Bear Market Riot at Avila Beach

The Avila Beach Brunch on Wheels featured its first live band last Sunday, the two-year-old, locally beloved "Power-Folk" duo Bear Market Riot.

Nick Motil performed an intense schedule on the national college circuit for the last decade as a singer-songwriter with original material and interesting covers (click here for a YouTube video).

Kirk Nordby was a teenage musician in Gruff Mummies, a glam punk rock band on Bainbridge Island in Washington but spent most of his adult life as a line cook in the San Luis Obispo area before he met Nick Motil at a local showcase called Songwriters at Play (click here for a wonderful interview by Steven Wyble from the Kitsap Scene site).

They liked each other and decided to busk together for kicks at the Los Osos Farmers Market, and it was an instant success. The combination of talents felt greater than the singular parts and a musical bromance began.

The duo was sort of heartbreaking in their sincere wish to entertain the crowd while expressing their own musical voice.

The pleasure was that they were authentic musicians who you wanted to listen to, and charming, amiable hosts for a five-hour outdoor food and drink fest besides.

The day was Central California at its most idyllic, and I ran into cute relatives and friends like Liz, Tony, and Mark above...

...while admiring young, hipster beards both wild...

...and dignified.

Bear Market Riot is serious about their career and are playing literally everywhere in California, from Goldstein's Mortuary and Delicatessen in Fresno on March 2nd (I kid you not) to Cali Craft Brewing Company in Walnut Creek on March 30 (click here for their extensive touring schedule).

I became an instant fan, and while they were finishing a brunch break in the back of their van, I requested a photo shoot and they sweetly joined in. I felt like an ancient Bear Boy in the Band.