Robert Ellis Orrall embraces the thrill of the stage with ‘The Bear Is The Mountain’
Acclaimed singer-songwriter revisits early-’80s Boston performances for a boisterous new live album out Friday, June 27
Performing live July 5 at Marblehead Festival of the Arts; July 17 at The Wildcat Garden Stage Concert Series in Jackson, NH; and August 22 at The Cut in Gloucester
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Photo courtesy of the band
Lead single and video ‘Glad All Over’ is out now
BOSTON, Mass. [June 27, 2025] – The new live album from Robert Ellis Orrall is a time machine. It transports listeners back to the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s early-’80s glory days around Boston, showcasing his trusted band of musicians who could conquer any stage at any time, from the seedy dive bars on the outskirts of town to the glossy main stages of posh downtown theaters. But it also brings us forward, planting its flag in the modern day, delivering these four friends and collaborators back to the stage as one cohesive unit, and offering a glimpse – and a sound – of just what is to come.
Ahead of a healthy summer slate of live shows, Orrall unveils The Bear Is The Mountain - Live Recordings 1979-1985, a boisterous 16-track collection of recorded material, to the streams on Friday, June 27. It’s led by rambunctious new single “Glad All Over,” which debuts on YouTube with a vintage video two weeks ahead of the album drop, and sets up the band’s busy wave of appearances this summer, starting with a headlining appearance at the Marblehead Festival of the Arts on July 5 that doubles as the record release party.
The Bear Is The Mountain showcases a band at its sweaty, bluesy, breakneck-pace peak – Orrall on lead vocals and keyboards; Kook Lawry on guitar and vocals; Don Walden on bass and vocals; and David Stefanelli on drums and vocals. The record also features Brian Maes (touring keyboards in 1983); Eddie Grenga (tour keyboards in 1984); and a pair of original Robert Ellis Orrall band members in guitarist Douglas Millett and drummer Sus.
Reclaiming the magic they first felt decades ago, Orrall, Lawry, Walden, and Stefanelli are all back together again after a 35-year break, coming together during the pandemic, not only to help Orrall unearth and polish up these lost recordings, but also create an exciting new chapter. It started with 2022 collaborative record 467 Surf & Gun Club and last year’s studio album The War Between Us (recorded in 1986 at Downtown Recorders), continues with the summer live shows, and eventually leads to a new album on the way, Wrong Thing, showcasing the quartet’s first new all-original music in nearly four decades, due out in the fall.
“Well, it’s been 40 years so we definitely know how lucky we are,” Orrall says. “Rehearsals are amazing. We’re rocking the songs we rocked when we were in our 20s, and we’ve all grown and learned so much since then; it’s easier -- but we’re definitely rocking them harder! Back then it was ‘always have fun!’ – give the people everything we’ve got. It’s still fun, though maybe there’s a little less of an after party these days!”
The Bear Is The Mountain pulls from Orrall’s three studio albums for RCA Records: 1981’s Fixation, 1983’s Special Pain (his Top 40 debut with Carlene Carter, “I Couldn’t Say No,” is excitedly included here), and 1984’s Contain Yourself, all originally recorded in Wales with producer Roger Bechirian (Elvis Costello, Squeeze). It’s a snapshot in time, one before Orrall relocated to Nashville to become a prolific songwriter, producer, and in-demand collaborator, with five Number 1 songs to his credit across an eclectic and expansive 350-track catalog.
After leaving Boston, the songwriter, painter, music producer, and owner of esteemed indie label Infinity Cat Recordings and its Visitor’s Center and Gallery would go on to write and produce tracks with Reba McEntire and Lindsay Lohan; earn placements in TV and movies like The Bourne Identity, Hannah Montana, and Freaky Friday; and perhaps most notably, co-produce Taylor Swift’s 10x-platinum 2006 debut album and its follow-up EP, Beautiful Eyes, helping launch her career.
The members of his band did not stay idle either, lending their talents to artists like Peter Wolf of J. Geils Band, Boston’s Barry Goudreau and Brad Delp, Brian Maes, Nick Lowe, Carter, and several others.
