Bear Rinehart of NEEDTOBREATHE joins The Ty Bentli Show on Apple Music Country to discuss the overarching theme in NEEDTOBREATHE’s new album Into The Mystery, when he feels the band’s most magical moments happen, and what it’s like working with Carrie Underwood. Listen to the full episode here.
Bear Rinehart on working with Carrie Underwood:
“This one was really interesting because I had worked with her before, really recently to this. I just sent it out as a flyer to be honest. I didn’t think she would say yes. Sent it to the manager and it wasn’t… I mean, maybe it was an hour later, she was like, “I love this song. I’m in.” Which is just, as you know, just about how it happens very often. She’s like, “I’ll do whatever. I’ll shoot the video if you want.” Well, all those things that kind of fell out, we got to do CMT where our band played and she’s sang. I’m just looking around like, “Well, how does this happen?” We’ve always felt like a little bit of a tough luck kind of band, like a slow grind kind of band. It’s always like, “When are you going to get that yes? When’s that moment happen?” So it felt like that to me anyway. It felt like, “Whoa, this is crazy.” This kind of felt like winning the lottery a little bit. She came in with us, which was sick and she’s obviously a great singer and I knew that from being in there with her, working on her thing before. But I think it’s just funny. She’s such a rock fan. I think that was probably my surprise. I was like, “What?” I was like, “Tell me your collab that you really want to do, you hadn’t been able to do.” Because I would assume she can do whatever she wants. She was like, “Axl Rose, no doubt.” That was really fun. I think for her to be like… Even when we taped the CMT thing, it’s our band up there and her, and I know that she’s not used to being in somebody else’s band. Our band is not like the solo artist thing where everybody’s buttoned up. Everybody does what they want to do. They’re all talking and making jokes and so she just jumped right in. It ended up being really fun that night. I think probably because of that of just like, “This is how it is, girls. It’s wild. So you could jump in and let’s do this.” And she fit right in.”
“This one was really interesting because I had worked with her before, really recently to this. I just sent it out as a flyer to be honest. I didn’t think she would say yes. Sent it to the manager and it wasn’t… I mean, maybe it was an hour later, she was like, “I love this song. I’m in.” Which is just, as you know, just about how it happens very often. She’s like, “I’ll do whatever. I’ll shoot the video if you want.” Well, all those things that kind of fell out, we got to do CMT where our band played and she’s sang. I’m just looking around like, “Well, how does this happen?” We’ve always felt like a little bit of a tough luck kind of band, like a slow grind kind of band. It’s always like, “When are you going to get that yes? When’s that moment happen?” So it felt like that to me anyway. It felt like, “Whoa, this is crazy.” This kind of felt like winning the lottery a little bit. She came in with us, which was sick and she’s obviously a great singer and I knew that from being in there with her, working on her thing before. But I think it’s just funny. She’s such a rock fan. I think that was probably my surprise. I was like, “What?” I was like, “Tell me your collab that you really want to do, you hadn’t been able to do.” Because I would assume she can do whatever she wants. She was like, “Axl Rose, no doubt.” That was really fun. I think for her to be like… Even when we taped the CMT thing, it’s our band up there and her, and I know that she’s not used to being in somebody else’s band. Our band is not like the solo artist thing where everybody’s buttoned up. Everybody does what they want to do. They’re all talking and making jokes and so she just jumped right in. It ended up being really fun that night. I think probably because of that of just like, “This is how it is, girls. It’s wild. So you could jump in and let’s do this.” And she fit right in.”
Bear Rinehart on working on the new album Into The Mystery:
“I think, a product of the fact that it was like I was writing the songs around the pandemic and I wasn’t writing for a record. Certainly, wasn’t writing for a NEEDTOBREATHE record. I think I was just dealing with a lot of things personally, so I just started exploring it a little bit. I think treating music like I’m eight years old a little. I really went in everyday wide open.”
Bear Rinehart on roles in the band:
“But I think being in the band with my brother, you just naturally make, shape into these different roles. He was able to take some of the artistic exploratory roles and I was always like, “Hey, you know what day it is? We have to do this tomorrow.”…and I think a lot of that shape, maybe that’s not what I wanted to do, but it’s what happened and I think since he’s been out of the band, it’s been really freeing to me to explore that side and also incredibly fun. I’ve had more fun making music than ever, and it feels like there’s less consequence to it for some reason. And then also having kids. I just had three little boys, all really fast, it feels like, and their wonderment for life is super infectious and I’m really jealous of it. They walk into the room just butt naked with arms out like, “Let’s do this.” Maybe not the naked part, but I’m just like, “I need that in my life, that sort of attitude.” I feel like I’ve been trying to approach things like that.”
“But I think being in the band with my brother, you just naturally make, shape into these different roles. He was able to take some of the artistic exploratory roles and I was always like, “Hey, you know what day it is? We have to do this tomorrow.”…and I think a lot of that shape, maybe that’s not what I wanted to do, but it’s what happened and I think since he’s been out of the band, it’s been really freeing to me to explore that side and also incredibly fun. I’ve had more fun making music than ever, and it feels like there’s less consequence to it for some reason. And then also having kids. I just had three little boys, all really fast, it feels like, and their wonderment for life is super infectious and I’m really jealous of it. They walk into the room just butt naked with arms out like, “Let’s do this.” Maybe not the naked part, but I’m just like, “I need that in my life, that sort of attitude.” I feel like I’ve been trying to approach things like that.”
