(September 2018 "From the Archive") - "Firebears" Live at the Terra Incognita Festival 2013, Quebec City, Canada

In 2013, we were invited to play Terra Incognita, a festival in Quebec City, Canada. It was also the first time that we played a show outside of the United States, which was a big deal for us. We actually had to get passports for one, and we also had to try and learn a few words and phrases to say in French, since the show took place in a mostly French-speaking part of Canada. Some of us were better at this than others. "Merci" and "merci beaucoup" were pretty much it for me! Terra Incognita 2013 also featured some big progressive rock acts, like The Flower Kings, Phideaux, and Il Castello di Atlante, so we had to be sure to step up our game.

We were actually invited to play two sets, one on a Friday and one on a Saturday, so we made a whole road trip out of it. Our good friends Jim Robinson and Jon Yarger from NJProghouse drove us all there. They were the "parents" on that particular trip, and having them at the driver's wheel, both literally and figuratively, made the whole ordeal such a pleasure.

The festival was at a theatre, so the audience was all seated, which was unusual for us since we were at that point used to playing in bars, and was also a bit intimidating. But I still remember how extremely warm the audience was, and how receptive they were to our music. We met so many wonderful and friendly music lovers there, some of whom still come out from Canada to see us! :)

This show took a place a few months after we released Quickly Quickly Quickly, and a few months before our first tour with Thank You Scientist. We were still figuring out the best ways to translate the songs from the album live, and there are some cool dynamics and new additions that we would later add to the songs when we went on the tour that are missing from this video. Still, we think that this version of "Firebears", the nearly 20 minute epic from Quickly Quickly Quickly, was the highlight of our performance!

This video features a different line up of the band, with Joe Rizzolo, the drummer on Quickly Quickly Quickly playing drums, and our live keyboardist Renee Pestritto. The video was actually uploaded in 2013, and was made public for a little while. But when the band went through a line up change the next year, we decided to make it "unlisted", to avoid confusion and focus on content with our current line up. However, we are happy to share this with YOU, our very special and beloved Patreon patrons! ;)

This live video recording of “Firebears” was performed by:

Patrick McGowan - Vocals, Guitar

Dan McGowan - Guitar, Vocals

Jamie Wolff - Bass, Vocals

Joe Rizzolo - Drums

Renee Pestritto - Keyboard, Vocals