By Scout Nicholson / The Jambar
The indie rock band Spirit of the Bear has been performing its music for over a decade. Originally formed in Boardman, the band’s members returned to Westside Bowl in Youngstown on Nov. 28 for their ninth Black Friday show.
Spirit of the Bear is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist James Harker, keyboardists Danny Svenson and Ethan Schwendeman, drummer Jamie Vitullo and bassist Nate Gelfand.
The bandmates are all alumni of Boardman High School, where they met. The band formed as an idea between Harker and Svenson, and along the way, they added Vitullo to the group.
“We didn’t even know [Vitullo] at the time … So, I just got his phone number, called him when we were eating spaghetti on [Svenson’s] porch … We were like ‘Hey, do you want to join our band?’ And he was like, ‘Well, I’m kinda busy with driving school right now.’ And here we are 10 or 11 years later,” Harker said.
After high school, the band members attended college, but they still managed to stay connected through their shared love of music.
Harker went to Capital University in Columbus, where he currently resides. Schwendeman attended The Ohio State University and currently lives in Seattle. Svenson stayed in Youngstown. Vitullo attended Cuyahoga Community College and resides in Cleveland, and Gelfand is a Youngstown State University alumnus who also lives in Columbus.
Spirit of the Bear began releasing music in 2014, but most of it has been taken down by the group. Harker said the band’s current streaming lineup dates back to 2017.
“Our first album that still exists was in 2017. We were in college, and we made that record ‘Fade into Blue.’ And we still play songs from that,” Harker said.
In 2018, the band released its EP titled “Forests.” After that, Spirit of the Bear’s second self-titled album was released in 2021.
Then the band released the EP, “There’s No Such Thing As Fire” in 2022. The record includes the band’s hit song “Wires” with over 1.5 million streams on Spotify.
Since 2020, Spirit of the Bear’s music has been produced at Moonlight Audio in Columbus, which is co-owned by Harker.
The band is currently working on an upcoming album, which will be released sometime in 2026. The group has released three singles so far, including “Terrible Truth,” “Bomb Family” and “Read My Mind.”
Harker writes most of the group’s music. The upcoming album takes references from his cancer diagnosis, changing hometown and the feeling of imposter syndrome.
The band played at Westside Bowl on Black Friday, which Harker said is an annual tradition for the band.
“It’s the ninth time we’ve played Black Friday in Youngstown. They weren’t all at Westside Bowl. The first year was at Magic Tree [Pub & Eatery]. Then a couple times at B&O Station [Banquet Hall LLC.],” Harker said. “In 2018, whenever they opened Westside Bowl, we started doing it there.”
In January, Spirit of the Bear will play the James B. Cancer Show in Columbus. Throughout 2026, the group plans to tour its upcoming album.
Spirit of the Bear’s music is available on all streaming platforms. Those interested can find more on upcoming shows at spiritofthebearband.com.