Bear On A Bicycle is are new kids on Oxford’s musical block, who are diligently and tirelessly working away on a series of projects involving music, visuals and more. As well as working with a series of Oxfordshire musicians they also have plans to create all kinds of good things in a variety of media, and have already had a hand in several releases and live shows.

In 2012 they’ve been involved with releases from Camena (‘Valentine And The Sea’/’Monumentality’), whyrhys, Jordan O’Shea (‘Her Name Was _French Cinema_’ EP) and Sier Pin Sky (‘Upon The Casp’ EP). They have regular showcases of art and music, the next of which will be The Christmas Bear Party on 22 December, at The Cricket Club, Thame.

Jordan O’Shea, one of the people behind the collective and also one of the musicians whose work it helps to present, answered a few of our questions in order to introduce Bear On A Bicycle and what they do…

MiO: Give us a quick introduction to Bear On A Bicycle – who you are, what you do, where you do it and why you do it

JO’S: We are a new completely independent label in Oxfordshire, specialising in uniting all creative media. We are a collective of bands, solo artists, photographers, artists, poets, and film-makers. All under the age of 21, we are completely run by the creative youth.

MiO: What bands and musicians are involved, and how?

JO’S: BOAB has many musicians involved, as every month we put on a showcase of new talent; we see ourselves as more of a family. Officially, however, our acts include Sier Pin Sky (a folk/ambient duo), Jordan O’Shea (a melancholic singer/songwriter), whyrhys (an alternative minimalist solo artist), Toby Dawkins (an upbeat pop singer/songwriter), Agony Number Nine (an electronic artist), John-Henry Davidson (a traditional folk/prog singer/songwriter), Curby (a pop/alternative solo artist) and Charles III (an alternative solo artist).

MiO: The BOAB collective also includes photographers, poets and film makers – what do they bring to your activity and output?

JO’S: It is brilliant to have such diverse talent associated with BOAB. At each showcase we have an art and photography exhibition alongside the music, as we know how hard it is for young talent to break through in such a field. There is no such thing as an open mic equivalent for photographers, for example. Also, all the musicians use the photographers and artists for cover artwork, the film-makers for music videos (and in our case, filming the showcases and live sessions), and thus are all helping each other out in furthering their careers. The poets will be focused on more in the future, as we plan to release a one-off magazine which will feature their work.

MiO: How do you find it, operating within Oxford’s music scene?

JO’S: Operating in Oxford’s music scene is confusing. There is so much talent in such a small area (which I don’t believe can be matched in any other city in the UK), and this can be seen as good and bad. It means that competition is high, but the great thing is that due to amazing interest in art and music in Oxford, we can sell out our monthly shows without interfering with other great Oxford promoters.

MiO: Do you have particular favourite Oxford musicians, venues, promoters, music-related places?

JO’S: Our favourite Oxford musicians that aren’t on BOAB records are by far Empty White Circles. I have a great relationship with those guys, and they deserve the acclaim they’re receiving. Also, the Beard Museum acts and The August List are pretty special. In terms of music-related places, you can’t really beat Truck Store. They gave us our first showcase, and are selling the debut Jordan O’Shea EP ‘Her Name Was _French Cinema’ at the moment.

MiO: What do you have planned for 2013?

JO’S: 2013 will be big for Bear On A Bicycle. We have many releases out next year, and are spreading the BOAB word through a UK tour. Most importantly, in our eyes, is the compilation album We Are Not Invisible, 100% of the proceeds from which will go to The Big Issue Foundation. It features all of our label acts as well as Empty White Circles, The August List, Stormyhead, and many others.

MiO: Why ‘Bear On A Bicycle’?

JO’S: The name ‘Bear On A Bicycle’ came about in one of my many daydreams! I noticed the strange connections in pub names, such as ‘Swan And Lion’, and got to wondering how are they at all linked! I loved how it made me think about it though, and so it somehow created the image of a bear riding a bicycle.

Keep up to date with what Bear On A Bicycle are up to at their website, and via Twitter. Here are tracks from two of the artists involved with Bear On A Bicycle: