Charlie McArthur and Craig Ramsey began recording as Bears in the summer of 2005. Their first album happened, almost by accident, in about eight months. This self-titled album was self-released in April 2006, and the band soon received praise from publications like Skyscraper, Alternative Press, Amplifier, and Impose Magazine, among many others. The record also received considerable college radio play, hitting #94 on the CMJ Top 200 in August of the same year. 　　 　　Their second full-length, Simple Machinery, was released in 2008 in the US and on Fastcut Records in Japan. Their third and best album, Greater Lakes, was released in 2012 on Misra Records. In between, they've released singles and EPs and toured around the US a few times. Although they don't play live very often these days, they are making new recordings in between side projects.