUT and (n1nth)Cloud on the Fast Life, Slow Death Tour. The flyers advertised an 8 PM start and billed Bear the Astronot & The Cosmonauts.
Billed artists INPUT · (n1nth)Cloud · Rehab Hymn · Orchestra Records · Kers · Bear the Astronot & The Cosmonauts · Element · Poetiotic · RunLike · Canyon Animals · DJ Reflekshin · DJ Choice One
Archive source: July 11, 2008 blog announcement, two original flyers, and Bear Cole’s June 19 planning email and firsthand confirmation that he organized the show.
Two stages of alternative rock, reggae and hip-hop. Bear the Astronot was billed alongside acts including Cousin Affect, Herb N’ Life, Latino Rebel Band and The Skacas. The organizer’s schedule placed Bear on the Club Red stage from 12:30–1:15 AM, after midnight on July 20.
Billed artists Cousin Affect · Herb N’ Life · Soulafide · Latino Rebel Band · Bear the Astronot · XRAY · Tender Mercyes · Ryan Poulson · The Skacas · Ghetto’s Voice
Archive source: Original event flyer and organizer Ron Kennedy’s schedule, supplied from Bear’s archive.
Bear the Astronot’s hip-hop act crossed into the rock-festival circuit with two scheduled sets: 2:30–3:15 PM on the all-ages Club Red program, and 9–9:45 PM on the 21+ Red Owl program. The bill also included Vains of Jenna, Friday Night Gunfight and Arvin’s Garden.
Billed artists Bear the Astronot · Friday Night Gunfight · Arvin’s Garden · Vains of Jenna · Bleed Your Faith · Treble Hook Company · Vonzeles · Can’t Stay Sober · Superockstarheros
Archive source: September 5, 2008 stage-schedule email from Ron Kennedy, Arizona Event Promotions.
The Grab Bag was a recurring special event created and organized by Bear Cole through his live-music promotions and booking company, Optimix Prime Productions. This second-edition flyer brings together hip-hop, reggae, ska, folk, soul and electro/dance rock, with Orchestra Records, Passtime, G-Owens, O.P.E.X., Bear the Astronot & The Cosmonauts, Wild Life Refuge, The Skacas, Soulafide, Marc Pedraza and 21 Pump Street. A Rock Your Vote registration booth was also advertised. In the accompanying promotion, Bear wrote: “Forget uniting hip-hop or the band scene, let’s unite Arizona music as a whole!” The message invited reggae, indie hip-hop, folk and rock fans together, promoted a Rock Your Vote registration booth ahead of the Arizona presidential-election registration deadline, and offered tickets through Eventbrite and Down by Law.
Billed artists Orchestra Records · Passtime · G-Owens · O.P.E.X. · Bear the Astronot & The Cosmonauts · Wild Life Refuge · The Skacas · Soulafide · Marc Pedraza · 21 Pump Street
Archive source: Original front and back flyers. October 3, 2008 is printed on the reverse. Bear Cole identifies Optimix Prime Productions as his company and The Grab Bag as an event he organized repeatedly. Flyer art credits Ian Castruita. Accompanying promotional HTML supplied by Bear links to thegrabbag2.eventbrite.com; historical links are preserved as references, not current ticket outlets.
Friday Night Live billed Listener’s US Talk Music Tour with Foreknown, G-Owens, Bear the Astronot and Passtime. The flyer credits Optimix Prime Productions & Friday Night Live and advertises a 9 PM, 21+ event. This is a separate Listener bill from the October 20 Gallery Blu show. Bear Cole identifies Optimix Prime Productions, credited on the flyer, as the live-music promotions and booking company he ran.
Copper State Tavern · 5060 W. Bethany Home Road, Arizona
Topp Notch Records / Statusquo Entertainment presented a hip-hop bill featuring Bear the Astronot, 2-Tone, Sims, M.C. Bener, Yung Face, Blaze Rock, The Zone and The Roaddawgz, with DJ Kavi. Three surviving flyer designs document the same event.
Billed artists Bear the Astronot · 2-Tone · Sims · M.C. Bener · Yung Face · Blaze Rock · The Zone · The Roaddawgz · DJ Kavi · Indrid Cold (flyer billing varies)
Archive source: Three original flyer variants supplied by Bear Cole. Venue is printed as Cooper State Tavern on two designs and Copper State Tavern on another; all give the same street address. Indrid Cold appears on the flyers, with one variant printing Indrid Gold. No identity relationship to the current Indrid Coald project is established by these flyers.
