Bear Musician Casey Pomes Releases Debut Album

18th August 2023 BWM Staff

Bear musician Casey Pomes is a Rhode Island-based singer-songwriter who has recently released his debut album, Growing Up Feeling Down. The album has distinct classic rock and country music flavors and features Pomes’ strong and resonant vocals, evocative of some of the greats like R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe or even Tom Petty.

“It’s a culmination of life experiences, challenges, love, hope, loss, and disappointment. Pomes said. “It’s about growing up in this world and all the things that come along with it. Good and bad.”

Intrigued by his sound, lyrics and comments about the inspiration behind the album, we sat down with this talented newcomer to get more information.

BWM: How has your journey as a gay bear impacted your journey as an artist and vice versa?

Casey Pomes (CP): I think for starters it’s helped my songwriting. There is a lot of subject matter and content there.. both personally felt and observed. “not fitting into the norm” comes to mind. There is an element of acceptance and honesty that I put into the music I write and perform. A lot of that has been a direct result of being an openly gay person/artist.

BWM: Do any songs on the album specifically relate to your queerness?

CP: “Bury Your Bones” certainly. I actually wrote that song in my dorm room in college when I lived in Boston. It was a coming-of-age moment for me and realising my path was going to be different. I was struggling with addiction, accepting my sexuality, the way I felt about myself and the way other people expected me to live my life. It’s about letting go of the past in a way and doing what you want to do. When I started recording this album and met with the producer it was the first song I played for him. It needed to be on this album.

BWM: Are you more inspired artistically by joy or heartache?

CP: The name of the album is Growing Up Feeling Down so you can probably guess which one. I like to write when I feel something or want to say something about the way I feel. If it isn’t something I’ve gone through directly I try and think of situations or people that I’ve observed and relate it to that/them. Ironically, I find tremendous joy in writing songs about heartache so there is that.

BWM: Do you have any live performances planned?

CP: The short answer here is yes! I am working on a few different things at the moment. I’m putting together an acoustic set for smaller/more intimate shows and also working with a few different musicians to put a full band show together. Updates and formal announcements can be found on my website caseypomes.com and I will also be posting on my social media accounts. I am simultaneously working on my 2nd album. I have some demos tracked and will be headed back to the studio shortly so there will be a lot more to come.