But The Bear Is The Mountain brings it all back to the start, rekindling the days when they were part of Boston’s vibrant new wave, post-punk, and rock scene, part of a swell of creativity alongside bands like The Stompers, Jon Butcher Axis, ‘Til Tuesday and The Neighborhoods, playing with the likes of U2, The Kinks, and NRBQ, and rocking venues like The Rat, Paradise Rock Club, and Orpheum Theater.
“We played a million shows from 1979 to 1985 – and then took 35 years off!” Orrall says with a laugh. “The song that brought us together during COVID in 2020 was my duet with Leon Russell, ‘Welcome To Paradise’ [which would appear on 467 Surf & Gun Club]. From that moment on, the band was back and playing live again. So we are psyched for this release of performances from our ‘Never-Stop-Touring’ era.”
The album kicks off with a manic rendition of “Inspired,” originally recorded in 1979 with former members Millet on rhythm guitar and Sus on drums. The energy from the recording explodes out of the speakers, and sets a brazen tone for the 15 tracks that follow, all offering an odd cohesion for songs that at some points have six long years wedged in between recordings. But it paints a vivid picture of Orrall’s band, and comes across like one compact live concert where the band was firing on all cylinders.
“It was finding this recording on a cassette tape that made me search for more,” Orrall says about “Inspired,” perhaps enjoying what the title suggests for this new era as much as the recordings’ quality itself. “I dug deep and uncovered about 30 cassettes, digitized them, and then found the 16 best sounding/slash/best performances. When we got back together to rehearse, we actually pulled up some of those live tapes to remind us of the changes you make when you’ve been playing constantly for years. More reminders than inspiration, because we’re beyond ‘Inspired’ to be playing all these songs again.”
And play them they will. After the Marblehead gig over Fourth of July weekend, Orrall and his band canvass New England for the summer circuit, just like old times (with admittedly a bit more space between gigs), with additional shows July 17 as part of the Wildcat Concert Series in Jackson, New Hampshire; August 22 at The Cut in Gloucester; and September 13 at Two To Lou Music Festival in Sandown, New Hampshire.
The live shows then lead to the autumn release of the aforementioned Wrong Thing, where Orrall, Lawry, Walden, and Stefanelli have even enlisted Grammy-winning engineer Steve Marcantono, who worked on the mixes for the band’s debut album, Fixation.
It’s another link to the past that helps solidify the present, even if, as Orrall admits, life has changed pretty drastically since those wild RCA Records years of the early ‘80s. Orrall now splits his time between his residence on the North Shore of Massachusetts and Florida, where when he’s not making music with his collaborators, he spends his time painting.
“It was such a whirlwind, it was life passing us by like a getaway car, constant touring, too many new experiences to count, including making three albums for RCA in four years time,” he reflects. “Bars, clubs, theaters, arenas. It didn’t matter if we had 13 people in the audience at some shithole on the New York State Thruway or a packed house at Marshall Simpkin’s Inn Square Men's Bar, or sold out shows at The Orpheum Theater with U2 or the Worcester Centrum with The Kinks, we always left it all on the stage.”
The Bear Is The Mountain allows that vibe to shine through like relics from a long-gone era that’s suddenly back in style. Orrall lists some of his favorite moments on the record – the extended jams on “Call The Uh-Oh Squad,” “Facts and Figures,” and “One Day To Live”; the sheer joy of “Glad All Over,” and the timeless intensity of songs like “White Noise,” “Problem With Women,” and “Fade And Repeat” – but The Bear Is The Mountain is best heard listened to in full, the hunger of a young band on full display.
“For newcomers to our music, I hope they get a sense of how exciting and sometimes crazy these shows were, and get a real feel for Boston’s early-’80s new wave, post-punk, and pop scenes,” Orrall concludes. “And if you saw us at any of a thousand shows along the way, we just want it to bring you back in time the way it does for us.”
Next stop, everything that comes next.
Media Contact: Direct press inquiries to Michael O’Connor Marotta at michael@knyvet.com,
and reach Robert Ellis Orrall at robertellisorrall@gmail.com.
