Youngstown Band Kicks Off Tour in Athens

Helen Widman

Mike Perorazio. Photos provided by Spirit of the Bear.

Although spread across three different cities, Youngstown-native band Spirit of the Bear doesn’t let distance get in the way of their music. 

The band consists of James Harker on guitar and vocals, Danny Svenson and Ethan Schwendeman on keyboards, Jamie Vitullo on drums and Mike Perorazio on bass. All five members met each other in Youngstown during high school, where they formed their official lineup as a band in 2015.

Currently, members of Spirit of the Bear are  spread out between Columbus, Cleveland and Youngstown as they finish school. 

On Nov. 22, Spirit of the Bear will perform their first house show as a full band in Athens.  The band recalls various experiences — good and bad — with house shows, but are looking forward to a lively show in Athens.

Perorazio, who has played in Athens before, remembers its lively music scene. 

“It was nuts,” he says “...Everybody was into it.”

In October, Spirit of the Bear announced a month-long tour around eight cities this winter, with Athens as their first stop. They will play six shows in Ohio, one in Lexington, Kentucky and one in Pittsburgh.

Harker says that the band typically plays shows every week for a month or two, with month long breaks in between. “But we've all been going to school, so we’ve just been able to do weekends really,” he says.

Despite the fact that the band typically plays for a younger audience, they don’t make music for a specific demographic.

James Harker

“I think we're just kind of trying to make music that we would want to listen to,” Harker says. “So it just happens to be like our demographic is young 20s, high school-age.”

Spirit of the Bear describes their sound as “indie rock, a little pop-y.” 

Their most recent EP, Haunt Me, debuted in February 2019. In 2020, the band hopes to arrange a larger summer tour, as well as release a new album.

“At the rate we're going now, we're producing the most quality stuff that we’ve ever had,” Harker says. “We want to make more friends in more cities.”

For now, Spirit of the Bear is excited to take the stage in Athens and kick off their winter tour. 

“I think it's going to definitely be a good show and I feel like people are going to show up no matter what,” Perorazio says.