Chinese American Bear’s jovial show was the perfect antidote to a chilly Portland evening. Tucked into a small venue in St. Johns, the bilingual rock/indie duo, Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, joined by U.S.-based drummer Rex Liu, shared laid-back, groovy tunes that celebrate the mixing of Chinese and American cultures. Tong comes from an immigrant family and moved around many cities in the U.S. as a kid, and she grew up seeing the cultural differences between her and her mostly white classmates. Her now-husband Barsten was also caught in the cross-cultural crosshairs when the couple were teenage sweethearts; their relationship had to be kept secret from Tong’s strict parents, and when they did find out, they were initially disappointed that Barsten didn’t meet the typical Asian mom criteria (i.e. be a doctor/lawyer/engineer, achieve straight A’s, be financially well-off, etc). But that didn’t stop their relationship from blossoming into not just a life partnership, but also a musical partnership.
Chinese American Bear’s music is effervescent and nostalgic; it feels like a warm smile from an old friend. “Feeling Fuzzy” is an 80s synth-funk-inspired track that features phrases often heard in a Chinese household: “do your homework / practice piano / stop playing around.” Tong, the primary spokesperson for the evening, translated the simple Chinese lyrics for the audience, and after a few minutes of crash course Chinese, the audience was able to sing along with the band. Tong serves as the main vocalist for most of their songs, but in “Magic Number,” a song inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, she switched over to the keyboard while Barsten’s vocals and guitar playing took center stage. His gentle, airy vocal style matched the relaxed vibe of the song, and his Chinese pronunciation was on point.
Only a handful of people in the crowd spoke Chinese, which is not surprising due to the demographics of the city, but the prevalence of non-Chinese-speaking fans points to the band’s unique cross-cultural appeal. The simple Chinese lyrics mixed with English speak distinctly to the Chinese American experience of only attaining partial fluency of your family’s native tongue. In other words, first generation children of immigrants often supplement their conversations with English words in place of the Chinese equivalents they never learned. One of the other factors in Chinese American Bear’s appeal are all of the fun interactions they have with the audience. They taught the audience Chinese lyrics and dance moves, and they even invited a lucky audience member onstage in “Dumpling” to dance in an adorable dumpling hat. The dance moves were inspired by the rolling, pinching, and kneading involved in making dumplings, and the song is an ode to the cultural importance of food as a way of showing love and bringing people together.
“Weekend in Chinatown” paints a shimmery, nostalgic picture of wandering around in Chinatown as a child, and “Take Me to Beijing” channels the bittersweet yearning for a distant hometown into a synth-y, propulsive track. The band also paid tribute to the famous Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng by performing an upbeat version of one of her most popular songs, “The Moon Represents My Heart.” And in case the concert itself wasn’t enough to give you the warm fuzzies, the band threw several small boba-cow plushies into the crowd after their last song, “Love Bus.” Delightfully playful and gently wistful, Chinese American Bear is the cross-cultural mascot you never knew you needed.