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Robert Ellis Orrall features:
Robert Ellis Orrall: Keyboards, lead vocals
Kook Lawry: Guitar, vocals
Don Walden: Bass, vocals
David Stefanelli: drums, vocals
With Brian Maes (1983 tour keyboards), Eddie Grenga (1984 tour keyboards) Douglas Millett (guitar on ‘Inspired’), and Sus (drums on ‘Inspired’)
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‘The Bear Is The Mountain - Live Recordings 1979-1985’ artwork:
Cover art by Elsa Naumann
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‘The Bear Is The Mountain - Live Recordings 1979-1985’ credits:
Produced by David Stefanelli, Don Walden, Kook Lawry, and Robert Ellis Orrall
Live Sound by Joe (JD Show) DiPietro
Road Manager: Jerry Antonelli
Cover art by Elsa Naumann
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Next Live Show – July 5 in Marblehead:
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Where to catch Robert Ellis Orrall this summer:
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Robert Ellis Orrall short bio:
When RCA Records signed Robert Ellis Orrall in 1980 he had his dream band: Kook Lawry on guitar, Don Walden on bass and David Stefanelli on the drums. Forty-four years later they are back on the road and in the studio. Part of a New Wave of Boston artists that included The Stompers, Jon Butcher Axis, Til Tuesday and The Neighborhoods, REO rocked legendary venues like The Rat, The Paradise and The Orpheum Theater.
The band’s critically acclaimed albums, Fixation, Contain Yourself, and Special Pain were recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales with producer Roger Bechirian (Elvis Costello, Squeeze), and supported with tours opening for U2, The Kinks, Psychedelic Furs and countless others. And their Top 40 smash hit with Carlene Carter “I Couldn’t Say No” still stands as an ‘80s classic.
When Robert moved to Nashville to write and produce (Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, Lindsay Lohan), Kook, Don and David lent their talents to artists like Peter Wolf (J. Geils Band), Barry Goudreau & Brad Delp (Boston), Carlene Carter, Brian Maes, Nick Lowe, and many more.
Robert Ellis Orrall has had over 350 songs (and five #1 songs) cut around the world and soundtracked in TV and movies like The Bourne Identity, Hannah Montana, and Freaky Friday. He produced tracks for Love and Theft, Cake Bake Betty and Taylor Swift’s 10x-platinum debut album and follow-up EP.
The band regrouped to reminisce, tour, and record “467 Surf And Gun Club”, an album John Hiatt called “absolutely joyful”; Michael McDonald called “relevant and timeless”; and wrote American Songwriter: “The melodies, counter melodies, and killer performances constitute a unique blend of ‘60s-pop-meets-modern-indie songwriting.”
The band is touring from now to forever, playing songs from all of their albums and albums to come. The old cliche “Let’s get the band back together” has come to life with these four best friends playing their best music.
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Recent praise for Robert Ellis Orrall:
“Robert Ellis Orrall is a composer who always says something we need to hear. In that way he remains relevant and timeless. His latest offering is no less.” _Michael McDonald
“Very sophisticated and relentlessly appealing sunny SoCal folk pop a la Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, the guys who invented it. Fully realized. Absolutely joyful.” _John Hiatt
“Robert Ellis Orrall is emblematic of the irreverent, eccentric spirit that has helped forge Nashville’s contemporary independent music scene.” _Nashville Scene
“[467 Surf and Gun Club] is a delightful and touching listen. Musically, the melodies, counter melodies, and killer performances – provided by the same band members Orrall recorded and played with back in the ‘80s – constitute a unique blend of ‘60s-pop-meets-modern-indie-meets-solid-country-songwriting.” _American Songwriter
“The music throughout the record has the same vibe as Andrew Gold, Brian Wilson or latter career Elvis Costello, confident, comfortable and relaxed with nothing to prove and ultimately satisfying from start to finish. The first instinct on the closing notes of the (final) track is to immediately go back to the beginning and listen to the album all over again.” _Glide Magazine
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Press Contact: Michael O’Connor Marotta at michael@knyvet.com
Band Contact: Robert Ellis Orrall at robertellisorrall@gmail.com
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