Bear the Astronot joined a bill headlined by Souls of Mischief, with Golden Tung, Silver Medallion and Zig Zag. Bear’s scheduled set was 9–9:30 PM. Attendees voted for their favorite local performer; the genre award was decided by those audience votes.
Billed artists Souls of Mischief · Golden Tung · Silver Medallion · Zig Zag · Bear the Astronot
Archive source: Organizer email, original flyer, day-of schedule and Phoenix New Times’ August 4 preview.
Bear the Astronot received the audience-voted Best Hip Hop Group award at the New Times Summer of Sound awards party, held from 6–8 PM. The live act was then performing as Bear the Astronot & The Cosmonauts. Deidra Cole led choreography for The Cosmonauts, bringing artistic, expressionist and contemporary dance to selected songs. DJ ERL (Eric Larsen) was part of that live-performance chapter.
Archive source: Award plaque and dated photographs; New Times’ August 3 invitation and August 10 RSVP correspondence. Choreography and ensemble history supplied by Bear Cole.
Bear, The Cosmonauts and DJ ERL · August 11, 2009; identities supplied by Bear
Listener, Fienix, Bear the Astronot and Foreknown appear on this Gallery Blu re:DEF bill, with resident DJs Emgee and Cre One. The flyer also promotes Bear’s Phoenix New Times Best Hip Hop award.
Billed artists Listener · Fienix · Bear the Astronot · Foreknown · DJ Emgee · DJ Cre One
Archive source: The October 17, 2009 blog post reproduces the flyer for Tuesday, October 20. The flyer also references the August 2009 Summer of Sound award.
Bear the Astronot shared the advertised bill with Authority Zero’s special acoustic performance, alongside Fayuca, RAC, The Skacas, The Wiley One and other acts. Bear’s announcement named The Cosmonauts and DJ ERL as joining him—a continuing blend of hip-hop, dance and live-show energy.
Billed artists Authority Zero · Fayuca · RAC · The Skacas · Bear the Astronot & The Cosmonauts · DJ ERL · Eken Is Dead · The Wiley One · Red Republic
Archive source: Original event flyer and Bear’s contemporary promotional announcement.
This WTF? Fridays flyer bills Odd Thomas, Foreknown, Bear the Astronot and Talent Kills, with an open-mic freestyle hosted by Lakai and the WTFunk band. It captures another connection within the local hip-hop community.
Billed artists Odd Thomas · Foreknown · Bear the Astronot · Talent Kills · Lakai · WTFunk Band
Archive source: Original flyer prints Friday, April 8, at 9 PM, without a year. No year inferred from the weekday or image filename.
Foreknown’s Bearded Bachelor Party · original event flyer
A Friday Night Live bill featuring M.P.R.E.S.S., Random and Bear, whose name is printed as “Bear the Astronaut” on this flyer, with DJ Speek Green. The event was advertised for 9 PM at The Hidden House.
Billed artists M.P.R.E.S.S. · Random · Bear the Astronot · DJ Speek Green
Archive source: Original flyer supplied by Bear Cole. No year is printed. The flyer’s spelling is retained in the note; this entry does not establish who organized this particular event. January 16 fell on a Friday in 2009, which fits the surrounding archive, but no dated announcement was found in the recovered blog posts.
Bear the Astronot & The Cosmonauts are explicitly billed alongside One Be Lo and Sulai (formerly Novelty), with DJs KGB and Al Page. The flyer documents the ensemble’s name and its connection to touring hip-hop bills.
Billed artists One Be Lo · Sulai · Bear the Astronot & The Cosmonauts · DJ KGB · Al Page
Archive source: Original flyer prints Friday, July 18, at 9 PM, without a year. Venue listed as 602 W. Osborn, Phoenix.
Friday Night Live with One Be Lo · original event flyer
The people behind the performance
The Cosmonauts with the award · August 11, 2009Bear and the Summer of Sound award · August 11, 2009Original New Times awards-party invitation
From Bear Cole’s personal archive. Show times are taken from original schedules. Personal recollections are identified in the source notes. Photographer credits will be added when identified.
